Belarus to pay off foreign debts for energy carriers next year

Next year Belarus will pay off the foreign debts for the energy carries, first deputy prime minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko told at the opening ceremony of the 10th Belarusian energetic and ecologic congress in Minsk.

He noted that in line with the earlier agreed schedule of debts payments Belarus have to pay off about USD 3 million a month to Russian Gazprom. ‘We will keep to the schedule,’ the vice premier said. In his words, by the end of next year the country ‘will fully pay off the debts’ including the fines accumulated since 1998.

Vladimir Semashko informed that as of January 1, 2002 the foreign debt of Belarus for energy carriers totaled USD 316,7 million and as of October 1 this year it was USD 115 million.