SKOPJE, May 14 (Reuters) - Macedonia has not asked the International Monetary Fund for a loan agreement, but remains open to a deal in the future, the finance minister said on Thursday at the end of an IMF mission.
"We did not speak about an arrangement," Trajko Slaveski said. "We remain open that ultimately we may agree (about the arrangement) if there's a big downturn abroad."
The mission, led by Wes McGrew, arrived in Macedonia on May 7 to assess the economic situation in Macedonia and its policy response.
Macedonia's central bank has slashed its GDP growth forecast to minus 0.4 percent from a previous forecast for a 3.0-4.4 percent. Its economy had grown at a steady annual 4-5 percent for years.
(Reporting by Kole Casule, Writing by Adam Tanner)