Russia will write off $865 million of Uzbekistan’s debt leaving a balance of $25 million to repay to Moscow, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Wednesday. “The overall debt is $890 million,” Siluanov told reporters. “The Uzbek side will repay us $25 million, the rest will be used to alleviate Uzbekistan’s state debt.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin held talks today with President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov while on an official visit to Uzbekistan. The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting and then continued their talks with their delegations present. The talks were preceded by an official welcome ceremony.
The two presidents witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral agreements following the talks, including an intergovernmental agreement on the priority areas for developing and deepening economic cooperation in 2015-2019, an intergovernmental agreement on regulating reciprocal financial claims and obligations, a protocol on cooperation in fighting drugs, and a cooperation programme between the two countries’ foreign ministries.
“The relations between Russia and Uzbekistan continue their steady development and are genuinely friendly and mutually advantageous. They are based on our common history and the close ties between our peoples,” President Putin said during press statements following the talks. “This year marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of our interstate agreement on strategic partnership, and next year will mark a decade since we signed the agreement on alliance. This is the solid foundation on which we are building our constructive political dialogue, strengthening our economic contacts and expanding our humanitarian ties.”
Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service
