DUSHANBE, March 27, Asia-Plus — On March 24 the Russian Government endorsed an agreement on regulation of Tajikistan’s debt to the Russian Federation, which was signed on December 9, 2002 in Moscow, and decided to submit it to the State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) for ratification, rosfincom.ru reported, referring to the Russian government’s press service.
Besides, the government approved the supplement to the mentioned agreement that was signed in Dushanbe on October 16, 2004.
We will recall that Presidents Rahmon and Putin signed bilateral agreements on October 16, 2004 in Dushanbe on Tajikistan”s debt to Russia, Russian investment in Tajikistan, labor migration, and other issues. Russia received the space-surveillance station in Norak in return for writing off $242 million of Tajikistan”s $300 million sovereign debt to Russia. Under the agreement, Tajikistan pays off the remainder of the debt by 31 December 2008 by giving Russia a share in the Sangtuda-1 power plant.
