Minister of Finance: IMF Statement Aligns with Ministry's Vision

The Minister of Finance in the caretaker government, Youssef Khalil, believes that "the statement issued by the International Monetary Fund accurately describes the financial, monetary, and economic reality, aligns with the vision of the Ministry of Finance, and is consistent with the corrective steps that have been initiated as expressed in the successive budgets for 2022, 2023, and 2024. This has primarily led to an increase in revenue and has contributed, in recent months, to a reasonable level of financial and monetary stability in the exchange rate." In a statement, he noted that "the emphasis on completing reforms confirms the viewpoint that what the ministry has undertaken must be completed with legislation for urgent structural reform steps, which the politically troubled situation continues to obstruct. This requires a greater commitment to the necessary reforms at the legislative level, so that all stakeholders can set the economic recovery plan on the right path." He mentioned that the IMF delegation concluded its visit to Lebanon, pointing out that "failure to quickly implement necessary reform measures heavily burdens the economy," stressing that "after four years since the onset of the crisis, Lebanon is still facing enormous economic challenges, with the collapse of the banking sector, deterioration of public services, decline in infrastructure, worsening conditions of poverty and unemployment, and widening economic disparity."