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.”
“Our trade and economic relations are making headway. Last year trade increased by 25%, and in the first half of this year it rose by another 50%. Last year Britain was our biggest trade and economic partner in terms of current investments.”
“Over the past few months there has been a series of plane crashes and incidents in Russia. This is yet another cause to seriously consider what is going on in that industry. The issue is not only the aircraft fleet. We should also consider airport infrastructure, the provision of the latest equipment for monitoring the technical safety of aircraft’s parts and recording their technical parameters. We must also highlight the training of flight crews, the provision of simulation equipment to airlines and their ability to train the crews to work in modern conditions. In fact, the size of companies does not matter; all companies, big and small, must be able to do this and to strictly comply with these requirements. Those that do so will be able to continue operating; those that don’t will be shut down. No commercial or market considerations are more important than the safety of our citizens.”
“As you know, in addition to the approved armament programme, there is a ‘trillion programme’ – not one trillion but three trillion [roubles] have been invested in the upgrade of the defence industry in order to ensure the security and sovereignty of our motherland for years to come. In the next ten years, we will almost completely re-equip our armed forces. The defence industry received full support from the government in difficult economic times, and it was absolutely the correct decision for the long-term interests of our country.”
“We have so much to show you. This is the first time the forum is displaying pre-production samples of nearly every type of military equipment, not only ground-based weapons. Some of the latest equipment that is very interesting from the technical point of view is on display here. <…> This equipment is a source of pride for Russia and visible proof of our defence industry’s enormous potential – in terms of research, personnel and production.”
“Russia will enjoy an immense legacy from hosting largest international forums. We must make sure that we handle them wisely. This potential, as I said, can and must serve Russia’s interests, work for future development, future progress of our country. <…>The future intended purpose of such facilities (villages, sports centres and public infrastructure) must be taken into consideration at the project development stage.”
“Gas has reached Primorye and will be used to develop the region, directly serving the interests of the Russians who live here. <…> Next year we will launch one more large energy project: we will lay a gas pipeline from Yakutia in order to increase the energy security of the region and to enhance its stability.”
“In 2012, the facilities of the Far Eastern Federal University will host the APEC summit. We are also entering the final stage of preparations for the World Student Games in Kazan, as you know, and for the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russia will also host the World Football Cup and the World Ice Hockey Cup. Why am I pointing this out? Because we will try to hold these events in the same way that we have handled things here, to ensure that the legacy of these events is not simply worthy, but that it serves our people for many years to come. This is investment in development, in the new face of our cities and regions, in the quality of our people’s lives, in infrastructure and construction.”
“Innovation development programmes must rely on a solid base of fundamental and applied research. Business has a large role to play in the latter, whereas the government should be responsible for fundamental research. Our goal is to create a well-balanced and dynamic R&D sector that will be able to meet today's challenges. Over the next 10 years we will need to more than double investment in R&D, increasing its share to 2.5%-3% of the GDP. Importantly, half of this investment must come from the business community.”
“We need modern safety standards, reliability and durability of motorways. For this, we’ll have to change a lot in the principles and logic of the relations between contractors and road builders in order to make quality construction profitable. The creation of comprehensive contracts should be one of the effective means of resolving this issue. <…>Today, these contracts are not provided for by law in road construction. I hope the current amendments will make it possible to make broader use of public-private partnerships, both for the construction of federal motorways and for upgrading the regional road network.”
