India advocating assistance for Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (News 1st): Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry said that  India has been advocating for assistance to Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the IMF Staff-Level Agreement he said "let's see how it progresses."

He noted that the issues of creditor equitability and transparency are important for the island nation.

"We have extended assistance 3.8 billion, I think it's nearly now 4 billion in assistance in various forms. We have been talking about it for quite some time. We have also made our comments on the other issues," he added.

The Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson commenting on the recent visit of a Pakistan Warship to Colombo said if there are developments that affect India's security, India will keep a close watch on them and take necessary measures to safeguard that. 

"But I think that is a separate element from what our relationship with Sri Lanka is and what all we have done and what we can do, including the conversation we just had, how the IMF staff-level talks as well as the debt restructuring that can happen ahead so that Sri Lankans can improve, you know, get away from this economic difficulty and turmoil that they're facing right now," he added.