Russia-Club consultations on the debt have gone on till this day, added Kudrin.
The debtor country is anxious to pay the debt as soon as it can-to save on big interest, explained the minister.
The club has opened a session in Paris today to discuss prospects for early payment of a part of the debt - roughly 15 billion US dollars, about a third of the total, informants close to the club said to Novosti.
They are rather skeptical, and don't think a related understanding will come quite soon, what with payment terms, which are something of a stumbling block. As for early payment prospects as such, Paris club countries have no major objections.
Payments ahead of schedule rob creditor countries of debt service interest, so they are anxious to come at certain compensations. That's the whole problem.
Creditor countries are demanding premiums, while Russia insists on a discount. That was the central consultations issue, as the Russian and Western press was reporting on many previous occasions, with reference to anonymous informants. No official comments ever came from Russia's Finance Ministry-it merely said the consultations were still underway, and the negotiators had a long way to travel to final stances.
However, when Kudrin was visiting Washington, D.C., April, for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring session, he said he was sure Russia would come at acceptable payment terms with the club.
The Finance Ministry evaluated the lump debt at $43.1 billion, as of January 1, Germany roughly accounting for 18 billion of the total. As for Russia's entire foreign debt, the ministry specified it at $114 billion for the same day.
