CHEREPOVETS, September 5 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the country's GDP would exceed 4 percent this year. Putin was speaking at a regional conference of the United Russia Party in the Northwestern Federal District on Monday.

"The growth rate will exceed 4 percent this year; (it might reach) around 4.2 or 4.3 percent," he said.

"It implies that our economy will fully compensate the crisis slump by the beginning of 2012. This will enable us to attain the pre-crisis development level," the premier stated.