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
“The municipalities must become a springboard for attracting young, committed people to politics. This practice is applied all over the world, let’s help young people fulfil their potential, demonstrate their abilities, and implement their projects and ideas.”
“It is the general plans that provide a balanced accounting for economic, ecological and social factors. We must consider every small detail. Actually, there are no small details. Mistakes made during the initial phase, or the planning phase, may lead to problems as far as ten years ahead as they will hardly be corrected. If a plan is approved, it is expected to be a good document as there were experts working on it.”
“One of the ways to boost the efficiency of local governments is to assign them professional managers. Nearly half of the administrative centres can do so. They enlist the help of so-called city managers. This system is working, and it is working well. Representative officials hire professional executives on behalf of the people. This situation must, of course, be kept under strict control. Their duties must be fully performed. I would like to emphasise that this issue is regulated by the law.”
“What we need is strong and competent local government. It is essential to Russia’s successful development and to opening the vast potential of all its territories.”
“We’ve decided to create six special economic zones for tourism and recreation in the North Caucasus Federal District and the Southern Federal District. Some 60 billion roubles in federal allocations will be channeled into their development. <…>In order to build a powerful tourism industry, we should raise the quality of hospitality services, train competent personnel, develop effective marketing techniques, create a comfortable environment [for operators and tourists], and improve the accessibility of the region.”
“We should pool our resources and capitalise on newly available opportunities. We should build a solid foundation for subsequent sustainable development. Just as in the rest of Russia, we intend to make a genuine infrastructural breakthrough in the south and secure the area's effective integration with regional and international trade and investment projects. <…>We will build coal, grain, oil, container and passenger terminals, retrofit the Novorossiysk and Rostov transport hubs, and construct new ports, such as Taman on the Azov Sea and Olya on the Caspian Sea. The latter will become an important link in the North-South continental transport corridor.”
“It is necessary to make the most of the development institutions that have been set up expressly for the North Caucasus. They are designed to attract domestic and foreign capital to the region and to render expert assistance to the business community in implementing investment projects.”
“The federal programme for the North Caucasus development should become one of the main instruments of development in the region. It integrates major federal programmes that are already operational – such as the “Southern Russia,” “Development of the Chechen Republic,” and “Development of Ingushetia” programmes – along with new sub-programmes that are to be drafted for each region of the North Caucasus Federal District. In other words, after the adoption of this federal programme, all territories of the district will have their own development plans and will receive adequate federal support for their implementation.”
“It is necessary to create incentives to those Russian regions that foster entrepreneurship and competition in the regional markets, and strengthen regional innovative, economic and tax potential. It is important to strengthen the stimulating role of federal budget support: successful regions must get additional funding for innovative activity.”
“We will continue to implement our plans for the development of the Far East. We will build new residential neighbourhoods, new seaports, new airports, roads, lay pipe systems, build new industrial clusters and educational centres, and this means that the Far East will have a wonderful future.”
“We have to provide greater freedom for leading regions. The stimulating role of federal budget support should be strengthened and financial autonomy extended for those entities that succeed in developing the local economy and modernising the social sector.”
“I'd like to emphasise that during the downturn in 2009 the government provided substantial support to regional budgets. Even though their revenues fell drastically, expenses remained as high as they were before the crisis in 2008. In 2010 the regions received 1.365 trillion roubles from the federal government. In 2011 we plan to allot another 1.262 trillion roubles to them. This amount is slightly smaller than in 2010. This is because we have completed some of the anti-crisis measures already, the economy is picking up and regions are taking advantage of additional financial opportunities.”
“Our objective is to radically change the situation in the North Caucasus, primarily by improving the quality of life of the people, ensuring their security and giving them the opportunity to work and leave in peace. We must eradicate the roots of terrorism and extremism, first of all poverty, unemployment, ignorance and inadequate levels of education, and corruption and lawlessness. We must create a modern social infrastructure in the North Caucasus, which is another priority, and an effective economy based on the region’s advantages and natural growth factors.”
“We are gradually integrating the Far East into our country’s common economic space, removing obstacles that impede the region’s normal development and laying a stable base for future growth. What is the main objective and what priorities will we focus on in our work? First of all, we must create a transport infrastructure that will be comfortable and affordable for the public and efficient for business and operation.”
“Huge funds will be invested in the modernisation of Norilsk Nickel, in the city's housing and utilities sector and in the construction of new childcare and sports facilities. Additional allocations have been approved for moving pensioners into regions with a more favourable climate, including in southern Siberia.”
“The government drafted and approved a development strategy for Siberia through 2020. We also agreed to monitor its progress. I'd like to remind you that the document was approved after serious consultations with the regions and with the regional branches of the United Russia party. We worked together to determine the priorities and to choose the key investment projects for the Siberian district.”
“On the whole, an analysis of the situation in Russia's regions has shown once again that we have managed to maintain key positive trends in the country's development despite the difficulties caused by the crisis. Death rates are continuing to decline in the overwhelming majority of regions. There are more births, and life expectancy is growing. It has reached 69 years now. Many regions have succeeded in raising real wages, reducing poverty and curbing unemployment. The number of people working in small and medium-size businesses has for the first time exceeded 25% of the total economically active population. This is a very good sign, in my opinion.”
“In the past 10 years, the federal government has invested 800 billion roubles in the North Caucasus. In 2000, federal support amounted to 15 billion roubles; now the regional governments will receive some 180 billion roubles through subventions and inter-budgetary transfers. Allocations have grown twelvefold. Three large-scale federal targeted programmes are underway in the North Caucasus Federal District. These are the South of Russia programme and the federal targeted programmes to strengthen the economies and social services in Chechnya and Ingushetia. A total of 20 billion roubles will be allotted for these programmes in 2010 alone. As you can see, we are investing significant money and effort in the North Caucasus, which is allowing us to resolve acute social problems, gradually increase people's incomes and improving the region's infrastructure.”
“We now have enough effective mechanisms facilitating compliance with the law and coordinated work at all levels of state administration. We have prosecutors' offices and financial control mechanisms. A system for assessing the effectiveness of state power bodies and of local governments is in operation. As a last resort, the president of Russia has the right to voice his distrust in a regional leader. At the same time, I would like to stress that federal control is not and cannot be comprehensive. Regional administrations should assume responsibility before citizens. The people assess the performance of government bodies through elections of legislatures and through partisan preferences. I believe that this feedback mechanism is no less effective than any control from above.”
“The federal targeted programme for the Russian South and the programme for Ingushetia's development will require more than 43 billion roubles through 2016. In particular, 2.1 billion roubles will be allocated this year. This is a modest sum, meant to build the foundation for future comprehensive work. Seven billion roubles will be allocated next year, and funds will come in equal instalments after 2012. All told, the programme entails 130 projects.”
