President Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka, who is visiting Japan, gave an interview to NHK and expressed his gratitude for the efforts of Japan and others for the efforts to conclude restructuring talks on the debt problem of Sri Lanka, which is in a serious economic crisis, by around October.
Sri Lanka has suspended external debt payments since April last year due to a sharp depreciation of the currency and inflation due to a failure of fiscal policy, and earlier this month, the first meeting was held to discuss the resolution of debt problems with Japan and other creditors.
President Wickremesinghe, who is visiting the Japan for a meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, said in an interview with NHK in Tokyo on March 4 that he would like to finish the debt restructuring talks by September or October, before proposing the budget bill to the Congress, and expressed his gratitude for the efforts that have been led by Japan and others.
Regarding the fact that China, which is considered to be the largest creditor, is not a formal participant but only participates as an observer, he said, "We are proposing all creditor countries to join the talks," and appealed for China to formally participate.
Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe revealed during his meeting with Prime Minister Kishida that he had conveyed his intention to apply for membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), in which Japan, China, Australia, and other countries participate.
On top of that, he stated, "I want to enter the markets of Asia and Australia, and in the medium term, I would like to participate in the TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement," and expressed his view that participation in the economic framework is important for the reconstruction of the economy that is in crisis.