Sri Lanka is expected to receive US $ 3-4 billion from external parties this year to alleviate the current economic crisis, Finance Minister Ali Sabri said.
The finance minister told international television channel Bloomberg that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were set to begin on May 18 to seek financial assistance.
The Minister said that discussions are underway to obtain financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund as well as other parties such as the World Bank, India and China.
He said India had already agreed to provide assistance and talks were underway with China, which had received a positive response.
Mr Sabri said talks with the International Monetary Fund were set to begin in Washington on April 18 and that if all went well, emergency relief funds would be expected a week later.