Aliaksandr Yarashuk: I don't think IMF will issue loan to Belarus

The mission of the International Monetary Fund led by David Hofman finishes its work in Belarus on July 15.

IMF experts visited Minsk on the invitation of the Belarusian government that tried to persuade the IMF to issue a stabilisation loan.

Aliaksandr Yarashuk, the chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, met with the experts. He said to Radio Svaboda's question if Belarus could hope for a new IMF loan:

“I didn't ask it because I didn't think it was ethical. It seems to me that the IMF mission has an understanding of what is going on here and what regards intentions of the Belarusian authorities to fulfil the promises and programmes they are writing about. They compose good programmes, as they did previous times. Their promises resemble the promises of Greece. By the way, I said at the meeting that Belarus was repeating the the path of Greece, as Belarus's policy is based on populism and demagogy rather than on a desire and readiness to carry out reforms and change the economic course.

I think the IMF mission understands well the situation in Belarus. I don't think they will take a decision to give us a loan. Of course, I see their professional approach. It's a pity that David Hofman completes his mission. He introduced a new person who will head the mission – Dohlman.”

Yarashuk think the IMF doesn't have a biased approach to Belarus. The mission will adhere to the programmes providing for economic liberalisation, restructuring, privatisation, abandoning the command and control system. It won't change its position. The Belarusian authorities have not demonstrated concrete steps in the recent years. What they do was only cosmetic measures. Belarus should not hope for a new IMF loan, Aliaksandr Yarshuk thinks.