"Hopefully, they will discuss this issue," Yasin said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"Since the middle of 2003 when the Yukos case was opened, the relations between business and government have been seriously aggravating," Yasin believes.
"It is a horrible precedent for the investment climate in Russia, but it is not the only one," he said pointing to "the suddenly intensified efforts of the tax service," which has cracked down on "transparent companies."
As for the Russian economy, Yasin said that money supply had increased 55% in 2003. "Therefore, the money demand was about the same," said Yasin. According to him, 12% of this sum was absorbed by inflation, and the other 43% provided the high economic growth seen in the past few years. Yasin is convinced that Russia had the opportunity to achieve real economic growth of 8-12% a year.
At the same time, he continued, 2004 saw an increase in money supply by 32.6% and in inflation by 11.7%. "The economy absorbed only 20%. When money demand drops, business activity declines as well," said Yasin. The growth phase should rely both on business activity, and on confidence and solidarity," the economist believes.
