Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has been appointed to coordinate the economic relief efforts of Sri Lanka.
Speaker Nasheed was appointed to the role by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe. The appointment was made after Speaker Nasheed offered his services to assist Sri Lanka in securing relief from foreign nations amid its current economic crisis.
In a tweet, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih welcomed Speaker Nasheed’s appointment by the Sri Lankan government to coordinate international relief efforts for the country. The president stated the Maldives will always stand with Sri Lanka, and will support the country in every possible way to overcome these difficult times.
Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst economic crisis in its history. Economic mismanagement, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising energy costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have drained state coffers, meaning Sri Lanka is running low on fuel and essential medicines and facing daily power blackouts.