According to the Russian President, the main priorities of Russia's economic policy coincide with the main tendencies of the World Bank's activity. President Putin clarified that this concerns programmes on reform in education, health, the social sphere, and housing and municipal services.
Russia's current financial and economic situation makes it possible to bring relations with the World Bank to a fundamentally new level, Vladimir Putin said. Russia intends to play a more active role as a shareholder in realising the main charter goals of the World Bank: to take part in reforming the international financial system, to oppose money laundering and financing terrorism. This completely corresponds to the status and role of Russia in international politics and the world economy, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the G-8.
The Russian President also announced that Russia will increase aid to the world's poorest countries, and mentioned that over the last five years Russia wrote off over $30 billion in debt from the poorest countries, and intends in future to continue to fulfill its obligations directed towards lightening their debt burden.