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Ecuador to Israel: We can’t pay off debt
Country’s finance minister meets Israeli counterpart Hirchson at IMF conference in Singapore, asks that Ecuador’s USD 180 million debt payments be spread out
The Ecuadorian Finance Minister approached his Israeli counterpart Abraham Hirchson on Tuesday and requested that Ecuador’s payment of its USD 180 million debt be spread out.
The two met at the annual International Monetary Fund conference in Singapore.
Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that Hirchson said he would consider the request, but it appears the Israeli Finance Ministry will eventually reject it.
Ecuador’s debt was accumulated during the 1980s as a result of a number of deals, including the purchase of arms from Israel. But in recent years the country has not been able to make payments.
“We are not the uncle from America, and this was made perfectly clear to the Ecuadorian finance minister,” a member of the Israeli delegation to the conference said.
“Israel also has budgetary problems and substantial debts to pay.”
