Russia to defend its interests as regards Iraqi debts

Russia is going to defend its interests as regards the further fate of Iraqi debts, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin.

This issue must be resolved within the Paris Club framework, said Kudrin, while speaking Monday at a conference for investors organised by Renaissance Capital Group.

According to the Department of Governmental Information, the vice premier stressed that Iraq is not among the poorest countries, and that this position is the basis for determining the scheme of debt restructuring that can be applied to Iraq.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have received mandate to study the situation and prepare proposals for solving the Iraqi debt problem, while the final shape of the scheme will be determined by the Paris Club.