Azerbaijan , Baku /corr Trend I, Khalilova / In 2009 - 2010 the surplus of the Azerbaijani payment balance could reach $15bln. Elman Rustamov, Chairman of the NBA Managing Board stated that over the past few years qualitative changes have been observed in the payment balance.
The process is conditioned with a rise in the amount of repatriation of direct investments by large oil companies at the expense of drop-in foreign liabilities in the oil and gas sector within the framework of the Contact of Century.
Over 9 months of 2006, the surplus of the current balance made up $2bln. Initial forecasts based on the results of 2006 are expected to be on the level of $3.3bln.
'During the previous years deficit of trade balance, the payment balance was covered at the expense of direct investments in the oil sector in the country, while on the other hand borrowing by the Country rose considerably,' Mr. Rustamov stressed.
Up to now Azerbaijan has attracted $20bln.