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Russian PM pitches for investment at Davos

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev played up his country as a safe bet for investors in a speech at Davos on Wednesday, but a major new study raised concerns about Russia's thriving corruption and dependence on energy exports.

Russian PM pitches for investment at Davos
Dmitry Medvedev, Russian prime minister, at World Economic Forum on Wednesday. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP

Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF)  in the Swiss mountain town, Medvedev highlighted Russia's economic performance — including 3.5 percent growth last year —  and said the country had set ambitious targets for boosting foreign investment.
 
"Russia is an open country, safe, we are part of the global economy and global political processes," Medvedev said.

He hopes to see investment grow by 10 percent annually to help Russia reach a target of five percent annual growth.
 
Russia, which is leading the G20 this year, is on a major charm offensive in Davos, sending its biggest-ever delegation to the annual gathering of political and business leaders in the Swiss ski resort.
 
In addition to Medvedev, a slew of senior Russian officials and top business executives are on hand to meet and mingle with the 2,500 participants.
   
But amid all the gladhanding, a new WEF report that involved more than 350 experts has raised difficult questions for Russia's boosters.
 
The report, "Scenarios for the Russian Federation," laid out pessimistic possibilities for the country's future, with lower energy prices leading to social instability and higher ones to complacency about reforms.
 
 "The Russian economy is at a crossroads," the report said.

"Shifts in the global economy are affecting Russia due to its strong reliance on oil and gas exports," it said.

"Revitalizing its economy requires significant changes."
 
It highlighted persistent concerns about Russia's reliance on energy exports, growing discontent over its wealth gap and "high levels of corruption".
 
"Corruption and undue influence are among the biggest problems for doing business in Russia," the report said.

"Most international assessments rank Russia as one of the most corrupt major economies in the world."
 
In his speech, Medvedev dismissed the report's bleak forecasts as "unrealistic" and insisted Russia was serious about making reforms.
 
"The top priority of the Russian government, my top priority as prime minister, would be increasing efficiency of all public bodies," he said.
 
"It would be wrong to say we are standing still.," Medved said.

"I believe we have already achieved much of what we planned," he said, pointing to the stabilization of Russia's population decline and its joining of the World Trade Organization.
 
"We have very ambitious goals in the investment field, to increase the volume of investment from 20 to 25 percent of GDP, to increase investment in transportation, in energy infrastructure . . . and foreign direct investment would be instrumental in achieving this goal."

Speaking at a round-table discussion on the report, the head of Russia's largest bank Sberbank, German Gref, said it reflected a wider image problem damaging the country.
 
"What we need is to improve our image, because we are far better than we look" in international business rankings of countries, he said.
 
"Russia has potential beyond these risks, huge potential for growth," Gref said.

"In Russia there is a huge opportunity and a vast market with all of its resources to really get very high returns."
 
Others on the panel said it was key for Russia to push ahead with reforms and deal with fundamental problems if it wants to improve its image and attract investment.
 
"The failure to make reforms would be a burden on businesses . . . and would result in the stagnation of the Russian economy," former finance minister Alexei Kudrin said.

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RUSSIA

Russia announces no New Year’s greetings for France, US, Germany

US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not be receiving New Year's greetings from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Russia announces no New Year's greetings for France, US, Germany

As the world gears up to ring in the New Year this weekend, Putin sent congratulatory messages to the leaders of Kremlin-friendly countries including Turkey, Syria, Venezuela and China.

But Putin will not wish a happy New Year to the leaders of the United States, France and Germany, countries that have piled unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over Putin’s assault on Ukraine.

“We currently have no contact with them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“And the president will not congratulate them given the unfriendly actions that they are taking on a continuous basis,” he added.

Putin shocked the world by sending troops to pro-Western Ukraine on February 24.

While Kyiv’s Western allies refused to send troops to Ukraine, they have been supplying the ex-Soviet country with weapons in a show of support that has seen Moscow suffer humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.

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