International media comments on signing Moldovan government-IMF agreement

Chisinau, 27 July /MOLDPRES/ – The international press has written that the reform agreement reached between Moldova with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan of 179 million US dollars is good news and an achievement of the government.

Associated Press has quoted Prime Minister Pavel Filip as saying that the news of the agreement "brings back optimism at home and helps restore our credibility abroad." The official added that the Moldovan government remains committed to European reforms and was "keen to attract foreign investment: in this sense we undertook a series of economic and banking reforms, which provide the basis for future sustainable growth."

The news received from IMF is a boost to the government, in office since January, in one of Europe's poorest nations, Association Press also said. 

"We are now a true construction site in terms of reforms and we are determined to continue what we do, not for IMF or someone else, but primarily for us," said Filip at a 26 July phone conversation with the prestigious news agency Bloomberg news. "We will have to fulfill more conditions before the next autumn meeting of the IMF Board, but now the country is in a much better position, so as to be able to secure macroeconomic stability and meet budget objectives."

Bloomberg also writes that, although it is the poorest country in Europe, hit by the bank fraud, Moldova insists to continue reforms and strengthen the banking system,as well as the fight against corruption and improving the judicial system.

“The IMF has reached a staff-level agreement for a loan of 179 million dollars for Moldova”, headlines New York Times. Another prestigious publication, Washington Post, publishes the Associated Press news.

“Moldovan authorities and experts of the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday reached an agreement on a new financing program worth 179 million dollars for a three-year period,” writes the news agency Agerpres and electronic publications libertatea .ro, hotnews.ro and others.

Head of European Commission Delegation in Chisinau Pirkka Tapiola publicly congratulated the Moldovan government immediately after the announcement on the signing of an agreement with IMF.

"Congratulations to the Moldovan authorities for getting a staff-level agreement with IMF, and to IMF for an "astral" performance. This is an important step, " commented Tapiola on a social networking site.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)