IMF Mission Chief Notes Progress In Talks With Ukraine On Stand-By Programm

Source: Interfax-Ukraine

IMF Mission Chief in Ukraine Ceyla Pazarbasioglu has noted progress made in the talks between Kyiv and the International Monetary Fund on resuming their cooperation under the stand-by program.

"We have moved ahead rather significantly in our discussions," she said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

Pazarbasioglu refused to disclose the details of the talks, but added that she would report on the progress in the talks within two or three days. She said that the IMF is currently monitoring Ukraine under a special program, as per a condition for allocating the country the first tranche of the fund's loan, worth a total of $16.4 billion.

Pazarbasioglu said that after the IMF mission works out its proposals, it will submit them to the IMF Executive Board and added that the latter would either amend the existing program or would approve a new one. She also refused to comment on the period of the mission's work in Ukraine and on the results of this work.

"Our goal is to reach agreement, and each of the sides in the process is doing everything to achieve this progress," she said.

She said that much depends on tomorrow's voting on anti-crisis bills by the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.