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IMF Increases Financial Support To Armenia

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  • IMF Increases Financial Support To Armenia

    IMF INCREASES FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ARMENIA

    ARKA
    June 24, 2009

    YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
    has increase financial support to Armenia up to US $823mln.

    IMF Resident Representative in Armenia Nienke Oomes reported that
    the IMF Executive Board completed the first review of Armenia's
    economic performance under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and approved
    an increase in the IMF's financial support to an amount equivalent to
    SDR 533.6 million (about US$822.7 million; or 580 percent of Armenia's
    quota). These decisions enable the immediate release of SDR 102.7
    million (about US$158.3 million), bringing the total disbursed to
    SDR 264.2 million (about US$400 million). The Board also granted a
    waiver of performance criteria on net banking system credit to the
    government and the program's fiscal balance.

    She said that the funds will be provided for five years, with a
    grace period of three years and three months, the SDR rate being
    1.5%. About US $150mln of the funds will be repaid at the SDR rate,
    the second US $150mln amount at the 1% + SDR rate and the following
    amounts at the 2%+SDR rate.

    The reason for the increased financial support to Armenia is a
    worse financial situation in the country, lower GDP, sharp decline
    in private transfers to Armenia, decreased tax revenues, which may
    cause financial expenditure problems to the Government, Oomes said.

    She pointed out that the increased financial support to Armenia is
    supposed to prevent the Government from cutting down its expenditures,
    which may worsen the situation amid the crisis.

    The funds will help Armenia resist the crisis, restore the population's
    confidence in the national currency and protect the socially vulnerable
    sections of the population.

    Oomes said that Armenia and the IMF arranged about macroeconomic
    policy, particularly about mitigating the macroeconomic and fiscal
    policy and about reforms.

    She pointed out that some of the funds will be used to replenish the
    reserves of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA). Under a preliminary
    agreement, some of the funds will be provided to the Armenian
    Government for social expenditure.

    Under a program of cooperation with the RA Government, the IMF
    has transferred US $240 to Armenia, with the rest US $300mln to be
    transferred during the coming two years.
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