OREANDA-NEWS. March 17, 2010. Mr. Max Alier, Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Ukraine, issued the following statement after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Tihipko in Kyiv:

“I met with Deputy Prime Minister Tihipko at his invitation. We had fruitful discussions on the government’s economic policy priorities for 2010, which includes re-engagement with the Fund.  Mr. Tihipko requested an IMF mission to resume policy discussions. I indicated that the Fund stands ready to support Ukraine in its endeavor to return to a sustainable growth path, and that I will relay the request for a mission to our headquarters, and consult on next steps.

“In the meantime as part of our preparatory work, an IMF staff team will visit Kyiv next week to join the Resident Representative office in technical meetings on the budget. I’m grateful to the authorities for the meeting and look forward to further discussions in the near future.”