Although President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in his special statement in Parliament that Japan would assist Sri Lanka in the debt restructuring process and has agreed to co-chair the summit pertaining to negotiating with creditor nations, Reuters reported yesterday (6), quoting a Japanese Government official in Tokyo, that Japan has not yet reached any agreement to co-chair a debt summit with Sri Lanka’s creditors.
“We have not reached such an agreement. It might be their (Sri Lanka’s) wishful thinking, but the situation remains unchanged,” a senior Japanese Government official with knowledge of the matter had informed Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
However, President Wickremesinghe said in Parliament yesterday: “Japan is to assist Sri Lanka in the debt restructuring process and has agreed to co-chair the summit to negotiate with creditor nations.”
Later, the Presidential Media Division (PMD) clarified the President’s statement on its official account.
“Japan is to assist Sri Lanka in the debt restructuring process. The Government requests Japan to co-chair Sri Lanka’s creditors’ conference,” the PMD statement read.
Reuters further reported the Japanese Government official to have also said that “Japan will stand ready to provide full support for Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring provided that the necessary conditions are met”.