Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati made the remarks on Wed. in a meeting of finance ministers and heads of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region held with IMF chief via video conference.
In this meeting, Hemmati seized this opportunity to express his thanks to the move taken by the Fund to finance countries grappling with the novel coronavirus global pandemic and added, “Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the countries hardest hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic in MENA region."
Also, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the countries that requested the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) from the Fund, he stressed.
“From our point of view, the International Monetary Fund is an independent and non-political institution and we hope that the situation will remain the same. The Fund is similar to an international firefighter and we are all involved in it.”
This requires the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to act impartially and seriously, he said, adding, “The Iranian nation expects the Fund to stand by them and act impartiality in this respect.”
RFI resources are being used to finance the purchase of medical drugs and equipment by Iran, which are needed to save the lives of people and prevent the spread of coronavirus in the region, Hemmati emphasized.
He pointed to the EU trade mechanism with Iran entitled INSTEX and added, “INSTEX and Swiss Humanitarian Trade Agreement (SHTA) are the available tools which can help remove any concerns in this field."
“Coronavirus is a global pandemic and requires the cooperation of all countries with each other. However, no country is safe from the outbreak unless all countries remain safe,” Hemmati stressed.
MNA/4907445
Your Comment