Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today said the Sri Lankan authorities stressed the country's continued commitment to their economic reforms agenda. 

Lagard met Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy to discuss the possible continuation of IMF aid programme which has halted during the 51-day political crisis in the country. 

Following the meeting, Lagarde made the following statement:

“I was pleased to meet with Minister Samaraweera and Governor Coomaraswamy this afternoon. We discussed the challenging economic environment and the policy priorities for the country. The authorities stressed Sri Lanka’s continued commitment to their economic reform agenda under the IMF-supported program.

“We agreed that a strong policy mix, with effective implementation of that agenda, is key to strengthening confidence while putting Sri Lanka on a sustainable, high-quality growth path that would benefit its people.

“The IMF remains ready to support the Sri Lankan authorities in these endeavors and an IMF team is scheduled to visit Colombo in mid-February to resume program discussions.”