VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Vladimir Putin's address:
Colleagues,
You are here today to receive the State Duma candidate certificates issued by the Central Election Commission. In the recent years, the government has done some major and highly demanding work. Together with our country and our people, we have passed through a very difficult period in Russia's development. Our challenge was to overcome the crisis and achieve sustainable development. The government and the United Russia party in the State Duma have achievements they can report to the nation.
With this in mind, I would like to say that many of these achievements were made possible by close cooperation with our colleagues in the State Duma. Moreover, without the stable majority in the State Duma we would not have resolved some of the problems as quickly and effectively as we did during the crisis. I have repeated this many times and would like to stress it again.
It is vitally important for our country to have an effective and reliable State Duma and to preserve a professional parliament. I want to thank all of you for agreeing to take part in the election campaign. This work is extremely important today. Let me explain why.
First of all, although a great deal has been done, there are still many outstanding problems. Moreover, sometimes both the government and the United Russia party could have been more efficient and quicker in minimising the negative affects of the crisis or in making the decisions that would have secured more dynamic economic and social development. We must report to the people clearly and openly on both our achievements and our failures. This is extremely important. That is the first point. We must also guarantee fair elections. The elections must be fair, open and free. I know that you have many years of experience, both in politics and in making administrative decisions. That is why I am confident that you will have no difficulties in telling the people frankly and directly about the challenges, achievements and, most importantly, our plans and proposals for implementing these plans.
I wish you every success. I know that your work will be linked with the main regions of the country. Igor Shuvalov will be working in the Far East. Yury Trutnev and Sergei Shoigu will be working in Siberia and the Urals, Igor Sechin in the Caucasus, namely in the Stavropol Territory, Viktor Zubkov in the Volga Region, Dmitry Kozak and Alexander Zhukov in the northwest. A large number of our citizens live in these regions. These people are well-prepared and active, judging by the previous political campaigns. When I asked you to work in these regions, I knew that they have many problems and wanted to show people how United Russia plans to address these problems in the future. To conclude, I wish you and the United Russia party success in the December 4th parliamentary elections and will now present you the certificates.
Mr Zubkov, please (presents the certificate).
Viktor Zubkov: Thank you very much. I am sure we will justify your trust. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: The Volgograd Region is facing many challenges in agriculture, your area of specialisation, which constitutes a significant part of the region's economy. Many people are employed in agriculture, and I think that no one understands better than you what rural residents expect from the State Duma and the government. I am sure that it will be easy for you to communicate with the people, to tell them about our plans, give examples of what we have already achieved and listen to their remarks. I am confident that you will do it well and I wish you success.
Viktor Zubkov: Mr Putin, thank you. Can I say a few words?
Vladimir Putin: Certainly.
Viktor Zubkov: Agriculture... Of course, we will address the problems the Volgograd Region is currently facing; in fact, we are addressing them already. Another painful issue is gasification. At present 56% of communities have access to gas; the target is to reach 100% in two years' time and we are working on this. Urgent social issues include commissioning of several hospitals that have been under construction for many years now. We will tackle these problems too. In the youth sphere, we will build stadiums and sports centres. We are on top of the situation here too. A number of other issues, including roads, need urgent attention in the Volgograd Region, and we will address them.
Vladimir Putin: Bear in mind that there are both federal and local roads.
Viktor Zubkov: Yes, and the local roads include rural roads.
Vladimir Putin: We have federal support there, and should allocate funding realistically. Thank you.
Mr Volodin (addressing Vyacheslav Volodin), you don't have to tell us about the Saratov Region – you're from there yourself and you understand the situation there very well. You know the people and the problems of the region. I have no doubt that you will find the the right tone and the right arguments with which to address the people. And this will be an open, honest and direct dialogue with the people that I believe should yield positive results. I wish you success.
Vyacheslav Volodin: I'd like to say that we will strive for the effective implementation of your decisions concerning the socio-economic development of the Saratov region, so that people will continue to have confidence in the authorities – and most importantly, so that we will all be able to work together effectively, and accordingly, so that life can change for the better. Because the decisions that you made resolve the key issues that concern people today, and the rest is already in our hands.
Vladimir Putin: All the best.
