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IMF forecasts do not determine Russia’s governmental forecasts - Minister

The IMF in its report also worsened the forecast for Russia's GDP growth in 2019 by 0.5 percentage points compared with the April report - to 1.1%, and in 2020 - increased by 0.2 percentage point up to 1.9%

WASHINGTON, October 19. /TASS/. The forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) do not play the decisive role in preparation of forecasts by the Russian government, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov said on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

"We are pursuing our agenda. Of course, we are interested in the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund, but it is clear that this is not a decisive factor in preparation of our figures in the forecast," Siluanov said. He noted that the IMF is very conservative in its forecasts.

The IMF in its report also worsened the forecast for Russia's GDP growth in 2019 by 0.5 percentage points compared with the April report - to 1.1%, and in 2020 - increased by 0.2 percentage point up to 1.9%. In addition, the fund forecast inflation in Russia at the end of 2019 at 3.8% in annual terms (December to December), for 2020 the figure will be 3.7%.

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