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Putin to meet Russian business representatives, including Yevtushenkov, Dec 19

The Russian leader said during his annual end-of-year news conference on Thursday that he would like to meet Yevtushenkov, who was released from house arrest on Wednesday

© Ilya Pitalev / TASS

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to hold a meeting with representatives of Russian business on Friday, December 19.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said agenda items could include proposals for the offshore capital amnesty attracting expatriate funds back to the homeland and problems with currency exchange rates.

“If participants in the meeting raise these subjects, they will be discussed,” he told TASS.

Peskov refused to say who had been invited to Putin. But it is already known that Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the AFK Sistema chief, will be present at the meeting.

The Russian leader said during his annual end-of-year news conference on Thursday that he would like to meet Yevtushenkov, who was released from house arrest on Wednesday.

Putin promised to extend a personal invitation to the businessman and expressed the hope that Sistema would be able to restore its position on the stock market.

“We shall talk about that. I would like to meet with our leading businessmen. I do that regularly on New Year’s Eve. Mr. Yevtushenkov is invited to the meeting, too,” Putin said.

Shares in business conglomerate Sistema rose strongly after Putin's comments, extending gains of some 60% to trade up 80% on the day.

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