The Sri Lankan government has announced that it tasked the Maldives' former President and current Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed with seeking foreign aid for the country.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a major economic and political crisis.
Citing Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office, major Sri Lankan newspapers reported that the Prime Minister met with President Nasheed and discussed the issue. During the discussion, President Nasheed offered to seek foreign assistance for Sri Lanka. PM Wickremesinghe accepted the offer and entrusted the coordination of the work to President Nasheed.
Ranil's appointment as prime minister comes as Sri Lanka's deteriorating economic crisis led to major political unrest. His predecessor, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned on May 9 after the country plunged into deep political turmoil. The situation escalated when pro-government protestors attacked anti-government protesters who had taken to the streets, and the homes and property of government officials and parliamentarians were torched.
