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.”
“I will say that the Government is preparing a series of moves, which are as follows: first, we will substantially increase federal budget support, raising it to 10.5 billion roubles; then, additional funds will be allocated by Vneshekonombank - 30 billion roubles; we will also preserve all former types of support for small and mid-sized businesses.”
“As for agriculture, it posted record-high growth over the past few years, 8.8%. We have gathered in a record-large harvest, including over 100 million metric tons of grain, which is the highest in many years.”
“First, we are trying to limit red meat, namely, pork, beef, and even poultry, imports. We cannot stop such imports or bring them down to critical levels because, frankly speaking, our agricultural sector is still unable to fully meet the demand of large cities. We must heed the interests of agricultural producers and consumers, especially those in large cities, so that our actions in the customs-tariffs sphere do not cause sharp and unjustified food price hikes.”
“I can tell you that we have allocated over 30 billion roubles, I think it is 34 billion roubles, to the Agriculture Ministry from the budget for this purpose. We have purchased 2.5 million tonnes of grain at a price that is above the market price, at 5,000 roubles, and at 6,000 roubles in the Urals and Siberia. I repeat, we have purchased 2.5 million and the Ministry is now buying 5,000 tonnes per week. We will keep up the pace until we use up all of the allocations.”
“We hear that the relations with Russia should be built with respect for our interests. If these are not just words, and if they are translated into practical policies, then of course we will react in kind and our American partners will immediately feel it.”
“You know that we have signed mutual assistance treaties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This is the best guarantee of the fact that Russia does not plan to leave this region. Given the desire of these states' citizens, we will be ready to provide any aid even at this difficult time of the global financial crisis.”
“I will start with the last part. I think that the trade unions have started carrying out a natural function in this country, which is very important for them. I mean defending the interests of working people. They have stopped being some school of communism, or something else. This is an entirely different sphere of activities. They have stopped being a political appendage of some party, but have begun fulfilling an independent function. Responsible conduct of trade unions is very important, very much in demand.”
“We will continue improving the work of this public organisation, which, in my view, is becoming increasingly significant, as well as strengthening the country's multi-party system. I believe party pluralism is an important element of democratic institutions in present-day Russia.”
“The main thing is to ensure stable revenues for the pension system for the long term, which is why we plan to reform it. In 2010, we will reassess the pension rights of those Russian citizens who retired in the Soviet period. They will get a 10% increase plus a 1% increase per each working year since 1991.”
