YEREVAN, May 4. /ARKA/. In 2021, the ratio of public debt to GDP will be exceeding the threshold of 60%, said Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Galstyan to ARKA news agency on Tuesday.

Earlier, Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan said Armenia public debt in 2019 was below 50% of its GDP, but in 2020 it grew to 63.5%, exceeding the 60% threshold laid down in the fiscal rules.

He added that the government needs to adopt a policy that will help bring the indicator down below 60%, which in terms of risks is relatively manageable.

“There is a budget rule to take advantage of the exceptional case opportunity. We believe that there is no need for a sharp reduction in budget expenditures in terms of reducing the deficit. This process should be carried out slowly, since from the point of view of fiscal consolidation this may have a negative impact on the economy,” Galstyan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Galstyan also noted that the budget rule provides for mechanisms which the government need to use to return to the predicted mid-term trajectory.

According to the Eurasian Development Bank, Armenia's public debt increased by 13.9% in 2020 to 67.3% of GDP from 53.5% in 2019. n 2020, Armenia borrowed $300 million from IMF. At the beginning of 2021, almost 75% of government debt was in foreign currency.

Earlier this year Armenia sold a $750mn 10-year Eurobond. The 3.6%-coupon February 2031 bond was priced at 97.738 to yield 3.875%, or 280.2bp over mid-swaps.

Bookmakers HSBC, JP Morgan and Citigroup set guidance at 4.125%-4.5%. Final books were over $2.5bn.

According to the National Statistical Committee, Armenia's total public debt as of January 31, 2021 stood at $8,024.878 billion, an increase of $56.391 million from to December 31, 2020. -0-