The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus, visited Moscow on February 17–19, 1998 at the invitation of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Viktor S. Chernomyrdin, to discuss the economic policy program for 1998 pursued by the Government and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in the context of the medium-term economic strategy supported by the IMF's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) covering 1996–1998.The Prime Minister and the Managing Director share a common assessment of the situation, of the strategy, and the policies needed to bring the program to a full success given the prevailing challenges in the international financial environment.