YEREVAN, December 4. / ARKA /. Armenia’s state foreign debt increased by 4.8 percent ($172.6 million) from the beginning of the year to more than $ 3.740.8 billion as of late September, according to numbers released today by National Statistical Service (ArmStat).

It said 84 percent of that amount or $3.146.1 billion were owed by the government. The government debt was said to have increased in the first nine months by 6.6 percent. The Central Bank accounted for 15.9% or $ 594.7 million of the debt, down 3.7% from December 30, 2011. Some 70.3% of foreign debt or $2.630.8 billion were owed to international financial institutions (up 6.3% when compared to December 30, 2011).

Specifically, the debt to World Bank amounted to $1.457.3 billion, or 39.1% of the total external debt (up 9%). The debt to the IMF amounted to $ 789.6 million (or 21.1% of the total debt), by 4.6 percent down from the beginning of the year.

Armenia’s debt to the Asian Development Bank stood at $184.1 million at the end of September 2012, up from $165.3 million on December 30, 2011.

Armenian government owed also $68.2 million to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), up from $66.3 million as of December 30, 2011 and $27.5 million to OPEC Fund, down 2.9 percent from December 30, 2011.

Armenia also owes $500 million to Russia (29.7 percent of the total debt; unchanged compared to December 30, 2011) and $397.2 million to Japan, down 0.8% from the beginning of the year.

Armenia’s debt to Germany stood at $173.7 million, up 12.1%; the debt to the U.S. fell by 6.1% to $29.2 million, and the debt to France dropped from $4 million to $ 3.9 million ($ 1 – 405. 92 drams). -0-