Agreement could transfer Petrobras’ debt with Rio to the Union, says Haddad | Economy

The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, stated this Wednesday, 27th, that the possibility of transferring Petrobras’ debt with the State to the Union is being agreed with the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL). According to the minister, it will not be the government who will judge the convenience of transferring assets.

“Petrobras has a debt with Rio de Janeiro. If they reach an agreement on how much this debt is, this debt of Petrobras with the government of Rio can be transferred to the federal government, reducing Rio’s debt and beyond Above all, Rio stops paying such high interest and the interest rate drops”, he said, in an interview today with Rádio Itatiaia. “It’s an example I’m giving you of something that has already been agreed with Governor Cláudio Castro”, he added, saying that the head of state wants to “pass on Petrobras’ debt to the State” to the Union.

According to the minister, the example of Rio de Janeiro is just one of the “countless arrangements” that can be made to resolve the debt of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul. According to Haddad, President Luiz Inácio’s determination Lula da Silva is to resolve the State debt problem once and for all.

“We will not be the ones to judge the convenience of transferring assets; we will leave it up to the States to discuss with their communities whether or not they want to carry out this type of operation. It is the convenience of the State, of its Legislative Assembly, to discuss this alternative. What does the government is offering is an additional stimulus”, he said. “If this happens, not only will the asset be reduced from the debt, but the debt balance will have a lower interest rate.”