Georgian prime minister Zurab Zhvaniya said it to journalists in Tbilisi today. The prime minister also acknowledged that as of July 1, 2004, the state debt of Georgia to Turkmenistan stood at $196,9 mln.

As he said, there was found a possibility to send extra $30 mln till the end of this year as payment of the debt to Turkmenistan at Wednesday's session of the Cabinet of Ministers that considered the allocation of additional revenues of the budget in the first half of 2004.

Georgian state debt to Turkmenistan for natural gas supplies in 1993-1994 initially stood at $530 mln. The sides fixed the debt at $393,6 mln under the bilateral intergovernmental agreement made on March 20, 1996. Since 2000, payment of the debt to Turkmenistan has been carried out by the means of production delivery and services by Georgian economic agents.

The program of the debt payment includes "Tbilaviamsheni" (repair of Turkmen planes), Rustavi Metallurgical Plant, Tbilisi Carriage Repair Factory, Batumi Ship-Building Factory, "Kartuli Shakari" (sugar supply) and "TG Trade" (supply of dredge ships) and a number of other companies.