Russia has distinct competitive advantage over others: Putin

Russia, despite the existing problems, has a clear competitive advantage over other countries, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Saturday, noting the migration inflow into the country.

"Russia is changing, Europe is changing, and the world is changing. We have many problems, but there is a clear competitive advantage over other countries. This is what life shows," Putin stated in a televised interview on the Vesti v Subbotu weekly news programme.

Read more from our special coverage on "VLADIMIR PUTIN"

• Putin sees Goldman Sachs, US behind the Panama Papers leak
• Putin hopes John Kerrys visit would narrow gaps
• Vladimir Putin orders withdrawal of Russian military from Syria

He drew attention to the influx of migrants and the growth of the population in Russia, Sputnik news agency reported.

Putin cited the situation in Lithuania, where over 3.5 million people used to live in 1985-1990, while the current population is about one-third less, according to the census data.

"The situation is even worse, for example, in Latvia. It is slightly better in Estonia. But the outflow of population is huge, simply huge," Putin added.

In 2013, Russia recorded its first year of natural population growth since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, with the number of births exceeding the number of deaths by 24,013.