BEIRUT, Jan 25 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanon yesterday kicked off the first round of official talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), seeking to unlock aid for the crisis-hit country.
Lebanon’s deputy prime minister and chief negotiator, Saade Chami, said that, the talks focused on a range of economic and political topics, such as the budget, the banking sector and the exchange rate, the office of Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, said in a statement.
Chami expected other rounds of talks will be necessary, in order to reach a deal with the fund.
Lebanon has been suffering from an unprecedented financial crisis, amid a shortage of U.S. currency reserves, exacerbated by the Beirut port explosions, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.