WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers Russia an important partner and counts on it to ensure certainty in the region, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday.
"Russia is clearly an important partner of the IMF, one with which we are working steadily and which we very much count upon to ensure certainty and stability in the region," Lagarde said.
Lagarde noted she wishes IMF’s projections for the growth of the Russian economy in 2015 and 2016 to be incorrect.
"I would not like anything better than to be proven wrong for any country that we forecast negative growth," she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that Russia's economy may be restored within the next two years because of the strengthening of the ruble and markets growth. Putin also said that Russia had enough resources to overcome current economic difficulties with minimal economic losses.
