QUESTION OF VIETNAM'S DEBT TO RUSSIA WAS NOT TOUCHED UPON AT BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS








HANOI, March 1, 2001. /RIA Novosti special correspondent/ - The question of Vietnam's debt to Russia was not discussed at the Russian-Vietnamese negotiations, said Russian Vice Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko, chairman of the Russian-Vietnamese bilateral commission. 


	Explaining this, he said that all these problems had been  solved -- the agreement on settling the debt "has been not only  signed but has already come into effect." Viktor Khristenko  pointed out that the problem of Vietnam's debt had been settled in the main "on the basis of the Paris Club's principles." Under this scheme Vietnam's annual payments to Russia amount to some  100 million dollars. 


	Apart from that, the agreement provides for the possibility of clearing off part of Vietnam's debt by delivering goods to  Russia, making re-investments in joint economic projects in  Vietnam and by paying the training of Vietnamese specialists in Russia. 


	Viktor Khristenko said that at present Vietnam's debt to Russia amounted to 1.5 billion dollars. -O- (kos/kri)  


	


	01/03/01    14:11