Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday appealed to all parties to join the unity government to tackle the island nation's worst-ever economic crisis and prevent "strong economies" from using it as a "tool of interference," days after India and China verbally clashed over the docking of a high-tech Chinese ship at a port in the country.
His remarks came as he presented the revised budget for 2022 in his capacity as the minister of finance.
"We can no longer be a nation dependent on loan assistance. We can also no longer be used as a tool of interference by other countries with strong economies," Wickremesinghe said without naming any country. However, his remarks came days after China and India verbally clashed over the docking of 'Yuan Wang 5' at Sri Lanka's Hambantota port.
“All this can be achieved, only if we work together in unity with common consent. I reiterate the invitation to all the parties represented in this Parliament to join an all-party government. Since this unprecedented situation is the responsibility of us all, and therefore need to prioritise the necessities of the countryâ€.
