EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MINSK, 16 September (BelTA) – In H1 2013 Belarus’ gross foreign debt payments made up $3.058 billion or 9.3% of GDP, or 13.7% of export of goods and services, reads a statistical report of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, BelTA has learnt.
The principal debt payments made up $2.459 billion; the interest payments amounted to $598.8 million.
Government agencies transferred $1.103 billion to service the foreign debt in H1 2013. Some $870.6 million was spent to pay off the principal debt; $233.1 million was spent to pay off the interest.
The gross foreign debt of Belarus increased by 4.3% in H1 2013 and made up $35.214 billion by 1 July. The short-term gross foreign debt was estimated at $13.1 billion as of 1 July, up by 2.5% from the beginning of the year. The long-term gross foreign debt expanded by 5.4% in January-June and reached $22.1 billion.
As of 1 July, government bodies owed $13 billion of the gross foreign debt, up by 3.5% over the beginning of the year. These are long-term debt obligations.
As of 1 July, financial regulatory bodies owed $368 million to nonresidents, down by 16.2% in January-June. The short-term debt shrank by 25.1% to $159.2 million, the long-term debt reduced by 7.7% to $208.8 million.
In January-June the foreign debt of Belarusian banks expanded by 9.9% and made up $6.82 billion by 1 January 2013. The short-term debt of banks increased by 6.9% and amounted to $2.82 billion by 1 July; the long-term debt rose by 12.1% up to $3.99 billion.
As of 1 July, other economic sectors owed $13.6 billion to nonresidents, up by 1.9% over the first half of 2013. In H1 2013 the short-term debt shrank by 0.3% to make up $8.75 billion by 1 July; the long-term debt rose by 6.1% to $4.88 billion. The debt of Belarusian companies to direct investors rose by 18.2% in January-June to reach $1.39 billion by 1 July.
Gross external debt of Belarus is the outstanding amount of those actual current, and not contingent, liabilities that require payment(s) of principal and/or interest by the debtor in the future and that are owed to nonresidents by residents of Belarus. Gross external debt incorporates the debts of the government, financial regulatory bodies, banks and other economic sectors.