Russia extends loan to Sri Lanka for arms purchases: report
( Source: Xinhua ) 2010-February-9 06:56
MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Sri Lanka have signed a loan to buy Russian military equipment, RIA Novosti news agency cited the Russian deputy finance minister as saying on Monday.
The 300-million-U.S.-dollar loan has a term of ten years, Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Pankin told the news agency.
The finance deal came as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Kremlin.
The deal will cover not only purchases but also extensive repairs of Russian arms previously supplied to Sri Lanka, RIA Novosti reported.
Sri Lanka remains highly militarized after a decades-old conflict between government forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels. In May, the Sri Lankan military finally defeated the Tamil separatists, killing their leader in an operation that brought the civil war to an end.