President Vladimir Putin brushed aside criticism of his country's role as a member of the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrial nations on Tuesday and mapped out the agenda for an upcoming G8 summit meeting.

Russia took over the G8's rotating presidency at the start of this year and will host a summit meeting of the group later this year in St. Petersburg.

"I know how G8 leaders feel. Nobody is against Russia joining the club, everyone is for it," Putin told a marathon news conference in the Kremlin, which lasted more than three hours.

"Let everyone say it is the proper place for Russia or not speak. It's their job," he said in comments on those who doubt Russia's G8 membership.

Western leaders support Russia's active involvement "as nobody wants G8 to develop into a gathering of fat cats," and Russia's participation is "absolutely natural," Putin said.

He added that the agenda for the upcoming G8 summit in Russia will address "the problems and challenges faced by humanity."

"The subjects were natural for us: first, international energy security; second, resistance to the spread of infectious diseases; third, education," Putin said.

The news conference was Putin's annual session with the press at which a massive crowd of Russian and foreign journalists grilled him on wide-ranging issues from Russia's foreign policy to his post-Kremlin life.

At the start of the news conference, Putin listed the major achievements Russia made in its economy last year.

Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.4 percent and real incomes for Russians increased 8.7 percent in 2005, Putin said, adding that overall he was happy with the results.

But he admitted Russia missed the inflation target. "We targeted 8.5 percent but got 10.8-10.9 percent."

Putin also hailed the progress in Chechnya, saying the region has returned to Russia's "constitutional fold" after parliamentary elections there in November that gave the region a full set of government bodies.

Source: Xinhua