Putin forecasts prosperity in coming decade
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin outlined how the government planned to shape the country's future in the coming decade to the State Duma Wednesday.
Putin's address, his third and last government work report as prime minister before parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections early next year, embraced two major topics: providing Russia with stable social-economic development and securing the country's strong positions as an international player.
Despite shortcomings, Russia's economic outlook optimistic
In his annual address to the lower house of parliament, which some local experts believe to be a pre-election program, Putin painted the current state of the country in generally positive colors, stressing that Russia's economy had been overcoming the global economic crisis faster than expected.
He compared the pace of Russia's economic recovery favorably to that of the other G8 countries and forecast Russia would fully overcome the global economic crisis by 2012.
Putin said Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4 percent last year and was projected to grow at about 4.2 percent this year. The forecast meant that, by early 2012, "the Russian economy will fully recover losses caused by the crisis," Putin said.
"Previous predictions said that the economy will recover in 2013 or 2014. We will do it much earlier," he said.
Putin also said inflation in 2010 had been historically low at 8.8 percent and would drop to 7.5 percent in 2011.
