IMF praises the Greek people for their struggle through austerity

IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said on Thursday that the IMF recognises the economic progress that has been achieved by Greece, and that this success was mainly credited to the Greek government and the sacrifices of the Greek people, while also expressing his conviction that the IMF contributed to this good outcome.

Rice said that the IMF was always on the front line of calls to ease Greek debt, raising the issue repeatedly through its various reports and noted that there had been “a lot of communication and analysis of the programme” including the post-programme assessment reports by an independent assessment agency, all of which was published.

“We naturally continue to support Greece, continue to have good relations with Greece, though there has not been any economic programme for Greece with the IMF for some time now,” he added.

Replying to a question on whether the IMF was trying to cover up the mistakes it had made in the Greek programme through its communications policy, Rice disagreed and noted that the IMF has been transparent in communicating all aspects of the support it has given Greece.