Russia granted Serbia a loan of 800 million dollars for the modernization of the Balkan country's railways, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Friday.
The loan at an yearly interest rate of 4.1 per cent was announced after a meeting between Siluanov and his Serbian counterpart Mladjan Dinkic, the Interfax news agency reported.
Serbia is to use the 800 million dollars to purchase Russian-made locomotives and railway track among other items, Dinkic said.
Belgrade also requested another loan of 1 billion dollars for the stabilization of its state finances, which according to Dinkic, Siluanov agreed to consider.