Russia has completed the prescheduled debt payment to the Paris Club of Creditors. The overall sum, which has been paid to the club from the former USSR, makes up $15 billion. Thirteen billion dollars of the sum were wired into two parts on July 15 and 29 to eleven countries (Australia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Canada, the USA, France, Finland and Sweden). The rest of the sum, $2.3 billion, has been transferred to five other countries (Austria, Belgium, Spain, Norway and Japan) today, on August 22. The biggest part of the debt was paid to the Paris Club on August 19.
The total debt, which Russia owes the Paris Club of Creditors, makes up some $43 billion. The largest part of the debt has been paid: Germany received its $19 billion on July 15.
According to experts' estimates, any significant unscheduled investment in the economy accelerates the inflation rate up to 0.7 percent a year. The US administration, however, does not hesitate to make huge state-run investments in national infrastructure projects. Last week, for example, George W. Bush signed the law about the modernization of the US transport system: it is planned to spend some $300 billion within six years on the project.
