Economist: We should fulfill, thank and bow to expect something
Economic observer of “BelGazeta” Syarhei Zhbanau has commented on the IMF’s demand to release political prisoners for Euroradio.
Euroradio: Does the IMF usually set up political claims when countries ask for a credit?
Syarhei Zhbanau: I really doubt that the IMF can set up any political claims when allocating credits as the IMF has enough economic arguments not to give a credit to Belarus now. First of all, Belarus has not fulfilled the previous crediting programme yet. Secondly, it has not finished its complex of preparatory measures. In particular, IMF Resident Representative Natallya Kalyadzina claimed not long ago that Belarus did not even have a programme that could be discussed as an outline of the future application for a credit. The serious economic discord allows me to think that they did not simply reach the stage of political demands even if you do not take the statute of the organization into account.
Euroradio: Could Lukashenka use political reasons “to obscure” the IMF issue because it would not give us a credit?
Syarhei Zhbanau: There was no information about the meeting of the IMF Resident Representative with the state leader of a member of his administration in mass media. You need to use mass media or an opportunity at a meeting to claim something. I have no information about anything of the kind. It is hard to believe that somebody could inform about political demands in some other way. It is doubtful.
Euroradio: But can we expect Belarus to ask the IMF for credits even after the statement?
Syarhei Zhbanau: Of course, we can. What else can we do? The foreign debt is increasing. As far as I know, we will have to pay back 1.8bn next year. Then we will have to pay back 3.1bn and so on. There are two ways of paying such huge sums – to auction everything (our administration does not want to do it because it would like to sell it at a better moment so that it would be more expensive) or to ask the IMF for money. I do not know any other sources. Russia has given us everything it could using the EurAsEC fund.
Euroradio: In this case, we have nothing to hope for, do we?
Syarhei Zhbanau: We can only fulfill, thank and bow in order to hope to get something taking into account the fact that we have exceeded our quotas by several times (EurAsEC credits and the last IMF credit).
