Come gather ye bankers
This vision has inspired some intense lobbying by high-ranking Czech government officials during their trips abroad over the last few weeks. At stake is Prague's bid to host the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in the year 2000.
According to JiŢ' Navratil, finance director at the Transportation Ministry, Czech government officials recently received instructions from the Cabinet to use every appropriate meeting with foreign government officials to "express the Czech government's eminent interest in hosting the meeting."
Last week in Sofia, Finance Minister Ivan Kocarn'k was heading the lobbying effort with western finance ministry and central bank officials during the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). For Prague to secure this coveted prize, Kocarn'k told the Prague Business Journal, would be a "symbolic recognition of the success of the Czech economic transformation."
The IMF's annual meeting is held away from Washington, D.C. every third year. In 1994, it was held in Madrid, where it attracted over 10,000 participants, and in 1997 it will be held in Hong Kong.
The other applicants to host the 2000 meeting are The Netherlands, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, said Sylva Flor'kova of the Czech National Bank's foreign currency department.
According to JiŢ' Navratil, finance director at the Transportation Ministry, Czech government officials recently received instructions from the Cabinet to use every appropriate meeting with foreign government officials to "express the Czech government's eminent interest in hosting the meeting."
Last week in Sofia, Finance Minister Ivan Kocarn'k was heading the lobbying effort with western finance ministry and central bank officials during the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). For Prague to secure this coveted prize, Kocarn'k told the Prague Business Journal, would be a "symbolic recognition of the success of the Czech economic transformation."
The IMF's annual meeting is held away from Washington, D.C. every third year. In 1994, it was held in Madrid, where it attracted over 10,000 participants, and in 1997 it will be held in Hong Kong.
The other applicants to host the 2000 meeting are The Netherlands, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, said Sylva Flor'kova of the Czech National Bank's foreign currency department.
