OREANDA-NEWS  The Ministry of Finance of Russia will consider granting a loan to Belarus to refinance the debt to Russia in 2019. This was stated by the head of the Ministry Anton Siluanov.

"Next year we will consider a loan to refinance the repayment of debt to Russia, this amount is about $630 million, - he said. -  We are now talking only about the readiness to consider the issue of refinancing the main body on debts to the Russian Federation."

Siluanov noted that Belarus requested $1 billion, but it includes all debts to Russia and the Eurasian Fund for stabilization and development (EFSD). However, while the Finance Ministry will consider refinancing the debt. He added that it concerns only to Russia.

In 2015, Russia issued a $ 760 million state financial loan to Belarus for a period of 10 years with a four-year grace period. Repayment of the loan should begin in February 2019, under the terms of the agreement, it should be carried out in 13 equal shares every six months until February 2025. This loan was also provided to service and repay loans that were previously issued to Belarus by Russia and the Eurasian Fund for stabilization and development.

In September 2017, Belarus received a loan from Russia for $ 700 million. It was provided for a period of ten years to repay loans previously issued by Russia.

In August 2018, Reuters learned that Russia refused to provide a loan to Belarus in the amount of $1 billion, and blocked the transfer of two loans to the Republic from the EFSD.

According to the Agency, in July, Moscow also suspended the payment of the mechanism of "customs" and the work to provide a loan for $1 billion, moving the deadline for 2019.