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.”
"Areas near our borders face quite a few problems we must address, including the significant influx of immigrants from neighbouring countries, many of whom are not being properly registered and accommodated. Cross-border crime is also rising, and so are drug trafficking, the illegal arms trade, and poaching. These problems cannot be effectively resolved through the use of force alone. The situation can only be addressed through an integrated approach. We should begin by improving the social and economic situation in the areas and communities near our borders. We must improve their infrastructure, raise the living standards of the people living in these areas."
"In the second half of this year, our economy has started growing again; inflation is going down, and unemployment is gradually decreasing. This does not mean that anti-crisis measures are no longer necessary. Needless to say, we will continue encouraging the domestic demand, increasing the stability and reliability of the financial system, and taking measures to reduce the budget deficit and ensure macro-economic stability. Nevertheless, the tasks of strategic development are gradually moving to the fore. We are living in different economic conditions, and this reality is very important."
"New Russia had to start building a market economy and creating modern legal institutions practically from scratch, in very difficult conditions. Our partners – foreign companies which invested in Russia – did not find it easy, either. Nevertheless, I am confident that the majority of our foreign partners did not regret their choice. This is demonstrated by numerous successful projects in the Russian economy."
"Nothing has changed in the principles of building up today's economy. Competitiveness is always the first priority. If energy cooperation and Nord Stream provide for the competitiveness of the economies of Germany and Russia, if we supply relatively cheap gas to the market - because pipeline gas is always cheaper than liquefied - then this will contribute to the stability and competitiveness of the German economy. Who would refuse such an opportunity? Nobody would ever give that up. And rightly so. I hope that nobody will give it up. Today, when dealing with a unified Europe, we must be patient and obtain the necessary permits from countries the exclusive economic zones of which the pipeline system traverses. We must convince them of the project's expediency. I hope that we will be able to do this."
"Whether Nord Stream will be built or not, and I think that it will be, I'm confident of that - it's actually just a detail. Of course, it is important, but from the point of view of intergovernmental relations, it is a small detail. After all, sometime in the 1960s, we started building our gas system specifically tailored to meet the needs of consumers in the FRG. And at the time some countries put enormous pressure on the FRG to abandon these plans. But even in the middle of the Cold War, when the construction of the Berlin Wall began, the German government was conscious of its national interests, did not cave in to the pressure and saw this project through to the end. Surely, today we won't cave in to any kind of pressure in view of the clear interest of the German and Russian economies in this cooperation? In the modern world, many things will be resolved differently. Even so, interests take precedence, and applying pressure, whether military, political, economic, diplomatic or any other kind of pressure, has no prospects. Basically, that's the way it always was."
"We have established a good way to communicate directly with people. It allows us to understand their concerns, and for the State Duma, the Federal Government, and the regional governments to take these concerns into account when developing policy. All the more so since United Russia is represented in all regions, and has a majority in most regional parliaments. It is very important for party organisations to be as close as possible to their constituents. The party should not turn into a party of bureaucrats. It should primarily defend the interests of common people rather than those of civil servants."
"The decision of General Motors not to go ahead with the deal and not to sell Opel to the Magna-Sberbank consortium does not damage our interests. That is clear. That said, we were ready to support the deal. We supported Sberbank's decision to take part in the Sberbank-Magna consortium created in order to buy Opel. We gave them political support as well. In fact, several days ago, during a conversation with the German Chancellor, I reaffirmed the Russian Government's decision to provide 250 million euros in state guarantees to ease the load on the German Government and the German financial institutions. On the understanding, of course - and this was in our interests - that the plan to rescue Opel would be an investment in the Russian automobile industry, and that the plan would involve the transfer of technology. The members of the consortium worked hard with government agencies, GM, and with trade unions. The plan had been fully agreed upon. The last-minute decision to pull out of the deal does not harm our interests, but it does say something about the somewhat peculiar culture of our American partners when dealing with their partners. That is obvious."
"As for our own plans, they will not be changed. We will work with everyone, including American manufacturers. GM has a presence in the Russian Federation. We will support its activities in Russia, just as we will maintain contacts with the European manufacturers, such as our German and French partners, as well as with all those who have come to our market. For example, the Japanese producers. We have our own ambitious plans with which we will go ahead regardless, if not within this arrangement, then under some other arrangement. These plans are still alive and well, and they will continue and be completed. There is no doubt about it."
"As you know, we are in the final stages of an extensive programme to finish construction on more than 17 major bridges. Construction began in the Soviet era but was later stopped. But these are very important infrastructure facilities, and construction on them will be finished this year. We'll even exceed the quota by building one extra bridge. Today, I signed an executive order prepared by the Transport Ministry establishing bridges and roads in need of repair. This includes many facilities - in Vologda, Novaya Ladoga in the Vologda Region, the Saimaa Canal, the Krasnodar Territory in the south, St Petersburg, the Moscow Region, the Don, Volgograd, and the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky on the border with Ukraine."
