Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 1 October (BelTA) – Belarus and the International Monetary Fund maintain a high level of trust. Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas made the statement as he met with the IMF Senior Resident Representative for Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe Nadeem Ilahi on 1 October, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian head of government noted that the IMF had always been viewed as an important and reliable partner. “A high level of trust has evolved between the Belarusian government and the IMF in the last few years. Our views on key things have become considerably closer. I sincerely hope that we will continue the dialogue at the current level,” he said.

According to Sergei Rumas, the new policy of the Belarusian government will be aimed at raising the competitive ability of the economy, bolstering the market and private property institutions, and pursuing a balanced macroeconomic policy. “Structural changes will also be in the center of the government’s attention. The main spheres of reformation fully coincide with the IMF views, however, we will remain committed to a moderate reform pace,” he added.

Article IV consultations with the IMF are scheduled for November 2018. The consultations will offer a good opportunity to discuss the economic policy in Belarus. “We expect that the constructive attitude of the IMF team, attention to nuances and peculiarities of the geopolitical and economic situation Belarus is in will allow compiling a balanced Article IV report. We hope that the forthcoming meetings will be a good reason to refresh the agenda of our dialogue with the IMF, to take into account aspects of the new action program of the Belarusian government,” concluded the prime minister.

In turn, Nadeem Ilahi congratulated Sergei Rumas on his new appointment. In his words, the IMF team is getting ready for the forthcoming Article IV meetings and hopes that the consultations would proceed in a constructive manner.