MOSCOW. Feb 14 (Interfax) - Russia will adopt anti-corruption laws and will simultaneously increase the pay of government officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"We will definitely pass anti-corruption legislation. We need to increase the pay of officials," Putin said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

"It doesn't matter that it might look weird at first sight that they are paid a lot but that it is still better to pay them. Society should understand that it is better to pay decent money to officials but demand that they honestly perform their duties than to keep them at a pauper's wage as if pushing them into corruption," he said.

Putin also favored the development of civil society institutions to fight corruption. "What counts most is that we should certainly develop civil society institutions and control on the part of civil society and the media over the condition of the governance apparatus. I never forget about this," he said.

The problem of corruption is usually particularly acute in developing countries, Putin said. "It takes time. There is no pill against corruption that you just swallow and it cures all," Putin said.

"A system of measures is needed, a comprehensive and legal one. Punishment should be toughened and the legal system made stronger. We have joined a number of European and UN anti-corruption documents, and we should incorporate all this into our national law. A group of experts is working on this right now," he said.