Government of Moldova and Germany sign Bilateral Agreement on restructuring EUR 13.8 mln debts of Moldova

The Government of Moldova and Germany signed on Wednesday, November 22 in Chisinau a Bilateral Agreement on restructuring some of Moldova’s debts worth EUR 13.8 mln. The document was signed by tMinister of Finance, Mihail Pop and Michael Pleban, ad-interim charge de affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany to Moldova, as well as by Elke Kortum, representative of the German Government. The agreement has been signed in conformity with the provisions of the Protocol on Moldova’s external debt restructuring, signed on May 12, 2006 within the frameworks of the Paris Club. The fact of signing this Protocol would make it possible to reduce the expenses related to the payment of the debt for the creditors of the Paris Club from USD 149.9 mln to about 60 mln. Last week a similar agreement was signed between Moldova and Japan on restructuring some of the R. Moldova’s debts, totaling JPY 1.82 bln (USD 15.4mln). On May 12, 2006, the Paris Club creditors agreed with the Government of the R. of Moldova upon restructuring its external debt. The agreement strengthens the non-reimbursable debt of about USD 150 mln contracted by the R. of Moldova till December 31, 2000. In conformity with the Agreement signed at the Paris Club, bilateral agreements were to be signed with each creditor, including USA (USD 20.643 mln), Russia (USD 89,963 mln) Germany (USD 21.959 mln), Japan (USD 16.252 mln), and Italy (USD 1.078 mln). In the first half of November, Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Grecianii declared that the bilateral agreement with Russia has already been signed. In March, the debt of the R. of Moldova for the Paris Club creditors topped USD 276 mln.