Iraq clears all debts to IMF
The International Monetary Fund. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The financial advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mazhar Salih, confirmed recently that Iraq has repaid all the loans it has taken from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 2003, a total of just under $8 billion.
Salih explained that the IMF provided several loans to Iraq, aiming to support macroeconomic stability and financial reforms, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
Between 2003 and 2021, Iraq obtained several financing programs from the IMF, including emergency loans and long-term financial assistance.
In 2016, the IMF approved a financial program worth $5.34 billion to support economic reforms in Iraq. Within five years, Iraq paid out the loan in full after obtaining two-thirds of the total.
Iraq sought a $6 billion emergency loan from the IMF in 2021; however, the loan was not granted because, at the time, it hadn’t been linked to any of the IMF’s initiatives.
Iraq’s engagement with the IMF was intended to assist in addressing the economic issues brought on by the drop in oil prices, which were connected to fluctuations in the balance of payments, as well as to promote government reforms.