DUSHANBE, October 24, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s external debt increased from $829.81 million to $1.076 billion in the year to October 1, 2007, amounting to 30.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Deputy Finance Minister, Sherali Safarov, told journalists in Dushanbe on October 24.
The deputy minister attributed the debt increase to newly attracted loans. According to him, long-term preferential loans from international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank form the bulk of Tajikistan”s debt.
Safarov said that in January-September 2007 the external trade turnover of the Republic of Tajikistan, including electric energy and natural gas, has amounted to $2.766 billion, which is 124 percent of the January-September 2006 level. The trade balance was negative and amounted to 578 million US dollars.
Exports of goods over the report period have to $1.094 billion and imports of goods into the republic have amounted to $1.672 billion.
On administration of the national budget for the 2007, the deputy minister said that over the first nine months of 2007, the budget has received some 2.67 billion somonis, which is 121 million somonis more than it was originally planned. The revenue part of the budget for January-September 2007 has been overfulfilled by 4 percent. “As far as the expenditure part of the 2007 budget, the expenditure part for the report period has been fulfilled for 96 percent,”
