Press Release No. 18/323

Statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Meeting with Mario Abdo Benitez, President-Elect of Paraguay

July 31, 2018

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), met with Mario Abdo Benitez, President-elect of Paraguay today in Washington. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Managing Director made the following statement:

“It was a pleasure to welcome Mario Abdo Benitez, President-elect of Paraguay, at the IMF headquarters today and to congratulate him on his election as President of Paraguay.

“The President-elect and I had a very productive meeting. We discussed recent global and regional economic developments. We also talked about Paraguay’s strong economic performance, the challenges going forward, and the opportunities for boosting potential growth. President-elect Abdo Benitez and I agreed that it is important to capitalize on the country’s achievements, including poverty reduction, by ensuring the continuity of sound economic policies and reforms in the context of a more challenging external environment. I reiterated the IMF’s commitment to continue supporting Paraguay and the incoming government to ensure strong, sustainable and inclusive growth.”