MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Venezuela started refinancing its external debt on Monday, the state oil giant PDVSA said Tuesday, citing Venezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez.
According to Rodriguez, earlier in the day Venezuela also began carrying out interest payments to service its external debt.
He noted that over the past week, $2 billion were paid, and PDVSA had paid the entire interest on its debt.
On Sunday, the country's President Nicolas Maduro dismissed the possibility of a default, adding that Venezuela would instead work on refinancing and restructuring its foreign debt.
Venezuela, a leading oil producer, has been in a precarious economic situation for years, aggravated by a global fall in oil prices.
