MOSCOW, April 14./TASS/. Russia’s former Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin may take up the post of deputy head of the presidential Economic Council as well as take part in work on the strategy for Russia’s development in the coming years and in the long term, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his question-and-answer session on Thursday.

"We have agreed that he will be working more actively in the expert council at the president (on economic issues) and maybe will be one of the deputies to the head of this expert council," Putin said.

Besides, Kudrin "will engage in issues connected with strategies for the development in the near future, after 2018 and in a more distant future," at one of the platforms, possibly the Center for Strategic Research, he said.

"We don’t meet with Alexey as often as we would possibly like to, but still such meetings come on a regular basis," the president said. He said he highly valued Kudrin’s contribution "to our economic development in the past," adding that the former finance minister "is clearly one of strong and useful experts".

Earlier, after his resignation Kudrin "refused to work in administrative agencies," Putin noted. "Now I see his positions have changed somewhat. The situation is difficult, he is ready to make contribution to the settlement of the tasks facing the country," the president added.

On Tuesday, Kudrin said he had received an invitation to take a leading position in the Center for Strategic Research and was looking into it.

The Center for Strategic Research Foundation is a non-profit organization, a think tank engaged in the development of documents and materials related to the development strategy of Russia, its regions and key sectors of the economy.

The Foundation was registered November 18, 1999 and was originally one of the main analytical structures involved in the development program of Vladimir Putin before the presidential elections in 2000.