President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe arrives in Paris to address the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact
The President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, arrived in Paris on Wednesday June 21, 2023, at the invitation of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to speak at the World Leaders Summit for a new global financial pact, which will be held on June 22 and 23. This summit aims to gather trans-regional consensus within the international community in order to build a more inclusive and equitable international financial architecture, with an emphasis on concrete measures.
As President of Sri Lanka, a middle-income country, President Wickremesinghe will have the opportunity to share his nation's experiences with the challenges faced in its dealings with international financial institutions, particularly during a period of severe economic crisis. Sri Lanka's experience is seen as particularly relevant to the Summit's outcomes, given Sri Lanka's recent success in debt negotiations with the IMF, as well as progress made towards stability and economic recovery. .
The round table on this specific theme also brought together other leaders such as the President of Tunisia, Kaïs Saied, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Edouard Ngirente, the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, the President of the African Bank of Development, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, and the former President of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby.
The Summit brought together heads of state and government from diverse geographic backgrounds, including Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, as well as heads of international organizations and multilateral financial institutions . Speakers include French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Kenyan President William Ruto.
On the sidelines of the Summit, President Wickremesinghe will meet with several Heads of Government and heads of multilateral institutions for discussions on issues of common interest. On June 22, the President and the First Lady, Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe, will have the honor of attending an official dinner organized by President Macron in honor of the Heads of State and Government participating in the Summit, at the Élysée. Furthermore, First Lady Wickramasinghe will participate in an event organized by the First Lady of the French Republic, Brigitte Macron, on June 23, 2023.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Paris, France
06/22/2023
