FinMin Stavreski: Doors of international financial institutions open for Macedonia
The doors of international financial institutions are not closed to Macedonia as some media claim. The country has been enjoying excellent relations with all international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the European Investment Bank, Vice-Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski told TV Nova on Tuesday.
All doors for financing solid projects are open and there are no reports that these institutions have doubts over financing Macedonia's investment needs, Stavreski said.
The political crisis, which has been holding the country hostage for a long time, is obviously accompanied by a propaganda war that spreads different incomplete information and misinformation, he said.
In this respect Stavreski notified a recent media report about a World Bank loan for Macedonia, approved in January 2016.
"It is true that the World Bank Board approved in early January US 28 million-loan in support of Macedonia's municipalities. In that period the early elections were supposed to be held on 24 April, which means a caretaker cabinet governs the country for 60 days prior to the poll. Hence we agreed with the World Bank for the loan to become effective after the elections," Stavreski said.
This information was published by some media in January, but now in order to emphasize that agedly the financial support is being limited for Macedonia, it is recycled and obtains new dimension, Stavreski said.
"The initial reports in some media claimed that the World Bank was halting the financing support to Macedonia. This is not correct. WB already approved the loan that should have become effective after the elections. Afterwards we have postponed the elections, which is an internal problem," Stavreski said.