“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.”
“As you know, leading economies are developing their post-recessionary strategies. Russia also needs one. Our growth strategy should take into account the new reality and provide solutions to the challenges of economic modernisation and an overhaul of the social security system and public administration. It is important to get the general public and experts involved in the discussion of this strategy.”
“The establishment of the Customs Union should be backed by the active development of Russian-Belarusian trade and economic ties. In 2010, we saw an 18% increase in trade, and we will try to maintain this positive trend this year. Expanding industrial cooperation and creating favourable conditions for trade and interregional partnership have been a focus of our attention as well. We will also strive to encourage work in the high-tech sector, in the fuel and energy sector for instance. I am referring to our plans to build a nuclear power station in Belarus.”
“War, military service and labour veterans have done a lot for Russia; they have worked for the country their whole lives. We all know very well that common people have lived very modestly, in particular during Soviet times. People often worked without the hope of receiving financial benefits, honouring their responsibilities and doing their duty to the country. Actually, the older generation, our senior citizens have worked selflessly for the benefit of the country all their lives, fighting in wars when necessary. Today these respected citizens have the right to expect us to provide them with decent living conditions, to feel that the government will care for them.”
“Everything related to people’s quality of life and health is certainly one of the top priorities for the state and the United Russia party. Therefore, I ask the federal and regional branches of United Russia to establish effective public oversight over the implementation of regional healthcare programmes. You need to work closely with trade unions, associations of health professionals and, of course, work collectives. Moreover, I believe that we must take the initiative and invite other political parties into this partnership, all those who are willing to cooperate constructively in the interests of our citizens in addressing basic problems to improve Russian healthcare.”
“Physical education needs improving, and teachers should take advantage of new methods to make lessons interesting and useful. For these purposes, it is necessary to introduce new programmes and modernise schools’ sports infrastructure. A construction plan for a new school building must include a gym and a swimming pool. We also need to expand the network of fitness complexes and junior sports clubs.”
“We are also using the assistance of foreign partners to develop the priority sphere of high-speed transportation. High-speed trains currently run on the Moscow-St Petersburg, Moscow-Nizhni Novgorod and St Petersburg-Helsinki routes. I think we should review our programme of high-speed rail transportation to commission new facilities ahead of schedule and add new routes. In particular, we should consider establishing high-speed lines between the cities that will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”
“We have always provided considerable assistance to this sector because of its economic and social importance. Last year it was granted over 180 billion roubles, compared to 103.2 billion roubles in 2009. This allowed the railways to set lower prices for passenger and cargo transportation than initially planned. Railway traffic grew by over 10% in 2010, which is fresh evidence that the country’s economy is recovering from the crisis. This is one of the main and best indicators of recovery.”
“The state, for its part, will help people acquire new professional skills, and will finance retraining and supplementary training programmes for staff of the companies engaged in production modernisation. Women employed in hazardous jobs, as well as new mothers on maternity leave, until their children reach the age of three years, will be able to acquire new professions for which there is high demand at state expense. Please note: we are allocating additional budget for these categories of individuals.”
“The upcoming celebrations, which are meant primarily to attract young people. The country's youth must receive as much information as possible on our role in space exploration and the present and future of the Russian cosmonautics. This has to be objective and interesting information provided in the most up-to-date manner. And, naturally, personal meetings with pilots, cosmonauts, and engineers can promote the interest of young people in innovation, technology, and scientific work. This is extremely important both for us and for the successful development of the country as a whole.”