President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says Sri Lanka will have to service debt while simultaneously rebuilding from climate disasters, emphasizing that this was why debt sustainability frameworks for climate-vulnerable countries must change.
“We just completed a historic debt restructuring process, only to face yet another disaster, Cyclone Ditwah. Initial estimates indicate that the damage may well be beyond any natural disaster that our island has endured,” President Dissanayake told American media, Newsweek.
In a candid conversation with Newsweek at the President’s Secretariat in Colombo, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake laid out the realities Sri Lanka faces in the wake of a devastating cyclone that left death and destruction in an already fragile economy.
He detailed how international partners, from regional neighbours to global powers, stepped in during the crisis, and why Colombo now sees an opening to reset ties with India, manage its complicated relationship with China and deepen engagement with the United States under President Donald Trump.
For excerpts of the Interview, read more on https://www.newsweek.com/sri-lankas-president-speaks-turmoil-recovery-and-diplomacy-11172487 (Newswire)