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
“We discussed allocations for the development of Sochi and southern Russia and for Olympic construction from the very beginning. We now realise that over 80% of our resources will be spent on the development of southern Russia and Sochi. This implies highways, railways, environmental problems, power supply and telecommunications. The remaining 20% will be spent on Olympic facilities. The Sochi-2014 project aims to develop one of the Russian Federation's most important regions.”
“I believe that the Olympic Construction Corporation (Olympstroi) and other concerned parties must step up their efforts in all these areas.”
“I realise that the allocation of land plots for Olympic construction projects depends on numerous objective factors. However, the provision of housing to people is the most pressing issue. We are preparing a major international event and festival, which will also become a festival for the entire Russian nation. We cannot allow this festival to create problems that would mar the life of even one Russian citizen. Nobody must face any problems. Even if such problems do arise, they must be solved equitably.”
“I am asking the administration of the Krasnodar Territory and other concerned agencies to assess real housing demand during the resettlement of private individuals. They must equitably assess the price of sequestrated land and other property in line with the current real-estate market situation, the price of new housing and to conduct equal exchanges. Such equal exchanges must not cause any losses for private individuals. Nor must they lead to violations by any party or cause any sponging attitudes.”
“I would like to say from the very outset that we are preparing intensively for the upcoming Olympic Games. Right now, I had an opportunity to speak to journalists working at the same centre in Sochi. They believe that local developments are quite positive. Representatives of the International Olympic Committee who have visited Sochi less than a month ago have also noted this.”
“One more serious question on our agenda is linked to preparations for the Olympics in Sochi. VEB is designed to be a major money lender to the companies involved in the construction of Olympic facilities. In the conditions of the global crisis, this will allow builders to attract long-term loans on acceptable terms, given, of course, proper guarantees of compliance with commitments. I consider it necessary for VEB to issue loans exclusively for the payment of the work done. Needless to say, its real scope and costs should be permanently monitored.”
“You know how considerate we are of the environment. Our Olympic blueprints are ecologically sound. The Russian Government has adopted an ad hoc programme for the environmental aspects of preparations for the 2014 Olympics. On expert insistence, we have shifted the sites of three key Olympic projects from the buffer zone of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve. Everything has been coordinated on the whole, as far as I know.”
“I want to stress that, despite global financial and economic problems that are also affecting Russia, whatever concerns the Olympic project in the broad sense is protected by relevant budget items with guaranteed funding. None of the Russian and foreign investors-we have foreign investors, too-have given up initial intentions, mainly due to the high investment potential of the Russian south, particularly the Krasnodar Territory. Federal budget allocations to related purposes amounted to 113 billion roubles in 2008, plus an additional 127 billion in 2009. As you know, we have adopted a three-year budget and necessary sums are earmarked for every subsequent period.”
“This work is among our top priorities not only because it is preparation for Olympics but also because it is a comprehensive plan for the development of southern Russia, so Olympic and developmental goals fully coincide in this sense.”
“We are paying special attention to human rights in the context of our Olympic efforts. Proprietors are entitled to compensation for their land in keeping with market prices. We have determined to offer them a choice between ready housing, new land plots, or monetary compensation, and have amended the Olympic Law accordingly.”
“There are 20, even 21, ongoing projects, and they will be ready for test competitions by 2012. We finished the initial start-up complex of the railway freight yard last year to accept up to 5 millions tonnes a year of construction materials and equipment. Another start-up complex, for an annual 14 millions tonnes, will be ready this year. We will soon start work at the Sochi cargo seaport, which means we will be ready with practically the entire logistic infrastructure for mass-scale construction.”
"We must study everything that concerns the preparation for the Beijing Olympics. Our Chinese partners' best practices are to be meticulously analyzed and taken into consideration. It is also important to follow organisational differences in preparation for the Vancouver and London Olympics".
"We would like to begin the process of establishing an Olympic University in Russia, in Sochi. It seems to me that it is a very interesting project with high potential".
"Upsetting the balance of nature may create a situation you cannot get out of for love or money. So I consider it necessary to shift these facilities to other sites to be agreed with the International Olympic Committee".
"In choosing between priorities – funding or the environment – we have opted for the environment. Our reasoning was this: a new project may be costlier, but the possible bill from nature might be so enormous as to be beyond any financial compensation. We should preserve the uniqueness of Sochi for this and future generations".
"The starting idea was not only to make the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi a sports pageant for the country and the world, but also to give southern Russia a facelift, in particular the Greater Sochi area, where hundreds of thousands of Russians holiday every year. This implied the improvement of all types of infrastructure - transport and energy - and the improvement of the environment, because all that we are making here must serve our people. To do otherwise would be to make the entire project pointless".
"All projects and all work on Olympic facilities will be conducted completely openly. All disputes will be spotted and resolved in dialogue with the environmentally minded public and international non-governmental organizations".
"Transport and the environment are at the top of the agenda and will continue to enjoy priority. Altogether, we plan to build 35 transport and 18 nature conservation projects.<…> Now concerning the environment. Our core idea is to observe all environmental requirements. Sochi, its nature reserves and the biosphere preserve are our treasures. We prize them and will do everything to keep them and the place unique".
"First, as we had expected, Russian business has displayed considerable interest in the Olympic project. That is good news. Investors in 59 infrastructure and tourist facilities have been identified. It means that the load on the state budget will be diminished. The organisational and technological resources of Russian companies will be actively used".
