DUSHANBE, March 14 (RIA Novosti) - Tajikistan's foreign debt decreased by $99 million in January 2006, an IMF official said Tuesday.
Carlos Pinerua, who heads the International Monetary Fund mission to Tajikistan, also said after a meeting with the Tajik president that an IMF Board of Directors meeting in December had voted to cancel the country's pre-2004 debt to the organization.
"[In December], Tajikistan aimed to reach a debt cancellation agreement with seven donor countries," he said. "On January 6, they agreed to waive Tajikistan's $99 million debt to the IMF."
Pinerua said Tajikistan still owed about $45 million to the IMF on loans granted since 2004.
Tajikistan's foreign debt in 2005 increased by $75.84 mln (up 9.3%) compared with December 2004, hitting $894.94 mln by January 1, 2006.