Russia's Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has asked citizens to smoke and drink more, saying that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.
China had financed the acquisition of embattled Yukos' core asset Yuganskneftegaz by Russia's state-owned 'Rosneft' oil last month in return of oil supplies till 2010, a senior Russian official said.
Acknowledging that the trial against oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky had lowered trust in Russian economy, Moscow on Wednesday said the Yukos case was a "serious lesson", which should never be repeated.
During wide-ranging discussions with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his deputy Alexei Kudrin, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha sought Moscow's co-operation in addressing three major areas of concern.
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