No reason to raise Russian GDP growth forecast for 2012 - Siluanov
MOSCOW. May 22. (Interfax) - The high economic growth rates observed in the first few months of 2012 do not justify a revision in the Russian GDP growth forecast for the year as a whole, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told journalists on Tuesday.
"The first months of this year have demonstrated more optimistic and higher actual GDP growth rates; however, since we are seeing uncertainty in the situation in the eurozone and the global economic situation, we will see how much global demand influences the economic situation in Russia. We will see how the second half of this year unfolds. Of course, we would like to hope for more optimistic parameters for economic development," he said, commenting on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) estimates of Russian economic growth, which were higher than those calculated by the Russian government.
For 2012, GDP is expected to grow by 3.4%, and inflation should come to around 6%, Siluanov said.