Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said he was pleased to commend the government for its strong fiscal and monetary actions amid the very difficult circumstances of war and inflation. After the meeting with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița, the official said the energy subsidies and pension increases implemented by the Prime Minister’s government helped support the most vulnerable Moldovans. He also applauded the government’s unwavering commitment to its vital governance reforms, IPN reports.
In a press briefing, Kenji Okamura said that he was honored and deeply moved on his first visit to Moldova - a country with which the IMF has a rich and longstanding partnership. “Today, I would like to pay tribute to the heroism of Moldova and its people. Despite enormous challenges, you are playing a historic role, leading by example and opening your homes and hearts to Ukrainian refugees. Moldova deserves strong support from the international community. We at the IMF are proud to stand with Moldova, support your government’s efforts, and work to deepen our excellent cooperation,” stated the official.
According to him, on May 11, the IMF Executive Board approved additional financial assistance to Moldova to help your country address the challenges from the war in Ukraine, encourage additional external financing, and provide needed support to the most vulnerable.
“That’s the IMF’s focus–to help our member countries and the people impacted. We are working day and night to help as much as we can: for Moldova and for all our member countries,” said Kenji Okamura.
For her part, Premier Natalia Gavrilița said the program with the International Monetary Fund announced last September helped the Republic of Moldova to secure other partners’ confidence and, as a result, they managed to develop important cooperation relations with foreign partners. “The Government remains firmly committed to accelerate economic growth in the long run, to extend the social and geographical coverage and to build the country’s resilience. The crises revealed the structural weaknesses we face and also those that can be removed by better governance at all levels. We continue to bank on the International Monetary Fund’s support in advancing our agenda to transform the country on the path of European integration,” stated Natalia Gavrilița.
The Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kenji Okamura is paying a working visit to Chisinau during June 12-15.
