Analyst: Alleged stability apparent source of Putin’s top Foreign Policy rating

MOSCOW. Jan 4 (Interfax) – A Russian analyst has argued that this year Russian President Vladimir Putin will keep the leading role in global politics attributed to him by Foreign Policy magazine, which declared Putin the world’s most influential political, business and public figure in 2012.

“The fact that President Putin is recognized as the most influential person of the year means that the Russian head of state is seen as one of the most active participants in the global political agenda. In view of the fact that in 2013 Russia holds the chairmanship in the Group of 20, one can assume that Vladimir Putin will keep his positions in these rankings,” Dmitry Badovsky, head of the Institute of Social, Economic and Political Studies, told Interfax.

“The situation in Russia is stable. Most likely, the authors of the rankings took this into account in assessing Putin’s activities,” Badovsky said.