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 are stepping up cooperation in the energy industry, including major joint initiatives in the oil-and-gas sector, civilian nuclear projects, energy effectiveness and energy-saving. Our French partners are making a practical contribution to the development of new routes for hydrocarbon deliveries to Europe. These routes are vital for the energy security not only of France, but also of the rest of Europe.”
“We are carrying out joint work on a large scale – both in traditional fields of cooperation and in completely new areas. We have just signed the bilateral action programme on partnership in modernisation. Its implementation will help us to enhance cooperation in high-tech spheres and start active work on science-intensive innovation projects.”
“In the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) we regularly meet with foreign business executives and together, we decide how we can improve the business climate in Russia. As a result, we have simplified the issue of work visas for highly qualified foreign specialists. More than 11,000 work permits have been issued under the new regulations. We must continue removing the barriers that get in the way of business.”
“We have had many discussions during the process of Russia’s accession into the WTO, about how to organise this work in the future so as not to let down our investors and to fulfill all of our promises to them, on the one hand, while meeting WTO requirements in car assembly, on the other. We have reached a number of compromises, and Russia will shoulder part of the burden in order to honour its commitments to the investors. We are doing this in order to increase the technological level of the automobile industry and to saturate our market with modern competitive goods.”
“Importantly, the mutual flow of capital between our countries keeps growing. In the first half of 2011, the Russian economy received some $5.6 billion in investments from Germany. The amount of German investment that has accrued in the Russian economy has reached $29 billion. These days, German businesses are involved in many of Russia’s economic sectors, including strategic ones, and they operate in almost all of the country’s regions. There are more than 4,000 (4,600, to be precise) enterprises with German involvement currently operating in 80 Russian regions.”
“Of course, the Russia-Germany economic partnership is not limited to energy. We cooperate intensively in mechanical engineering, transport, the automotive industry and in shipbuilding. In this regard, particularly noteworthy are the sizable investments made in the Russian economy by German heavyweights such as Siemens (1 billion euros) and Volkswagen (which, on November 4, launched a new assembly line in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, and the company’s plant in Kaluga turned out its 300,000th automobile in October).”
“We are open to broader cooperation and to the consolidation of business ties with our partners. And we believe that the mutual benefits of our cooperation are apparent to everyone. Large-scale joint projects in industry, infrastructure and power engineering provide a good opportunity to make long-term investments, insuring finances against unfavourable fluctuations on the world markets and enabling us to gain a foothold on new emerging markets. To stimulate and solidify economic growth, we need to make the most of our “mutual trust” capital. We’ve accumulated a lot of this with our European partners, notably with members of the German business community. And rather than wasting it, we’ve been steadily building it up in recent years.”
“All global economic processes are interconnected. Risks that are present in some markets inevitably have an impact on the overall situation. This is why well-coordinated collective efforts of all countries are needed to steer out of the crisis, and the roles of the Russian and German business communities are very important here. <…>This country is ready to join (and has already joined) the efforts to overcome the effects of the crisis, including in the Eurozone. We are prepared to render practical aid, primarily through the IMF mechanisms.”
“We'll be able to breathe new life into the Russian countryside, making our rural communities powerful and prosperous, only if we ensure high social standards. All discussion about the accessibility of public services in rural communities, including health, education, libraries, and arts and sports facilities, must begin with roads. The lack of rural roads has been one of Russia's main problems for centuries, and it's still the case.”
