Sri Lanka, Oct. 6 -- The IMF (International Monetary Fund) announcement of the staff-level agreement is unrelated to any request by the government for a successor programme, according to a spokesperson from it.

The international lender did not receive any such request from the government even by yesterday.

"We still have two reviews left under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, which is in place through March 2027. Hence, the immediate priority should be on getting the current programme to the finish line.

The staff-level agreement (SLA) announced yesterday relates to the agreement reached between IMF staff and Sri Lankan authorities on the economic policies to conclude the Seventh Review of Sri Lanka's reform progr...