MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) – Belarus' cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is discussed at the meeting of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and IMF Mission Chief for Belarus Peter Dohlman on 16 March, BelTA informs.

“Thank you for arriving in Belarus and for coming here at my request to discuss one or two issues. I want to say that I invited you not to hold the negotiations because I know that you actively cooperate with our specialists in the dimension of relations with the IMF,” the head of state noted. “I would like to discuss a couple of issues with you. They are very important for me and for the country.”

“I believe that the issues we will discuss will be very informative and useful for you. Besides, you will be aware of the situation in Belarus,” Alexander Lukashenko added.

Some time ago BelTA quoted First Deputy Finance Minister Maksim Yermolovich as saying that Belarus' budget for 2017 does not contradict the expectations of the International Monetary Fund. “We have not suspended consultations with the IMF. We've been monitoring together in line with article IV. We've continued cooperation on budget matters. If we talk about the 2017 budget, it does not contradict the IMF expectations that our colleagues had when the program was drafted,” Maksim Yermolovich said at the beginning of the year.

Back then there were certain technical issues. Belarus and the IMF continued discussing them. But they mostly pertained to the interaction of experts.

It was reported earlier that Belarus would like to start a new program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund in H1 2017. It was also stated that the country hopes to get $3.5 billion from the fund.