The Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund, Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf has said that Sri Lanka will remain a middle-income country despite the decline in GDP.
Speaking at an IMF press conference on the Asia and Pacific Region’s Economic Outlook, the Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF responded to questions raised about Sri Lanka’s progress toward debt restructuring negotiation, the IMF’s program timeline, and whether Sri Lanka could be downgraded to low-income status.
She pointed out that it is difficult to predict a timeline because the process of debt negotiations takes time, and mentioned that timelines differ depending on who the creditors are and what is involved.
“We certainly are supporting the process as much as we can. And we hope that everybody can work expeditiously to get a process underway, and discussions have started, including with support of all bilateral creditors that are involved,” she said.
Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf further speaking noted that with regard to the other multilateral lenders, the IMF is working very closely with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Investment Bank, on programs for Sri Lanka, which would assist in closing the financing gap.
“But I also want to say, very importantly, that the policies of the other multilateral lenders in their areas of expertise will be important to resolve Sri Lanka’s longer-term growth problems,” Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf emphasized.
