TThe United States supports efforts made by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the fight against corruption in Russia, the U.S. Department of State said.
Medvedev signed in April a bill on the creation of a national anti-corruption program for 2010-2011, aimed at eliminating corruption, including among top officials.
"President Medvedev has made anti-corruption efforts one of the priorities for his administration. President Medvedev has declared that Russia cannot compete with other countries on the world stage unless it stems and reverses the tide of corruption in Russian society, from the top governmental level to ordinary societal interactions," the department said in its report Advancing Freedom and Democracy.
The Berlin-based non-governmental anti-corruption organization Transparency International has persistently rated Russia one of the most corrupt nations in the world. In the 2009 Corruption Perception Index, Russia was ranked 146th of 180, below countries like Togo, Pakistan and Libya. The United States was ranked 19th.
A total of 4,500 corruption cases were brought to court in the first half of 2009 in Russia, with 532 public officials and 700 law enforcers convicted.
WASHINGTON, July 2 (RIA Novosti)
