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
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Mr Berdnikov, despite the recession, there were some gains in agriculture last year. It grew by 10%, if my memory serves me right.
Alexander Berdnikov: Yes, it grew 10%...
Vladimir Putin: So, it has grown by 10% since 2008. However, there are a lot of problems we still need to address, although there are some promising projects, such as the creation of a special tourist zone. Let's discuss the overall situation and the main areas of development.
Alexander Berdnikov: The government, people and industries of the Republic of Altai are working as planned. There have been no major breakdowns or failures, although I have to admit that not all problems have been resolved yet.
Since 70% of our population lives in the rural highlands, we have focused on agriculture, actively investing a lot in it to deal with our specific problems.
We have outlined our priority for development, which is tourism. You have visited the highlands of Altai, and I'm sure you understand that they are our main asset. The development of tourism will have a multiplier effect on agriculture and the construction industry, benefiting the people of the Republic of Altai in general.
We have been investing a lot in small businesses with this purpose in mind.
Four years ago only one million roubles were budgeted for small business support. Now we have appropriated half a billion roubles for this purpose, which is expected to have a major positive effect on employment. Everything is happening in due course.
Naturally, the results are not immediate. But we have been working hard for four years, and the population has finally put its trust in the government. We're making some real progress and can feel the actual effects of our efforts, which was made possible due to the support we received from the federal government.
A few large hotels are under construction now, including at the alpine ski resort Manzherok. The Sistema corporation also has a presence in Altai.
Vladimir Putin: When will Manzherok be able to receive its first guests?
Alexander Berdnikov: Originally, we planned to open it in December 2009 or January 2010, but because of the recession and the temporary lack of funding from an investor, we will launch the first two ski resorts this autumn. A total of two billion roubles have been invested already. High-quality Italian chairlifts have been installed there. Everything has been done properly.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
