Lebanese President Michel Aoun receiving International Monetary Fund (IMF) Permanent Representative to Lebanon Frederico Lima in Baabda on June 20, 2022. (Courtesy of the Presidency's Twitter account)
BEIRUT — The permanent representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, met Lebanese President Michel Aoun and caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil held a meeting Monday, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Here’s what we know:
• Head of the IMF office in Beirut, Najla Nakhlé, and the caretaker Finance Ministry’s acting Director-General, Georges Maaraoui, were also present in the meeting, which covered the IMF’s technical support to Lebanon and the country’s economic reform program.
• In Baabda, Aoun assured the IMF officials of Lebanon's willingness to cooperate with the IMF’s requirements in order to resolve the crisis the country is undergoing.
• A preliminary agreement was concluded on April 7 between Lebanon and the IMF, where Lebanon would receive $3 billion worth of financial assistance over 46 months if certain prior actions or reforms are implemented. The staff-level agreement remains subject to final approval by the Executive Board of the IMF.
