MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's gross domestic product rose 7.4% in the second quarter of 2006, year-on-year, to 6.3 trillion rubles ($240 bln), the nation's top statistics agency said Monday.
President Vladimir Putin set the ambitious goal of doubling Russia's GDP by the end of the decade and bringing inflation down to 3% in his annual state-of-the-union address in 2003.
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said the government has been making progress in its efforts to boost growth. "In the past few years, [the economy] has been growing 7% per year, on average, and our forecast for the three years ahead is around 6%," he said.
An Economic Department and Trade Ministry forecast for the country's social and economic development through 2009 projects inflation at 9% in 2006, 6.5%-8% in 2007, 4.5-6% in 2008 and 4-5.5% in 2009.
