Bulgaria's gross foreign debt reached 20.5 billion euro in the end of April 2007 or 76.7 per cent of the country's GDP, Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) statistics show.

Debt for April increased by 836.5 million euro, or by 4.3 per cent compared to figures for the end of 2006 when it was 19.669 billion euro and 78.4 per cent of the country's GDP, Dnevnik daily reported.

Long-term debt was 13.828 billion euro, 67.4 per cent of the total debt and short-term debt was 6.678 billion euro, 32.6 per cent of the total debt.

Gross public foreign debt in the end of April reached 3.12 billion euro or 11.7 per cent of the GDP as it decreased by 14.9 per cent compared to data for the end of 2006.

The decrease was attributed mainly to the global bonds' repayment and preliminary repayment of Bulgaria's debt towards the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Bulgaria has payed 1.952 billion euro of its foreign debt until the end of April or 7.3 per cent of the GDP compared to 1.394 billion euro or 5.6 per cent of the GDP for the same period of 2006.