SL expects IMF bailout by end of next month

By Sanath Nanayakkare

A staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a programme for a bailout package for Sri Lanka would be finalised by the end of July 2022, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe told Parliament yesterday.

“The only safe option before us now is to hold talks with the IMF and, in fact, it’s our only option. We must take this path,” he said, delivering a special statement in Parliament.

From November 2019, Sri Lanka maintained a consistent hard line against seeking assistance from the IMF, causing historical damage to its economy.

Later, following a request by Sri Lanka for the IMF to intervene, the first in-person talks with the global lender for a bailout package commenced in Colombo on 20 June, they will continue over 10 days.

According to the Prime Minister, Sri Lanka has concluded the initial discussions with the IMF delegation and exchanged ideas on various sectors such as public finance, debt sustainability, stability of the banking sector, social security network, etc.

Referring to debt restructuring and honouring sovereign debt repayments consequent to a preemptive default by the country, Wickremesinghe said the framework for this will also be finalised by the end of July following consultations with financial and legal advisory firms Lazard Ltd. and Clifford Chance LLP.

“Representatives of Lazard and Clifford Chance are now in Sri Lanka to assist us in our debt restructuring. The formulation of this framework which is a key requirement of the IMF is now underway,” he said.

Sri Lanka hired the two firms in May 2022 to serve as financial and legal advisors on debt restructuring as the country sought a bailout from the IMF.

“Three high-ranking officials of the Indian government are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today for discussions regarding the loans offered to the country in the future. We have sought more loans from India, but India cannot continue to lend us. We have to formulate a system to repay our loans,” he said.

“A team of representatives from the U.S. Department of the Treasury is also expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday. We arranged for the arrival of these three teams in Sri Lanka so that we can conduct parallel discussions with them in an effective manner. It will intensify our efforts in expediting the recovery programme,” he said.

Referring to ongoing fuel crisis, the PM said “No country or organisation in the world is willing to provide fuel to Sri Lanka due to the country risk as the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has an outstanding debt of USD 700 million. Some suppliers are even reluctant to provide fuel for cash.”

“Sri Lanka is currently in need of USD 550 million to meet its monthly fuel needs. In the face of foreign exchange crisis, we are experiencing difficulties in securing required funds for this purpose. So, we will be importing maximum possible fuel stocks based on our dollar income. Resolving the fuel shortages, therefore, will take more time. I urge everyone to sparingly use fuel and reduce consumption until our reserves are at healthy levels.”

“The government has taken steps to import 100,000 MT of LP gas utilising a World Bank loan of USD 70 million and USD 20 million of the country’s own reserves. We will be able to eliminate the gas shortage once we have received these LPG stocks,” he said.

The PM also mentioned about the government’s plans to organise a financial aid conference led by India, Japan and China – the main lending countries of Sri Lanka – to seek their support at this critical hour.

“Through this conference, we hope to arrive at a general consensus on lending and repayment processes because these countries have different methodologies in this regard. If we receive the IMF seal of approval, the world will once again begin to trust Sri Lanka. An approval from the IMF will help us secure low-interest loans from other countries as well. We are currently holding discussions with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the United States, other friendly nations and several heads of state to secure interim short-term loans until we receive funding from the IMF. We will be able to lay the foundation to ensure economic stability following the successful completion of these undertakings. However, these by no means will be the end of our recovery effort. In fact, it will be the beginning of our journey which would firmly require us to build a more export-oriented economy with fiscal discipline in place,” he said.