The forecast is in line with the Central Bank's figures, released earlier this year.
Russia started the year with record-high economic growth of 7.9% in the first quarter, which according to the national statistics agency, was driven by construction (up 23.2%), manufacturing (11.8%) and trade (9.1%), rather than oil and gas, the economy's traditional growth drivers in recent years.
The official government forecast for 2007 GDP growth is 6.5%, but the country's economics minister, German Gref, earlier said it would be revised up to 7.2-7.4%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank expect Russia's GDP to rise by at least 7% in 2007.
Economic growth has also been supported this year by strong investment figures and a surge in household spending.
The finance minister said a strong net capital inflow is expected in 2007, totaling up to $70 billion. The figure had reached $59 billion by the end of August, according to the Central Bank.
Until 2005, Russia had seen an annual outflow of capital, but the situation was turned around by the liberalization of fund flows into Russia, Kudrin said.
The minister said the economy has now moved well beyond the threat of a financial crisis on the scale of the 1998 crash, and that poor economic performances in the U.S. and the European Union would not significantly harm Russia.
