DUSHANBE, February 2, 2016, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan has fully repaid its nearly US$8 million debt to Uzbekistan and a US$12.2 million debt to Kazakhstan, Jamshed Karimzoda, First Deputy Minister of Finance of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus on February 2.

Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s external debt now amounts to more than 2.182 billion U.S. dollars and the ratio between Tajikistan’s external debt and its gross domestic product (GDP) rose 5.3 percent in a year to December 31, 2015, reaching 27.8 percent, Karimzoda said.

According to him, the national budget last year allocated nearly 145 million U.S. dollars for the external debt service, including more than 113.1 million U.S. dollars for principal debt payments and 31.4 million U.S. dollars for interest debt payments.

The external debt includes the government’s direct debt, the debt of the National Bank of Tajikistan, borrowings guaranteed by the government and debts without government guarantee.

The government’s direct debt has reportedly reached more than 1.98 billion U.S. dollars.  Borrowings guaranteed by the government amount to more than 22.7 million U.S. dollars and debts without government guarantee amount to 31.5 million U.S. dollars.

China remains Tajikistan’s main creditor.  Tajikistan now owes 950 million U.S. dollars to China.

Long-term preferential loans from international financial institutions also form the bulk of the country’s external debt.