Putin says Russia's foreign debt decreased by a third

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia's foreign debt decreased by a third over the past year, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects in Moscow, Putin said that the state and companies are paying back loans on time making their finances "more balanced and healthier."

The president admitted that "there are enough problems in Russia, they exist in the economy, in the social sphere, and in finance, but on the whole, the situation in the country is now satisfactory."

"We have achieved targets in almost all areas that we consider to be ... priority and most important from the point of view of ensuring sustainable rates of development of the country and improving the well-being of people," he said.

He said that the existing national projects will be completed next year and instructed the government to set new national development goals and expand the planning horizon until 2036.

In an event on Dec. 14, Putin said that the state reduced its debt from $46 billion to $32 billion.

He added that private foreign debt has also decreased from $337 billion to $297 billion.