IMF Mission to visit Serbia in mid-February

Finance Minister Lazar Krstic said that an official IMF mission would come to Serbia in mid-February 2014 to negotiate a new precautionary arrangement, it was announced on the website of the Serbian government.

Krstic assessed that it was not a small progress for Serbia given the earlier termination of the arrangement and disagreements regarding projected budget deficit.

- Such arrangement is very significant for us because it would represent one more step towards winning back the credibility of our country in international financial markets - he stressed.

Also, as he added, that would show that everything the Serbian government does guarantees the stability and sustainability of macrofinancial and economic system.

- The reason why we need the arrangement is not money as the level of FX reserves is such that we are not negotiating a loan from the IMF, but we need it as an assurance that the reform program we're implementing is appropriate - Krstic concluded.