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.”
“We planned to upgrade pensions three times this year: the basic pension was planned to go up by 8.7% starting March 1, the insurance part of the pension by 15.2% starting April 1, and now we'll have to increase it by 17.5%, and starting December 1, 2009 by 26.5% or, if necessary, by 30%.”
“We also need to consider proposals to ratify intergovernmental agreements with Jordan and Qatar on encouragement and mutual protection of investment. This will create a friendlier environment for Russian businesses in those lucrative markets.”
“If we subsidize two-thirds of the Central Bank's refinancing rate (we have agreed to do so, which is why we must do this) for citizens who take out car loans in 2009, the state will have to pay 8% of the rate they pay to commercial banks for them. It is necessary to allocate funds in the budget for this purpose - about two billion roubles.”
“Regional employment programmes. I issued instructions to develop such programmes early in the year. I am aware that this work has been completed in 72 regions. They will get 21.8 billion roubles in funding, out of the total 43.7 billion. Fifteen programmes have been approved and 3 of them have already been signed. They are Yaroslavl, the Kirov Region, and Kransoyarsk.”
“The Yaroslavl region offers an example of a diversified programme. 3.500 people are to be sent for retraining. Several hundred people can move to a new place where they will live and have temporary employment, but they will be entitled to benefits. And another 22,000 people will be sent to a place of temporary work, where temporary jobs will be created for them.”
“If inflation is higher, the increase may be by about 30%, but we should look together at the real state of affairs and raise it by as much as is necessary so that the average size of the social pension is not less than the living minimum of a pensioner. This is the challenge facing us, and we must meet it.”
“Russia is ready to discuss any issues and problems, including the whole range of issues connected with law and freedom. We hope that these problems will be discussed together. We are still not satisfied with the way the problems of the Russian-speaking minority in the Baltic states are being addressed. We are aware of the rights of migrants in European countries and how they are violated. We know the situation in some penitentiary systems in some European countries, and have similar problems. We think it is necessary to discuss the whole range of problems both in Russia and in the European Union countries to find common ways of solving them.”
"Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner after the United States and China. We are the EU's fourth-largest supplier. During the past year, Russia imported more than 100 billion euros worth of goods from the EU. This is a significant amount in international economic relations, which is why our consultations are obviously important."
“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.”
