Russia's contributions to int'l development values approx $1 bln in recent years - Senator Kosachyov
MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - The amount of Russia's financial support for international development has steadily increased in recent years, and, according to official figures, approaches $1 billion today, Konstantin Kosachyov, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, said.
"Last year, in 2014, the volume of Russian assistance for international development increased by over 20%. It is a sustainable tendency of the past few years. According to official statistics, which were calculated using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's methods, the overall amount of aid was valued at $875 million," Kosachyov said at parliamentary hearings addressing the UN's development agenda after 2015.
The Russian senator also said he was convinced that, beyond any doubt, the actual scope of Russia's support for international development was larger, but not all the data was included in relevant reports.
Russia's status in this process has changed drastically in recent years, Kosachyov said.
Whereas Russia was a recipient of assistance from the late 1980s - early 1990s until around 2005, [after which time] the country then become a donor of international development aid [itself], he added.
