KIEV, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is expecting the first review of its cooperation program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would pave the way for the second tranche, in May or June this year, local media said on Tuesday, citing the country's Finance Minister Oksana Markarova.
According to Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Markarova said that Ukraine has been fulfilling most of the requirements for receiving the next portion of the aid under the 14-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
The IMF technical mission that visited Ukraine earlier this month was upbeat on Ukraine's progress in implementing the conditions of the program, Markarova said.
The IMF approved 2.8 billion in Special Drawing Rights, which is equivalent to about 4 billion U.S. dollars, in December last year. The East European country has already received the first tranche of some 1.4 billion dollars from the program.
Ukraine is counting on receiving 2.6 billion dollars in two tranches from the program by the end of this year.
The Ukrainian government said earlier that the program would be an instrument to ease Ukraine's debt burden, reduce inflation, intensify its anti-corruption, tax, and energy reforms and maintain a sustainable level of growth during this year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
