11th October 2023, Skopje – Starting today, Minister of Finance, Fatmir Besimi, joined by the Governor of the National Bank, Anita Anegelovska – Bezhoska, will attend the IMF/WBG Annual Meetings, taking place on Marrakesh, Morocco this year. Focal point of this year’s Annual Meetings is response to climate change challenges, energy transition, as well as greater pandemic resilience and preparedness.
Within the Annual Meetings, Minister Besimi will meet high representatives of both the World Bank and the IMF, as well as other IFIs, at which he will present, as per this year’s focus of the Annual Meetings, the commitments of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia to ecologically sustainable economic growth, investments in green projects and policies it carries out to realize this commitment and implement green projects.
In Marrakesh, Minister Besimi will meet with World Bank Vice President, Antonella Bassani, World Bank Group Executive Director, Koen Davidse, World Bank Country Director for Wester Balkans, Xiaoqing Yu, as well as IMF high representatives, Deputy Managing Director at the IMF, Bo Li, IMF Executive Director, Paul Hilbers, and Alternate Executive Director for North Macedonia, Luc Dresse, as well as Director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund, Alfred Kammer.
Meetings are also arranged with both representatives from IFIs which support the country in implementing infrastructure projects and institutions supporting the green development, such as EBRD’s First Vice President, Jürgen Rigterink, IFC’s Regional Vice President, Alfonso Garcia Mora, and the International Development Association – IDA.
Annual Meetings, attended by Ministers of Finance, Governors, representatives from the business community, the civil society, academics, etc., provide an option to open dialogue for issues of global interest. IMF/WBG Annual Meetings are held in October each year, with this year’s Meetings taking place in Marrakesh in the period from 9th to 15th October.