IMF loan needed: Belarus delegation to go to Washington


The Belarusian delegation has been tasked to negotiate the issue of a loan arragement with the representatives of the International Monetary Fund in Washington.

The delegation will include senior officials of ministries of Finances, Economy, Foreign Affairs and the National Bank. The sides are expected to hold talks on conditions of granting a new loan program to Belarus.

The spring session of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will take place on April 19- 21 in Washington.

Minsk is in talks about a new IMF loan of about $3 billion under 2.3% for 10 years. For the last few years, Belarus has been seeking to agree upon a new program with the IMF. As Minsk refused to conduct market reforms recommended by the Fund in return for rescue loans, negotiations repeatedly collapsed. On December 20, in an interview with Reuters, Prime Minister of Belarus Andrey Kabyakou said that negotiations were constructive, but there were two complex sets of issues — changes in utility tariffs and improving the performance of the state sector of the economy.

In late March, more than two thousand people signed a change.org appeal not to fund current authorities of Belarus. Authors of the petition demand cessation of all negotiations and consultations between the IMF and the government of Belarus until the release of all peaceful demonstrators detained for protests against the notorious decree on ‘social parasites’.

 belsat.eu

TWITTER