Sri Lanka PM: Nasheed designated to coordinate foreign aid after he generously offered

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has stated that Maldivian Parliament Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed was designated to coordinate foreign aid to his crisis-hit country after he had generously offered to do so.

Media and Communication Director at People’s Majlis, Hassan Ziyaau, told Sun on Thursday that Nasheed held a phone conversation with the newly appointed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier in the day.

He detailed that Nasheed and Wickremesinghe discussed the current situation at Sri Lanka over the phone call following which had requested Nasheed’s assistance in coordinating foreign aid to Sri Lanka, to overcome the ongoing financial crisis; a request which Nasheed had assured he will comply with.

However, via a tweet last night, Wickremesinghe said that Nasheed was designated to coordinate foreign aid after he offered to do so.

“I have accepted former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed’s generous offer to assist in the relief efforts in Sri Lanka's economic recovery by coordinating the efforts to secure foreign assistance,” the tweet read.

Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years – resulting from the economic mismanagement of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration.

President Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister last week in a bid to quell the island nation’s political and economic crisis.

The president’s brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, stepped down as prime minister on May 9 amid violence that left nine people dead and more than 200 wounded. Protesters have demanded the powerful Rajapaksa family resign to take responsibility for leading the country into the economic crisis.

The country is nearly bankrupt and has suspended repayment of about USD 7 billion in foreign loans due this year out of USD 25 billion to be repaid by 2026. Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt is USD 51 billion. The finance ministry says the country currently has only USD 25 million in usable foreign reserves.

Wickremesinghe said about USD 75 billion is needed urgently to help provide people with essential items, but the country’s treasury is struggling to find even USD 1 billion.