OREANDA-NEWS. October 13, 2009. Estonia's economic policy during the global economic crisis won praise at the finance minister's and central bank governor's meetings with leaders of the International Monetary Fund and the head of its European division.

"The IMF expressed support for both Estonia's economic policy so far and Estonia's goal to adopt the euro as soon as possible. Given Estonia's economic policy so far, the IMF considers this target realistic and supports Estonia's efforts to achieve it," Bank of Estonia President Andres Lipstok was quoted as saying in the central bank's press release.

According to Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi, it is very important for Estonia to raise awareness internationally that our budget policy and financial situation differ radically from the impression one gets when reading news coverage of the Baltic region.

"The important message we have to spread in good time among investors as well as international finance organizations is that our economy is stabilizing and we are about to meet the Maastricht criteria," Ligi said.

The Estonian delegation also met with representatives of rating agencies and commercial banks, giving them an overview of the current state of the economy and assurances of the reliability of the country's economic policy and financial system.