Allow me first to express my deep sense of gratitude for the honor to address you, this second annual conference of the Higher School of Economic, in my new capacity as Chairman of the French Center for Prospective Studies and International Information (CEPII), at the invitation of Professor Yasin, with whom I had the privilege to cooperate closely over a long period of time and who has been, during all these critical years, a permanent example of lucidity, wisdom and courage.
It was of course quite presumptuous to accept to speak here today with, as a topic: «drawing lessons from ten years of cooperation between Russia and IMF». We are too close to the events and I was too much – with my colleagues of the IMF – part of them, to be able, after just 15 months, to draw lessons with an academic objectivity. Remember what Chou en Lai used to say about the French 1789 Revolution «we are possibly still too close to the events to be able to pass a final judgment». Even without pretending, to share this Chinese wisdom, the only thing I can offer at this stage are a few temporary, honest but subjective conclusions, with only the modest ambition of contributing, in my strictly personal capacity, to a useful debate.