ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is not planning to make an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday, as the country eyes funding options to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, Reuters cited officials as saying Turkey had held talks with the United States about securing a swap line from the Federal Reserve, as well as other funding options.
“We do not have IMF on our agenda...Turkey does not have an agenda of making a new deal with the IMF, no credit or a new standby agreement,” spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told private broadcaster CNN Turk in an interview.
Asked about criticism of the IMF by President Tayyip Erdogan, its Managing Director Kristalian Georgieva said on Thursday: “We actually have very constructive engagement with the whole membership, including with Turkey... We are there for all our members.”
Turkey’s death toll from COVID-19 has risen above 1,100, with more than 50,000 confirmed cases, and authorities imposed a two-day lockdown on much of the country from midnight on Friday.
