The Director of Communications at the International Monetary Fund, Julie Kozak, announced that "to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia, Jihad Azour, has temporarily stepped down from his duties at the IMF and is currently on leave" to prevent any potential conflict of interest following his nomination for the presidency of Lebanon by the Lebanese opposition and major Christian parties to compete against the Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Franjieh. She went on to say that Azour, who heads the Middle East and Central Asia department at the IMF, has temporarily relinquished his duties at the global institution and is now on leave "to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest."
On another note, Kozak stated that Lebanon urgently needs to take action regarding comprehensive economic reforms to avoid "irreparable consequences" on its economy, emphasizing the need for reforms to halt the "severe and worsening crisis" facing the Lebanese economy. She added, "Lebanon needs urgent action to implement a comprehensive economic reform program to stop the severe and worsening crisis and allow its economy to recover," noting the IMF's concern that delays in implementing necessary reforms could severely deteriorate the economy and lead to tough consequences, especially for the poor Lebanese and the middle class. Kozak emphasized that the IMF remains engaged with Lebanon and is ready to provide support, but will also require strong financial backing from the international community to address the "very large financial needs" that Lebanon will face in the coming years. She clarified that to achieve this goal, it is essential for the Lebanese government to gain broad political support to implement the economic reforms agreed upon with the Fund's experts in April 2020 to resolve the current crisis.