Vyacheslav Volodin: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: I wish you every success. It's a difficult region – Kaliningrad is an enclave region, and is strategically very important to us. And many unresolved issues have accumulated there. A lot has already been accomplished, but problems nevertheless remain... That's just it – there are more problems than there are accomplishments. We talk with you practically every week now about the problems of the Kaliningrad region. This concerns the preservation of jobs in various industries, it concerns energy, infrastructure, the fisheries. In general, there is simply a huge heap of issues that need to be addressed. But the land there is beautiful, fertile and unique in our country. And, of course, there are many problems that people expect us to solve, including the transportation problem... We will run a ferry, arrange appropriate air links, build roads, including bypass roads – but these are only the first steps towards turning the region into pure gold. And this can be done – the region has everything it needs to get this done. I wish you every success.
Alexander Zhukov: Thank you, Mr Putin. Indeed, this is a very difficult region, but we have a whole series of proposals that I believe will be able to fundamentally improve the situation. I think that you and I will visit the region together soon and…
Vladimir Putin: We'll see what the situation is on the ground.
Alexander Zhukov: Yes, exactly. There are several solutions that could already be adopted and which, it seems to me, could significantly improve the situation.
Vladimir Putin: All right, all the best.
Alexander Zhukov: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Kozak, if we start talking about St. Petersburg, we'll be here for days. But this discussion cannot be avoided. This is our hometown – yours and mine. I know that many of our colleagues who are natives of St. Petersburg always feel as though they left a part of their hearts there. You have recently become actively involved in analysing the problems that have plagued St. Petersburg for many years.
I know that you're putting together proposals for the city authorities on how to organise operations, and that you are directly involved in organising the construction of a protecting dam and a protective infrastructure system. Nevertheless, this is a city with a population of five million, and of course there are issues there that have needed to be resolved for a long time. I won't list them here now.
You are no stranger to the city's politics, and you have worked both in the mayor's office and the Legislative Assembly – you headed the legal department there, so you know the situation from the inside out. Of course, there are many things now that we aren't proud of; for example, the system of transport interchanges and the ring road around the city. We know that there are problems with quality there, but overall this is, of course, an enormous structure, with all the interchanges and the adjacent infrastructure... But, I want to reiterate, this is just the beginning of the city's development. After all, the city developed poorly during the Soviet era and the funds that were allocated for its development were insufficient. There is a large number of chronic problems there.
I won't even get into communal apartments, which, it goes without saying, are rife with an enormous and daunting set of issues that nonetheless need to be resolved. Therefore, I want to wish you every success. It's obvious that this accumulation of problems will not be solved tomorrow, but we need to bring these issues to the forefront and find ways to resolve them. We must work together with the federal authorities and of course, we should rely on local potential, on St. Petersburg's potential, which is very great. All the best to you, and I wish you success.
Dmitry Kozak: Thank you, Mr Putin. Allow me to say a few words as well. For me, it's not only an honour but also a great pleasure... this is an occasion where I am once again in my element, solving the kinds of urban problems that we used to work on together. The city is truly great, but it is also a complex northern metropolis that demands special attention, even though the Russian government, federal leadership and the city authorities, have already done a great deal in recent years. The city has transformed before our very eyes, but there are a great many challenges ahead. And we need to work together with the public in order to tackle these issues swiftly. I want to reiterate that St. Petersburg is not just a special city. The people who live there are special, and they deserve the most honest and open dialogue concerning these problems. This is extremely important, and very satisfying on a personal level.
Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: We have always called St. Petersburg the northern capital, even though it never had a single function of a capital city. This kind of function appeared with the relocation of the Constitutional Court to St. Petersburg, and with it comes the responsibility of all levels of authority – municipal and federal – for its welfare, its physical appearance and the quality of the city's infrastructure. This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that the city's elected State Duma deputies will need to concentrate on – there are far more problems, but I'm very much counting on these deputies never to forget where they come from. Good luck.
