MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. Termination of payments under Eurobonds in foreign exchange and the transition for paying in rubles does not mean the international debt default, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said.
"No, it does not mean so. The Russian Federation does not refuse to perform commitments under government securities. As a responsible borrower, it takes all the possible measures to fully deliver funds to all investors. Foreign counterparties refuse to process payments in foreign currency, which is a force majeure circumstance for us. This is the only reason why we make the transition to payments in rubles," Siluanov said.
No grounds have been in place so far to treat the change of the payment currency under the sovereign date as Russia’s improper performance of its commitments, the Minister said. The transition to rubles in Russian sovereign debt repayments was provoked only by the refusal of foreign counterparties to process payments in foreign currency, Siluanov added.