Sri Lanka's Ministry of Finance said in a statement on the 12th that the government decided to temporarily suspend the repayment of all foreign debt before completing the debt restructuring. The statement said that Sri Lanka has maintained a good debt repayment record, but affected by the situation such as COVID-19 and Ukraine, it is impossible for the normal repayment of foreign debts, and a comprehensive debt restructuring must be implemented. The Sri Lankan government has asked the International Monetary Fund to help formulate the economic recovery plan and provide emergency financial assistance. Sri Lanka is also seeking other multilateral and bilateral financial assistance. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves had fallen to US $1.93 billion as of March this year. According to media reports, Sri Lanka's total foreign debt to be repaid this year is as high as billions of dollars. Over the past month, Sri Lanka's currency, the rupee, has depreciated sharply. The country is facing problems such as lack of foreign exchange, shortage of materials, rising prices and tight power supply, which have triggered protests. (Xinhua News Agency)