There is very reason to
hope that the IMF mission will return to Ukraine in the nearest two weeks. Vice
Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria
stated at a press conference.
The official stressed
that working and constructive discussions between the Government and the IMF are
under way at the present. “And we have very reason to hope that either next
week or in the following two weeks the IMF mission will return to Ukraine to
complete the reconsideration of the next step,” Hryhoriy
Nemyria noted.
According to him, there
are no grounds to say that IMF tranche will be provided
to Ukraine not as scheduled. Hryhoriy Nemyria reminded that the second stage of the IMF’s credit is scheduled for March and the third – for May.
He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not currently insisting on
a deficit-free budget from Ukraine.
“The government is holding talks with the IMF. I can say now that
the interim outcome of these discussions is the fact that the IMF is
already not insisting on a deficit-free budget, as it did from the very
beginning,” he said.
Nemyria said that the current deficit of 3% in the state budget for 2009 is acceptable for the IMF.
The Cabinet of Ministers called on Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko to sign the draft a joint declaration between the Ukrainian
government and the IMF as soon as possible.