Dmitry Kozak: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Sechin (addressing Igor Sechin), you're responsible for a difficult region, right in the heart of the North Caucasus. You and I are both aware of all the issues raised by the public there. One of them concerns the rule of law. The field that you're currently working in is extremely important for the country as a whole, and for the region. This is energy. But you always dealt with the issue of the rule of law with great care when you worked in the Presidential Administration. And I think that your entire experience – both your experience in the Presidential Administration as Deputy Chief of Staff, and now in your position of deputy prime minister – all of this should be reflected in your analysis of the Stavropol Territory's problems and your proposals for how to address them. I am not going to go through the full range of these issues, which you and I have discussed more than once. I very much hope that through direct dialogue with the people working directly in this field, you will come to have a clearer understanding of what people expect of us in this region, and with this understanding, identify not only the issues, but also the tools needed to address these issues. I wish you all the best.
Igor Sechin: Thank you for your vote of confidence, Mr Putin. We'll work on it. People approach this work with understanding. This task, despite the election, is not situational. Therefore, we will proceed from this notion, Mr Putin, and we will keep you posted.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
Mr Trutnev (addressing Yuri Trutnev), I don't need to tell you about the Perm Territory. You're from there yourself and were the governor there for a long time, and so you are familiar with each and every one of these problems. I want to draw your attention to something else. There have been many achievements in the region, but there have also been quite a few problems there that have resulted in tragic consequences .
I want you to concentrate on consolidating the power structures and the administrative apparatus in a way that enables you to bring people together – especially people on whom the welfare of the local residents depends – so that constructive joint efforts are well-coordinated. We are aware of this territory's potential – its intellectual potential, its natural resources and labour resources. This potential is colossal.
And if the federal government and local authorities structure this work properly, then the return on investment in the territory will be huge, people will be better off and will sense it immediately. I want you to apply all of your experience – as a governor and with the federal government – towards analysing these issues and concerns, and helping to ensure that the territory makes significant advancements in its development in the near future. I wish you every success.
Yuri Trutnev: Thank you, Mr Putin. Thank you for your trust – it's very important to me. The residents of Perm put their faith in me to serve as mayor of Perm and as governor. It's important to be able to report on my work and the federal government's plans, but it's even more important today to help people achieve a better quality of life and have a more accurate understanding of the problems facing territory, and most importantly, to find solutions to them. This opportunity exists, and our work on it has already begun. I believe that during the period leading up to the elections, we must improve the lives of the people in the Perm region, and in Russia as a whole.
Vladimir Putin: All the best, good luck.
Mr Shoigu, talking to you about Siberia is somehow a bit awkward. You're a native Siberian, a Siberiak, as they say. And Siberia is not just your birthplace, but above all, it has served as the venue for your early career, your early life experiences, especially in construction. I know that you worked on the biggest construction sites in Siberia, that you worked as a private builder, an ordinary engineer, and later, as an organiser of this work. Much of what has been built in Siberia, and which we are still proud of to this day, you built with your own hands with help from your friends and colleagues. Everyone across the country knows you as the Emergencies Minister, but few people are aware of this early part of your life. And this part of your life is no less important than your work as Emergencies Minister, because it is the foundation upon which your world-view has evolved. You stand with the people who live in this vast region, Siberia, with your heart and soul. I won't say anything else, I just want to wish you success. I'm sure that you'll develop a good rapport with the people – Siberians trust you, and you will never let them down. I wish you all the best.
Sergei Shoigu: Thank you, Mr Putin. It really is a great honour and a great responsibility for me. First of all, because these are my countrymen, and secondly, the same people whom I taught and worked alongside continue to live and work there. Of course, we have already made major long-term plans for economic and social development in the region. But there are a number of major decisions that were outlined during the conferences in Krasnoyarsk, where you and my colleagues examined the projects and the proposals that we are beginning to implement today and that are now budgeted. In addition, I would like to say that I count on the support of my fellow ministers to expedite the decisions that have already been made and those that are yet to be adopted.
Thanks again – we'll try not to let anyone down.
Vladimir Putin: I wish you success. And I would like to address your colleagues and remind you, with regard to what Mr Shoigu said, that we held regional conferences across almost the entire territory of the Russian Federation and have adopted plans for territorial development. And I very much hope that when you communicate with people, you will once again be able to competently and clearly name our priorities and, most importantly, that you will not just talk, but will help ensure that these plans, that were approved during the regional United Russia conferences, are carried out. All the best and good luck.
