Bangladesh remains hopeful that Sri Lanka will repay a debt of US$200 million that it owes to the country by March 2023, even as the economic crisis on the island continues and Colombo defaults on other loans.
The Governor of the Bangladesh Central Bank Abdur Rouf Talukder said he was “assured” by Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe that the debt would be repaid after the pair met in Washington.
The loan from Bangladesh under a currency swap deal was supposed to be paid in three instalments in February and March 2023”, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
The deadline has already been extended twice according to Talukder.
“We had a very good meeting,” he told reporters. “The governor assured me that they will meet the deadline for repayment. They are now restructuring their debts and have spoken to India, Japan and China about it."
Earlier this year, Sri Lanka officially defaulted on its international debt obligations after failing to make a payment of approximately US$78m during its 30-day grace period.
