Sri Lanka hopes to sign new IMF staff-level agreement: president

KATHMANDU: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced on Thursday that the government hopes to sign a new staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by 23 November.

Delivering the new government's policy statement at the commencement of the 10th parliament, Dissanayake emphasised that breaking away from the IMF agreement is not an option for the country.

The president noted that the third review, initially scheduled for September, was delayed due to the recent elections.

He added that following the 14 November parliamentary election, the IMF resumed discussions with the government, and they are hopeful of finalising the staff-level agreement within this week.

By RSS/Xinhua