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Kudrin says he feels better as independent expert

At the end of September Kudrin declared his disagreement with the policies of the current leadership, which, in his opinion, was going to spend too much money on defense

MOSCOW, October 18 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia’s former deputy prime minister and former finance minister, Alexei Kudrin, says he feels better as an independent expert. He shared his comments with the media on the sidelines of the Mosinterfin-2011 conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

“At a certain moment I found myself standing at a crossroads. I had to make up my mind whether to be an independent specialist or to act on behalf of government institutions,” he said. “I felt being an independent expert would be of greater interest to me.”

At the end of September Kudrin declared his disagreement with the policies of the current leadership, which, in his opinion, was going to spend too much money on defense. The next day President Dmitry Medvedev asked Kudrin to tender his resignation.

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