COLOMBO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's central bank on Tuesday instructed government banks to accept Qatari riyals after some banks at the country's main international airport refused to do so.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka categorically denied reports earlier in the day which stated that the Central Bank had asked banks not to accept the Qatari currency.
Officials at the Katunayake Airport had said that most banks at the airport had refused to exchange Qatari riyals.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's national airline Srilankan Airlines said it will continue to operate flights to Qatar and will monitor the situation.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing the Gulf state of supporting and financing "terrorism" as well as interfering in their internal affairs.
Later on the day, Yemen, the Maldives and Libya also decided to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar.
