Belarus Leader Hopes for Balanced Cooperation With IMF

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko expressed hope for a balanced program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which may include a loan for Minsk, a statement issued on Sunday said.

MINSK (Sputnik) – On Saturday, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde met with Lukashenko under the auspices of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss prospects of cooperation between Belarus and the IMF. According to an IMF statement, Lagarde urged Lukashenko to change the existing policy to restore sustainable growth of the country's economy.

"The Belarusian president expressed hope that the new program will apply a balanced approach considering interests of the country and policies adopted by the state to ensure a high level of social protection of citizens" a statement issued by Lukashenko’s press service reads.

In late June, Belarusian Finance Minister Vladimir Amarin stated that Minsk had prepared a roadmap of reforms that are a condition of an IMF loan of up to $3 billion. The head of the National Bank of Belarus Pavel Kalaur later said that Minsk expects an extended lending mechanism in order to address possible problems with balance of payments.