The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement on Friday that it will open a new office to strengthen its relationship with what the Western countries have come to call the "Western Balkans" comprising of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2019) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement on Friday that it will open a new office to strengthen its relationship with what the Western countries have come to call the "Western Balkans" comprising of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia."To be located in Vienna, the new office will help maintain a close engagement with the four countries as well as with donors, international institutions, including the World Bank, and the Austrian government, an important trade and development partner of the Western Balkan region," the statement said.
The new office will be headed by Stephanie Eble, who currently serves as IMF's mission chief for Kosovo, the release said. Eble has previously worked on Ukraine, Greece, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The IMF explained that Eble will oversee the local teams in the existing offices that will continue to exist in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have active IMF programs, will remain with their own representatives, the release said.
"This new outpost in Vienna will be an important part of our ongoing relationship with these four countries, as they pursue European Union accession," IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang said after meeting with the Austrian National Bank Governor Ewald Nowotny and Ministry of Finance Director-General Harald Waiglein in Vienna.
The office will be operational in the fall, but the exact date will be announced in the near future, according to the release.
