The results achieved last year turned out to be better than expected, the Russian economy has been growing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"Overall, we see a positive trend in the economy. As for annual results, by now we have received nearly all numbers that we waited for, and key data turned out to be better than we anticipated," the national leader said at an economic meeting.
"Trends have already become understandable, and it is clear what is going on. All holidays are over for a long time now, and we should understand these trends, to assess them and schedule our efforts accordingly," Vladimir Putin pointed out.
He reiterated that, according to the latest data, GDP fell 0.2%, while industrial output grew 1.1%.
The national leader stressed that the inflation rate was curbed at a record low level (5.4%) in 2016.
"The number is better than our forecast. We thought the rate to be the lowest on record, 6% or 6.1%, but it turned out to stand at 5.4%," the President added.
