* The G8 finance ministers agreed a communique, in which they predicted that the strong rate of global economic growth would continue during 2006 and said energy production and consumption should be diversified
* Vladimir Putin said at the G8 finance ministers' meeting in Moscow:
- Russia is ready to repay $11.9 billion to the Paris Club ahead of schedule
- Russia is developing stable and transparent rules in the global energy sector, and invites its partners to discuss them
- experts from the world's leading industrialized nations could help instruct a six-member association of Eurasian countries in their efforts against money laundering and terrorism financing
- Russia will allocate $43.5 million in 2006-2010 for the International Monetary Fund's aid program for the world's poorest countries that have suffered external shocks
* Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said at a Moscow news conference following the G8 finance ministers' meeting:
- the annual rate of inflation will be 9% this year
- natural gas production at the Shtokman field in the Barents Sea would hit 70-90 billion cubic meters annually from 2010
- he is positive about the role of foreign capital in Russian banks, but that it should remain limited
- Russia will gradually bring its domestic energy prices up to world prices
- progress is being made in talks with the United States on the Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization
- contributions to the IMF's Exogenous Shocks Facility to provide support and address financing of energy-poor developing countries currently stand at 115 million Special Drawing Rights
- Russia is in favor of declassifying its strategic natural gas reserve information
* Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia could save up to $1 billion every year if it paid off its debts to the Paris Club of Creditor Nations early
* The French finance minister said the G8 finance ministers had discussed the natural gas situation in Russian-Ukrainian relations with President Vladimir Putin
* Iran's foreign minister said the country would continue talks to uphold its right to peaceful nuclear energy
* The French finance minister said Russia planned to create a global natural gas market similar to the oil market
* The head of Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz, Alexei Ivchenko, said France and Germany could join an international consortium for natural gas transportation formed by Russia and Ukraine
