(The Moscow Times) The 12th Sochi International Investment Forum brought together numerous senior officials and dozens of regional governors. This particular forum stands out among the many held in the regions as being second in stature only to the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and one that traditionally attracts attention from top leaders. And so it was that Prime Minister not only spoke at this forum, but also published a lengthy article in Vedomosti titled "The Time for Simple Solutions Has Passed" to coincide with the event.
Of course, the article starts with the claim that Medvedev's government has accomplished all of the main tasks that it set out to accomplish during its first year. Mevedev did not express particular concern that while his government was "intensifying reforms" and "launching mechanisms," economic growth continued to slow and "the rate of growth of gross domestic product this year probably will not exceed 2 percent." Second, the article addressed tasks that the government would have to tackle in the future. He blamed the low investment in the country's economy on two factors: the "irrational fears" that investors have about working "in an incomprehensible and unpredictable Russia" and their rational distrust of public institutions, including the judiciary and law enforcement. He rightly points out that Russia in general, and the economy in particular, is overly centralized and suffers from an inefficient state system. […]
