On Thursday May 16, President Emomali Rahmon received the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva, who is in Tajikistan on a visit.
“The International Monetary Fund will extend opportunities of cooperation with Tajikistan,” Mrs. Georgieva said after the meeting.
She noted that during the meeting, they had discussed issues of cooperation between the IMF and Tajikistan.
“We have just discussed IMF’s new program for Tajikistan. It supports the country’s reforms to increase its attractiveness for investors, improve business climate and the use of budgetary funds intended for meeting social needs and supporting the population. This program is necessary especially now, when Tajikistan promotes the construction of the Roghun hydropower plant, one of the most important projects not only for the country, but also for the region. The Roghun hydropower plant will be a source of “green” energy for business and the population of the country,” IMF managing director noted.
She also noted that the Fund offers its members a new long-term financial instrument through the concessional climate finance mechanism “Sustainable Development Fund” with a maturity of 20 years, of which 10.5 years are a grace period.”
According to her, the Fund already has 18 countries that use this tool.
“We have very positive impressions of Tajikistan. Economic indicators are excellent. The economic growth is more than 8.0 percent. Inflation is one of the lowest, around 3.0 percent. Debt dropped to 27% of gross domestic product (GDP). The most important thing is there is the vision and unification of the people in order to realize all these aspirations,” Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva noted.
Meanwhile the Tajik president’s official website says that during the meeting Tajik president and IMF managing director discussed issues of cooperation between Tajikistan and the International Monetary Fund.
"We appreciate the contribution of the International Monetary Fund to the stable social and economic development of our country", Emomali Rahmon emphasized at the beginning of the meeting.
The parties reportedly exchanged views on cooperation in the areas of promoting economic reforms, ensuring macroeconomic stability, supporting the balance of payments, preserving the stability of international reserves and raising the standard of living of the people.
Among the important topics of discussion at the meeting were the ways to increase the resilience of Tajikistan's economy to the adverse effects of external factors, including the intensity of geopolitical risks, regional instability, and the consequences of climate change.
It was considered necessary to continue economic reforms and allocation of grant funds for the stability of socio-economic development and improvement of the investment climate in our country.
The parties also expressed views on the expansion of cooperation with development partners in the promising sectors of industry, agriculture, energy, and in the sphere of human capacity-building.
Other issues of interest to the parties were also discussed at the meeting, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
