Amidst extreme duress Sri Lankan extends gratitude to India for all the help

New Delhi, May 28: The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked India for the support that it has been providing to the trouble torn island nation. He also thanked Japan over the move to set u a foreign aid consortium.

During a conversation with Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, Wickremesinghe thanked India and expressed his appreciation for the support India has extended during this difficult period.

In a series of tweets the 73 year old leader also said that in the midst of the worst ever economic crisis, Sri Lanka is also looking to fast track talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and finalise an arrangement by mid-June to find concrete solutions to problems that they are facing.

"Assistance from India and Japan: I am grateful for the positive response from India and Japan on the proposal made for the Quad members (United States, India, Japan, and Australia) to take the lead in setting up a foreign aid consortium to assist Sri Lanka," a tweet read.

"I had a conversation with India's Minister of Finance @nsitharaman today. I expressed our country's appreciation for the support India has extended during this difficult period. I look forward to further strengthening ties between our nations," the Sri Lankan Prime Minister wrote in another tweet.

Banking Sector: I met with Central Bank officials and a number of local and foreign bankers this week. We discussed the high risk of rising international interest rates and severe danger of worldwide increase of food prices observed at this moment, he further stated.