COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Wednesday that he plans to begin negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) immediately to take forward the country’s $2.9 billion bailout programme.

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“Additionally, to advance our debt restructuring program, we are negotiating with relevant creditors to expedite the process and secure necessary debt relief,” Dissanayake said in a televised address.