French President Pledges Strong Support for Sri Lanka’s Debt Restructuring process

French President Emmanuel Macron made a brief visit to Sri Lanka yesterday (28), following his trip to the South Pacific Region.

During the visit, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Macron held friendly and productive bilateral discussions which lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes.

President Wickremesinghe expressed admiration for France’s significant role in global affairs, particularly in areas such as climate mitigation, global debt restructuring, and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region. President Macron recalled his recent conversations with President Wickremesinghe in Paris, which took place during the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact. He reaffirmed France’s willingness and commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in its economic recovery. As the fourth-largest creditor to Sri Lanka, France pledged its assistance in the debt restructuring process, aiming for a positive outcome for the country.

In a Twitter post following the discussions, President Macron stated, “Sri Lanka and France are two nations in Indian Ocean sharing the same goal: an open, inclusive and prosper indo-pacific. In Colombo we confirmed it: strong as in our 75 years of diplomatic relations, we would open a new era to our partnership.”