... I can confirm the following. The managing director is visiting Indonesia to participate in a long-planned high-level BI-IMF conference on the Future of Asia's Finance...Jakara (ANTARA News) - Senior Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Indonesia Ben Bingham has denied claims that the agenda of IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde's visit to Indonesia is to offer a loan.
Bingham noted in a statement made available to Antara here on Monday that speculation has been rife in the media about the purpose of Lagarde's visit to Indonesia.
"I can confirm the following. The managing director is visiting Indonesia to participate in a long-planned high-level BI-IMF conference on the Future of Asia's Finance," he noted.
"Speculation that the managing director may be in Indonesia to discuss an IMF program with the government has no foundation," he emphasized.
The speculation, however, arose due to the agenda of the visit, according to which Lagarde is scheduled to meet President Joko Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and senior officials, including BI's Governor Agus Martowardojo, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, and Minister of Finance Bambang Brodjonegoro.
Moreover, the visit is being viewed as a coincidence, taking into account Indonesias current economic and financial situation, wherein the rupiah currency has touched Rp14 thousand per US dollar, or nearly the same rate reached during the 1998 crisis.
Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan had also denied claims that Lagardes visit was related to offering a loan.
Pandjaitan said that the IMF had put forth a request to hold a meeting between Managing Director Lagarde and President Widodo, when he was still head of presidential staff.
According to the IMF's press statement, the high-level regional conference in Jakarta on the Future of Asias Finance: Financing for Development 2015, will discuss new financing modalities for the regions dynamic emerging market economies.
Some of the central banks in Asian countries such as Cambodia, India, Japan, Laos, and Sri Lanka had confirmed their participation in the conference.
Lagarde will also meet parliamentarians as well as representatives of other sections of the society, including women leaders and university students.
Moreover, during her stay, Lagarde will have a town hall meeting with university students in the Jakarta area.
This will be Lagarde's second visit to Indonesia after her first visit in July 2012.
Reporter: Azi Fitriyanti
Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
