ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) affirmed their commitment to improving and developing the country’s financial sector at a Nov. 21 meeting in Astana, as the IMF concluded its 2023 Article IV consultation, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov expressed gratitude to the IMF for its consistent support, emphasizing the surge in Kazakhstan’s economy this year with plans to improve fiscal policy.
He highlighted the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva’s visit to Kazakhstan and the opening of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia Regional Capacity Development Center in Almaty as the significant eventof this year.
The IMF mission chief for Kazakhstan, Nicolas Blancher, positively assessed the country’s progress, mentioning the country’s opportunities to achieve greater economic growth.
Blancher emphasized that the leading role should be assigned to the private sector, among other recommendations from the IMF’s preliminary 2023 Article IV Mission results. The report’s final version will be published on the IMF website at the beginning of next year.