“We hope that, with the proper macroeconomic policies, many who left the country will see again the potential," she sa...

“You’ll have various stakeholders and they’ll have different views. That’s to be expected,” he said.

The MP added that the government was keen to pin the responsibility on parliament.

The official also noted that inflation has come down in Sri Lanka, albeit from having gone “through the roof”.

The minister added that the Chinese-built Colombo Port City itself was an investment.

The Russian envoy said the decision was “totally unacceptable”.

Chung, in a move somewhat unprecedented for a senior Western diplomat in Sri Lanka, took to Twitter to reject the claim.

The minister met a Sinopec team that arrived in the island the previous day to finalise the agreements.

“This Friday, the SLFP will definitely vote in favour of the IMF facility,” he said.

“I have already informed the Treasury to start the process. Our two state ministers [of finance] will also be involved...