'A CRISIS BEYOND OUR CONTROL'

Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urges global partners to help him make his country climate-proof, in an exclusive interview with Newsweek

- BY DANISH MANZOOR BHAT

SRI LANKA IS STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM DEV-astating Cyclone Ditwah, at a time when the country is already trying to rebuild from a debt crisis and political turmoil, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in an exclusive interview—in which he called for a new approach for debt-burdened countries vulnerable to climate change.

The cyclone tore through the Indian Ocean island in late November and left well over 600 people dead and thousands homeless, as well as causing damage estimated by the president to be in the billions of dollars.

"The damage may well be beyond any natural disaster that our island has endured. So we will have to service debt while simultaneously rebuilding from climate disasters," Dissanayake told Newsweek at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. "This is why debt sustainability frameworks for climate vulnerable countries must change."

"We just completed historic debt restructuring—$25 billion restructured, $3 billion forgiven. But now we are confronted with a crisis beyond our control," Dissanayake said.

Maintaining Global Relationships

Sri Lanka holds an important geopolitical position given its proximity and cultural ties to neighboring India, but also has close relations with China— its biggest lender—without forgetting the United States as its largest export market.

India was the first country to come to its aid after the cyclone, the president noted. “India responded the quickest with Operation Sagar Bandhu. They deployed aircraft, helicopters, naval vessels including aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and National Disaster Response Force personnel. Our neighbors Pakistan and Maldives also provided invaluable support,” Dissanayake said.

But Sri Lanka does not see its relationships with the major powers of India, China and the U.S. as a balancing act, he added.