IMF spokesperson, David Hawley (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt has not requested an International Monetary Fund financing, an IMF spokesman said on Thursday, after an Egyptian minister said the country may resume talks with the global lender on a loan program.
"The authorities have not requested an IMF arrangement," IMF spokesman David Hawley told a regular briefing with reporters. "In the past months we have maintained a close dialogue with authorities," he added.
Egypt's Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Abu el-Naga told reporters in Cairo earlier on Thursday that Egypt "may need to restart talks with the IMF to obtain loans".
The IMF has said it has roughly $35 billion to lend to countries in the Middle East and North Africa following a year of political turmoil that has toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
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