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.”
“Next year, we will continue to be actively engaged in the labour market. The government has allocated nearly 28 billion roubles for employment programmes. We will also have to develop an effective policy regarding labour migration, and to boost the mobility of Russia's workforce. Other planned policies are aimed at making our social security system financially sustainable. We will also build a new mandatory medical insurance system, which should cover all Russian regions within two years.”
“Indeed, we do have something to show for all the work we have done. The key indicators, of course, are the falling rate of unemployment and the reduction in the number of people who live below the poverty line. We have managed to make progress on this even during the global financial and economic crisis. Of course, it had something to do with the changing trends in economic development. Last year we saw a major slump, 7.9%. This year we expect a growth of about 9%, and the industry indicators are even better, a growth of more than 8% and rising real wages.”
“We need direct foreign investment. And not just capital but so-called smart investment that requires a technology transfer and the creation of new quality jobs. Russia is open to foreign investment. At the same time, investment in non-strategic sectors requires no coordination. As far as strategic sectors are concerned, the authorisation procedures will be simplified considerably, just like we had agreed.”
“There has been no decline in entrepreneurial activity even during the crisis. On the contrary, the number of small and medium enterprises has increased by nearly 600,000 in the last two years. Higher education institutions and research centres alone have created almost 700 small companies in the high-tech industry. I repeat: We are well aware of the huge economic and social significance of small and medium-sized business in Russia. In fact, this is true of any country. We will provide the necessary assistance.”
“State support for the automobile industry was timely and effective. More than 44 billion roubles were spent in 2010 to stimulate domestic demand. Incidentally, we were just now talking with the workers and I think that if one takes into account all the channels of support for GAZ, it amounts to 8 billion roubles. I mean stimulation demand, scrapping, subsidizing credit, state guarantees for certain enterprises, procurement of cars and vehicles for state needs and so on. As I said, 13 billion was spent under the scrap and reduced cost credit programmes.”
“Last year, when we all were suffering from the crisis, Russia supported Armenia. On your request we drew up and issued 500 million dollars in a soft loan with a maturity of 15 years. Despite a certain overall decrease, this allowed us to shore up both our bilateral trade and Russia's investment in the Armenian economy, which amounts to between 2.8 billion to 3 billion. Not a single Russian company has withdrawn from Armenia's economy. This goes for Gazprom, INTER RAO UES, JSFC Sistema, VTB Bank and many other companies. In total, several thousand companies comprising Russian capital are operating in Armenia.”
“Regional programmes should logically continue federal efforts to improve public health. They are designed to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare. The regions will purchase modern equipment, and renovate and otherwise update their key medical facilities. Healthcare facilities must comply with the latest medical standards, employ highly qualified specialists, and certainly raise staff salaries, including those of doctors in outpatient clinics.”
“The world today is completely open. A country that withdraws into itself loses its positions. Only an open country with an open employment market, education and sports can succeed. In an open country that kind of nationalism is impossible.”
“There are a number of tools that the government and private businesses in Russia can use to foster the development of science and innovation. I’m referring to government programmes, targeted research and development funds (which are companies in which the government is a stakeholder), and private investment and venture funds. It is important for these state-run funds to find where in this science and innovation support system they are most needed and where there are no alternatives to them.”
