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
“Support from Russian citizens has always helped us, and I’m confident that the government’s future line-up will rely on the people. We must never forget about the needs of ordinary people. We must always remember how government-level decisions influence the lives of all ordinary Russian citizens.”
“It goes without saying that our society and the state should do everything in their power so that veterans can enjoy honour and respect and lead a dignified life. In this context, I'd like to say that it is our duty to make sure you always feel the moral support of society and the state. I'm deeply convinced that this is necessary, not just for our veterans, but primarily for our society as such, because all citizens of our country should understand and see with their own eyes that our state will never ignore those who work honestly, and, if need be, fight selflessly for the protection of their Fatherland, even placing the greatest sacrifice of all on the altar of common victory - their lives. And, I repeat, this is a powerful lesson for future Russian generations.”
“The World Student Games gain special significance on the eve of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Kazan will be a kind of testing ground for Sochi. Here we will perfect the system for coordinating various agencies and test the effectiveness of the mechanisms we have developed. And of course, we should make use of the experience we gain in Kazan in building sport facilities and infrastructure and resolving land issues. I want to stress that the administrative agencies of the two projects - for the Sochi Olympics and the Kazan Games - cooperate closely and share the experience they have gained. This makes us confident that the Kazan Games will serve as a worthy prelude to the Sochi athletic festival in 2014. I never doubt that good preparation for these ambitious events will help support the Russian bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.”
“Russia and Ukraine are already cooperating and interacting productively in the nuclear energy sector. There are many companies in each of our countries that are closely linked to one another. We want to broaden this cooperation: building new units at the Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant and securing Ukrainian partners for work on a large-scale development programme for the Russian nuclear power industry. In addition, we are ready to enter other countries' markets together. Undoubtedly, and I want to point this out, Russia has recently formed a solid set of foreign orders for the construction of energy facilities. Our banks have considerable resources to finance such projects, and we would like Ukrainian companies to participate in their implementation.”
“To create a favourable investment climate for this project, we exempted the developers of the Caspian fields from the mineral extraction tax. Companies have also raised the issue of reducing import duties. We'll think about it. I've already issued corresponding directives to government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Energy. We must calculate the costs and benefits of these projects. But I'm not ruling this out. Either way, we'll support projects of this kind. As far as support instruments and mechanisms, we need to consult with you and decide together.”
“We are now implementing National Borders Federal Targeted Programme. The programme began in 2003 and must be completed next year - it is in force until 2011. Work along the North Caucasian section of the border has been fully completed: seventy-two modern border checkpoints have been built there. In effect, infrastructure along this section of the border has essentially been rebuilt. Needless to say, this has helped us enhance security in the region and eliminate many channels for supporting terrorists. Coast Guard systems have been reinforced, mostly in the Pacific, where the need to protect our economic and biological resources is most pressing. The Coast Guard received 46 ships and other vessels in 2009 alone. In general, we are improving the system for protecting the national borders, while focusing on addressing real threats instead of creating obstacles for regular economic activity.”
“We do have such plans (holding WTO), but we haven't joined the WTO yet. We are currently negotiating. As you know, these issues are very complicated. Just look at Ukraine's accession terms, at the losses Ukraine's economy has sustained by abolishing certain customs duties, for example. Just look at the aircraft industry. We cannot do this because we cherish our aircraft sector. This is a complicated negotiating process for us.”
“As for the nuclear power industry, Ukraine is a distinguished country in Europe: it comes second or third in Europe after France and, if I am not mistake, Belgium. Half of the electricity produced in Ukraine is from nuclear power plants. It is important that these plants, these blocks and units be modernised. You could modernise them more effectively, if you cooperate with Russian companies. We are interested in more than just cooperation, we are also willing to take an active part, along with our Ukrainian partners, in the modernisation of Ukraine's generating units and to allow our Ukrainian partners to take advantage of the Russian market. We have plans to double nuclear energy production capacity in Russia in the next 10 to 15 years.”
“In fact, they have received two billion Euros worth of contracts through just one project, which involves the construction of the pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. And that is not all. If we carry out other major infrastructure projects like the South Stream, and this is very likely since we have no reason to doubt that we will complete this ambitious project, then there will be additional contracts. If Sollers and Fiat implement their programmes, Fiat plants will be busy for quite some time to come. The same applies to the chemical industry, where cooperation will lead to contracts for both Russian and Italian companies. We have a great interest in these sorts of projects, because they give us access to new knowledge and technology. This is cooperation in the broadest and most direct sense of the word.”
“Before building something you first need to sign a supply contract. Building a pipeline without any contracts is senseless and highly risky. No one in this business would do that. Please, name at least one contract that has been signed under the Nabucco project. We can sign such contracts for the South Stream but I do not see anybody who would be keen to do the same under Nabucco. However, this does not mean that the project is impossible to implement. Who knows, the situation in Europe may change, Europe could start consuming so much natural gas, that demand would grow so fast that European consumers would cling to any opportunity. Then it would make sense to consider alternative routes. I believe that this is still premature.”
