Russia to write off Cuba’s soviet-era debt February 22, 2013 - 09:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia and Cuba will sign an agreement on the settlement of Cuba’s debt worth $30 billion by the end of the year, with part of the debt to be written off and part to be restructured, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Friday, Feb 22, according to RIA Novosti. “There was an accumulated debt of Soviet Union-granted loans, and now an agreement has been drafted, which does not yet enter into force but is initialed until all coordination procedures are conducted,” Manturov said. Earlier Friday, Russia and Cuba initialed the debt settlement agreement. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Ricardo Cabrisas, vice president of the Cuban Council of Ministers, put their signatures under the document in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Cuban leader Raul Castro. Russia is the Soviet Union’s legal successor regarding loan payment. Manturov did not specify which part of the $30 billion debt will be written off. Medvedev arrived in Cuba on Thursday following a visit to Brazil. Partner news  Top stories Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Earlier, at least five Azerbaijan soldiers were killed and six seriously injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree and overturned. Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes.   Partner news |  Latest news Human Rights Watch: more Afghan women imprisoned for "moral crimes"  Human Rights Watch says many are jailed for running away from home, often from forced marriages or domestic violence.Benedict Cumberbatch’s Julian Assange biopic to open in Oct The drama centers on the relationship between Assange and Domscheit-Berg, which became increasingly fraught as WikiLeaks' influence grew.Disney greenlights new "Star Wars" animated series "Star Wars Rebels" takes place between the events of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" and "Episode IV: A New Hope".Shanghai Film Festival jury announced The fest announced that Oliver Stone will be receiving an Outstanding Achievement honorary award at the festival this year. |
