Sri Lanka PM appointed as finance minister, to lead debt talks with IMF

He has held talks with foreign envoys, including from India, China and the US, and discussed with representatives from ADB and World Bank ways to replenish food, fertilizer and medicine supplies

Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will double up as finance minister leading bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund. 

Wickremesinghe, who was appointed this month following violent unrest, was sworn in by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Minister of Finance and Economic Stabilization and National Policies, according to a statement from the presidential media unit. 

Wickremesinghe has held talks with foreign envoys, including from India, China and the U.S., and discussed with representatives from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank ways to replenish food, fertilizer and medicine supplies. Sri Lanka needs $4 billion over the next eight