IMF says Sri Lanka has not sought its financial assistance

Sri Lanka has not sought financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, which stands ready to discuss options for the country to deal with its debt burden, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said.

Rice told a regular news briefing that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is looking for progress at next week’s G20 finance leaders’ meeting in Indonesia for progress on IMF proposals to strengthen a G20 debt restructuring framework.

The proposals include an immediate debt service standstill for countries that seek debt restructuring and specific timelines for completing debt restructurings.