"The debt increased largely due to 11 loan agreements worth US$154.3 million signed in 2007," said Timurali Avtonov, head of the Finance Ministry’s main department for government debt and financial assets, RIA Novosti reported.

Avtonov said China and Uzbekistan were the ex-Soviet state’s main creditor countries.

In the country’s 2008 budget about US$44.2 million has been set aside for debt repayment, Avtonov said.