The International Monetary Fund recently announced that it would launch a virtual mission to Belarus. The decision was taken “amid concerns” over the payment of more than $900 million by the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka to support the country during the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.
The mission is a part of the IMF mandate for economic surveillance and monitoring. The IMF press service said its purpose is to gather more information on economic developments in Belarus and the authorities’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mission starts on Monday, September 13th.
In August this year, the International Monetary Fund approved a decision to distribute $650 billion to make states more resilient in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. This included over $900 million in “Special Drawing Rights” (SDR) allocated to Belarus. In September, the funds were transferred to the fx reserves of Belarus.
The IMF’s decision to allocate nearly $1 billion to Belarus has caused a wave of indignation: the International Monetary Fund is accused of financing Lukashenka’s dictatorial regime this way.
