Argentina’s new Economy Minister Silvina Batakis speaks during a news conference at the Economy Ministry in Buenos Aires, Argentina July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
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BUENOS AIRES, July 23 (Reuters) – Argentina’s newly appointed Economy Minister Silvina Batakis will meet with the head of the International Monetary Fund in Washington on Monday, the government said, as Argentina’s economy struggles with a spiral of inflation.
Argentina is the IMF’s biggest debtor, with a $44 billion program approved by the board in late March. Argentina’s peso also fell to a record low this week, weighed down by a stronger global dollar and a domestic political crisis.
Batakis was appointed less than a month after her predecessor Martin Guzman, the architect of the debt deal with the IMF, abruptly resigned as inflation exceeded 60% a year and was expected to rise further.
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Batakis, who has said she will respect the IMF deal, will meet IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. They’ve already spoken to each other over the phone, which Georgieva described as a “very good call” on Twitter. Continue reading
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was also scheduled to travel to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden, but the meeting was canceled after Biden contracted COVID-19.
Batakis will also meet with officials from the US Treasury Department and the World Bank, the government said.
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Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Adaptation by Marcelo Rochabrun and Grant McCool
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