Ex-Fin Min Kudrin: Writing new Russian econ plan exaggeration

MOSCOW, Apr 12 (PRIME) -- Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, named one of the best finance ministers in the world by a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that media reports that he will write an economic recovery plan are an exaggeration.

Business newspaper RBC Daily reported earlier that Kudrin has discussed with President Vladimir Putin writing a new economic plan outside the government. The ex-minister wants to be allowed to see statistics and government documents to make the plan applicable to real life, sources cited by the daily said.

“This is an exaggeration. What I will do is expert work in the (presidential) council for economic policies,” Kudrin said.

On Monday, business daily Vedomosti reported that Putin can restart meetings of the panel of his economic council as the dire economic situation and elections in 2018 require urgent steps. The council includes Kudrin, Central Bank Chairwoman Elvira Nabiullina, CEO of Sberbank German Gref, and presidential aides, including advocate of price and foreign currency control Sergei Glazyev.

“Of course, Kudrin has an excellent knowledge, he is one of the very successful cabinet members in our country, he is one of the best finance ministers in the world, not only in the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“This is why it would be wrong not to use his expertise when compiling plans.”

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