MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

IMF to think about what is best for Argentina, says Georgieva

“We see the improvements,” Georgieva admitted

Argentina's Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo met Thursday in Washington DC with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who then announced that “we have an objective, which is to think together, as a single team, what is best for Argentina”.

“We are aligned with the country's priorities. We look at Argentina's objective and economic indicators and we see the improvements,” she added.

Joining Caputo were Finance Secretary Pablo Quirno and Central Bank President Santiago Bausili, while Georgieva was accompanied by IMF Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath. Caputo first met with Gopinath and IMF's Western Hemisphere Department Director Luis Cubeddu in the morning before conferring with Georgieva after a gathering of G20 finance ministers.

According to sources quoted by La Nación, as a result of these meetings the Argentine government was “buying credibility” because the relationship with the IMF has changed now that it is based on achievements and not on promises.

Following these talks, the Libertarian administration of President Javier Milei expects to start negotiations for a new payment program with the IMF, it was also explained. This week, Caputo said when receiving an award from news site LatinFinance that talks with the IMF were moving forward and that the new agreement could include fresh funds. However, he acknowledged that it is “a long process” and that no concrete figure has been discussed. He also hinted that no new agreement will be reached before next year.