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St Petersburg: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday criticised the United States of "economic egotism," saying it has fuelled global troubles, and portrayed Russia's growing economic might as a force for worldwide stabilisation.
Recklessness by big banks and "the aggressive financial policies of the biggest economy in the world" have not just hurt corporations, Medvedev said. "Unfortunately, most people on the planet have become poorer," he said.
Medvedev's comments to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a gathering of thousands of businessmen, came exactly a month after his inauguration. It was one of the most high-profile domestic appearances of his presidency, which so far has been marked mostly by issuing decrees.
Although Medvedev has not shown much of his predecessor Vladimir Putin's penchant for sharply criticising the United States, his speech showed he shares Putin's views of America as a power-hungry and sometimes irresponsible country intent on dominating world affairs.
He said some countries increasingly strive to help themselves while ignoring the interests of others.
"In fact, this is growing economic egotism," Medvedev said. He said that while this is natural in some respects, it sometimes amounts to "economic nationalism, when pragmatic interests are replaced with political considerations."
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