Putin: Global economy to improve in 2nd half of 2009

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

MOSCOW, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the

media on Monday that he foresaw an improvement in the global financial situation

during the third and fourth quarters of next year.

Putin said the world economy had never experienced a crisis like this

before.

He believed the situation will improve in the third and fourth quarters of

2009, and will produce a positive effect on the Russian economy in 2010.

Putin also said on Monday that Russia had designated 10 trillion rubles

(about 340 billion U.S. dollars), which is almost equal to the country's annual

budget, to cope with the impact of the global crisis.

Meanwhile, the Russian government's press office said that Putin had

approved the Finance Ministry's issuance of state negotiable securities with a

par value up to 535.8 billion rubles (about 18.5 billion U.S. dollars) next

year.