President Dmitri Medvedev says Russia's economy is declining more than expected, resulting in the country's first federal budget deficit in ten years. Mr. Medvedev is also warning the government not to plan on higher prices for oil and other Russian natural resources.
俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫说，俄罗斯经济下滑的程度超出预期，导致联邦预算出现赤字，这是过去十年来的头一次。梅德韦杰夫还警告说，政府在制定预算时不应期待石油和其他自然资源价格会大幅回升。
Mr. Medvedev told a meeting of government ministers in Moscow the global economic crisis has caused a sharp decline in Russian federal revenues.
梅德韦杰夫总统在莫斯科举行的一个政府部长会议上指出，全球经济危机造成俄罗斯联邦政府的收入急剧减少。
The Kremlin leader says expenditures will exceed revenues for the first time in ten years, creating a budget deficit of no less than seven percent of the country's gross domestic product. He notes that is an optimistic figure.
他说，十年来头一次政府开支将超过收入，由此造成的预算赤字不少于国内生产总值的7%。而这还是一个乐观的数据。
Economic figures recently released by the Russian Federal Statistics Service show the GDP declined in the first quarter of this year by 9.5 percent. The Economic Development Ministry had initially predicted a 2.2 percent drop.
俄罗斯联邦统计局最近公布的经济数据显示，国内生产总值在今年第一季度下降了9.5%。经济发展部先前曾经预测GDP的下降幅度是2.2%。
The Russian national budget relies heavily on taxes from the sale of oil and other natural resources, and oil prices have dropped sharply over the past year. Mr. Medvedev says the government's economic planning should not necessarily count on a return to higher prices.
俄罗斯的国家预算严重依赖石油和其他自然资源销售的税收，可是过去一年来石油价格却大幅下跌。梅德韦杰夫表示，政府在制定经济计划时不能指望价格回升。
The Russian president says budget plans should be based on conservative estimates of future prices for raw materials. He notes prices could, of course, be higher, which would be better for Russia, but warns the government does not have the right to risk the budget on the possibility.
他说，预算计划要建立在对原材料未来价格所做的保守的估计上。他指出，价格很有可能会上升，那当然对俄罗斯有好处，可是他又警告说，政府无权根据这种可能性在预算上冒险。
Unemployment in Russia hit 10.2 percent at the end of April, and industrial production fell nearly 17 percent.
截至4月底，俄罗斯的失业率上升到了10.2%，工业生产则下降了将近17%。 |