IMF official welcomes China-proposed AIIB in Middle East, Central Asia

A senior official with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ruled out Wednesday that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) would pose a threat to the influence of his Washington-based international organization in the Middle East and Central Asia region.

"We welcome the AIIB to provide financing to countries which are in need of investments in their infrastructure," Masood Ahmed, the director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department told Xinhua.

He pointed out that the IMF and the AIIB follow different purposes albeit that both institutions provide loans.

"Unlike the AIIB, the IMF does not provide financing for infrastructure in East Asia and Central Asia and other parts of the world," he said.

"Our objective at the IMF, on the other hand, is not to provide financing and investment for infrastructure, but to provide financing to member countries in need of monetary resources and technical support to meet financing needs in case there are constraints," Ahmed said.

He added that supporting infrastructure investments is welcomed by the IMF because it spurs economic growth.

The IMF has 188 member states.

The AIIB, which was established through an initiative by China, announced in April that 57 states were accepted as full members, among them nearly all Asian states, the five Gulf Arab states: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman, as well as Jordan, Iran and Egypt. Endit