German MP Patrick Kurth

For Russia and Germany, 2012 was a difficult year. Despite continuing to be strong trading partners – something President Putin and Angela Merkel were keen to underline at the Petersburg Dialogue in mid-November – tension in the political sphere has risen. Modern Russia recently spoke to liberal German MP Patrick Kurth, rapporteur-general for Russia in the Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, to get a sense of the view from Berlin.

In a wide-ranging lecture at a London think tank last week, Russia’s Ambassador to the UK discussed the economic priorities for the new Putin administration, called for more liberal visa regimes and underscored Moscow’s commitment to fighting corruption in Russia.

Alexander Krylov, Deloitte Tax LLP

Modern Russia discusses tax reform improvements in Russia with Alexander Krylov, head of the Russian team in the International Core of Excellence program for Deloitte Tax LLP in New York. 

What are some recent reforms to the Russian tax system?

A European Commissioner has called for a more liberal visa regime in Europe, saying that he agrees with Prime Minister Putin that visas are not an effective security measure against terrorism and that they hinder economic development.

(Photo credit: www.molpalata.ru)