-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mar 19 2004 2:20PM Russia's GDP grew 7.2% in 2003 - Putin MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin has announced that in 2003 Russia's GDP grew more than 7.2%.
He told a Friday joint session of Finance Ministry and Economic Development Ministry boards in Moscow that inflation did not exceed the forecasted figures.
"The most important indicator - capitalization of the domestic stock market - reached a good level for present-day Russia of $250 billion," he said.
"Today we need mechanisms capable of guaranteeing intensive high quality economic growth. This will allow us to radically raise the GDP and sharply reduce the scale of poverty," Putin said. <>