MINSK, May 4. /TASS/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank regarding the Belarusian economy biased, he said at a meeting with Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko on Tuesday.

The forecast of the socio-economic development of Belarus, approved by Lukashenko's decree, suggests that this year the country's GDP will grow by 1.8%. According to the results of Q1, it increased by 0.9%. The World Bank assumes a 2.2% decline in Belarus' GDP in 2021. The IMF estimated the decline in the indicator in 2021 by 0.4%. In its macroeconomic review, the Eurasian Development Bank described two scenarios for the Belarusian economy - ‘basic’ with a GDP growth of 0.1% and ‘risky’ - a 1.4% decline in GDP.

"It’s not the first year that I have seen these results and forecasts, they have never been objective, and we have never worked as they forecast. Therefore, the government should have the most accurate forecast: what will we still have, taking into account the problems that exist," Lukashenko was quoted by BelTA news agency. According to him, one of these problems is an attempt to intimidate Belarusians with sanctions. The president stressed that this cannot be left unanswered.

In turn, Golovchenko said that the country’s GDP in the first half of the year will grow by almost 2%.