Dubai (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, will meet today (Tuesday) in Dubai, three weeks ahead of the expected March 3 start of review negotiations for the $1 billion second loan tranche.
The meeting would take place on the margins of the World Governments’ Summit in Dubai, the Express Tribune reported.
This will be the third meeting between PM Shehbaz and Georgieva in the past ten months.
The prime minister departed on Monday for a 2-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the summit.
The UAE government is organizing the event, inviting a large number of heads of state and government, global policymakers, and top private sector figures to discuss the future of governance, innovation, and global cooperation.
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PM Shehbaz is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and other key cabinet members.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has been asked to join the meeting upon his return from Lisbon, Portugal.
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The purpose of the meeting between the IMF head and PM Shehbaz was not immediately known, and it is taking place three weeks before the scheduled talks under the first programme review of the $7 billion agreement.
In September last year, the prime minister also met Georgieva on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
At the time, the IMF head had expressed the Fund’s support for Pakistan’s economic efforts and emphasized the significance of maintaining macroeconomic stability and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.
