Minsk counting on new IMF stand-by program - minister
MINSK. Oct 24 (Interfax) - Belarus is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new stand-by program and is counting on a "positive" from the IMF for attracting investors, Economy Minister Nikoli Snopkov told the press in Minsk on Thursday.
"We are of course discussing the matter of a stand-by program, and we are very much counting on it," Snopkov said.
Snopkov said the Fund is considering it, looking at how far Belarus has come. "But I don't need money from them, I need a positive, because an IMF positive is a positive for investors," he said.
Asked about the size of credit at issue, Snopkov said that the negotiations were concerned with fundamental approaches to the formation of an IMF financial support program. "IMF financial support is not the important thing, a positive evaluation by the Fund of the work of the government and National Bank to stabilize the economy is," he said.