MINSK, October 1. /TASS/. Belarus next year will allocate 4.2 bln Belarusian rubles (about $ .6 billion) in 2021 to pay off its external public debt, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
"4.9 billion rubles will be allocated to repay the public debt in 2021, in particular 4.2 billion to repay the external public debt and 700 million rubles on internal [debt]," he said, as quoted by the press service of the Council of Ministers.
Golovchenko disagrees with the comments of "certain media outlets" that "the country will collapse under debt."
"Nothing will collapse. These funds are envisages. The country, as always, pays off all debt obligations in a timely manner without impairment of meeting its social obligations and development goals," the head of the Belarusian government said.
Golovchenko said that the country's budget for 2021 is formed in conditions of limited resources. "This is the budget of the pandemic era and an unprecedented global crisis. Direct losses from external factors, we cannot influence, are estimated at 380 million [Belarusian rubles] ($145mln)," the Belarusian Prime Minister said.
This year, Belarus is to allocate about $3.6 billion to repay the external public debt.