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.”
“A report by the Prosecutor-General's Office is highly revealing in this respect. It cites, as glaring facts, violations made by state agencies concerned with supervisory functions. There were fake tests, shell firms set up to milk businesses, and complete chaos regarding fees for state services. I therefore consider it absolutely right that we have launched a comprehensive review of the state's regulatory and supervisory functions. We have examined, at a series of government meetings, the state of affairs in education, agriculture, healthcare and construction. And we have prepared a raft of concrete proposals and legislative initiatives.”
“I'd like to point out that this upcoming budget will be tight. In these conditions it is very important for us to focus on our priorities. We must justify and consider the effectiveness of all expenditures and only spend money on truly important issues. This primarily applies to social services and meeting our social obligations. I'd like to emphasise that our unconditional priorities include everything related to pensions, allowances, public sector wages and salaries, the implementation of housing programmes and the development of healthcare.”
“We all understand that for Russia, with its enormous territory, the development of aviation and airports is critical. It is one of our top priorities, and we must address it in order to ensure the unity of Russia's territory and the Russian nation. Air transportation in Russia is currently booming. Passenger air travel has not only recovered since the crisis, it has exceeded the peak reached in 2008. In January-May, 2010 air travel increased by 32.3% against the same period of 2009. These trends are directly related to the growing capacity of Russian airports.”
“In the past 10 years, the federal government has invested 800 billion roubles in the North Caucasus. In 2000, federal support amounted to 15 billion roubles; now the regional governments will receive some 180 billion roubles through subventions and inter-budgetary transfers. Allocations have grown twelvefold. Three large-scale federal targeted programmes are underway in the North Caucasus Federal District. These are the South of Russia programme and the federal targeted programmes to strengthen the economies and social services in Chechnya and Ingushetia. A total of 20 billion roubles will be allotted for these programmes in 2010 alone. As you can see, we are investing significant money and effort in the North Caucasus, which is allowing us to resolve acute social problems, gradually increase people's incomes and improving the region's infrastructure.”
“Long-term unemployment is probably the region's most acute social and even psychological challenge. A jobless person, especially a young one, feels abandoned and loses hope. I believe that our effectiveness in addressing the problem of unemployment will be the yardstick by which we measure the success of our joint efforts in the North Caucasus. Over the next 10 years, we must meet a critical objective: creating at least 400,000 new jobs in the North Caucasus. And we must do it together.”
“The matter requires negotiations, and the principles underlying the talks depend on the two negotiating parties. Just as the other members of the international community, Russia can only be a guarantor of the process. I know there are many forces in Georgia that want Georgian-Russian relations normalised, and want to have a common future with the Ossetian people. This is the road to travel, and we should not seek other solutions. America is America, Russia is Russia and Ossetia is Ossetia. There's nobody you can invoke, and you can't wait for manna from heaven. "We want no condescending saviours to rule us from their judgment hall" (quotation from l'Internationale). We need to do everything with our own hands. Something has been done already, and we need to make a step in the right direction.”
“We have reached a very high level of interstate contacts with the new president of Ukraine and with its government. We are removing the artificial barriers that previously hindered constructive cooperation, and in just a few months we have reached a high level of intergovernmental relations with the new president and government, and put together a substantial portfolio of joint projects, primarily in industries where Russian-Ukrainian cooperation brings our two countries tangible competitive advantages, in particular in aerospace, shipbuilding, energy and transport... Our companies share a lot already. They operated as part of one production chain over decades. And those links should be restored, including through the formation of integrated structures.”
“The relations between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church are going through a special period and stand out for their special warmth. We do not just return to the Church what it was illegally deprived of after 1917, but we also build new churches. However, this concerns the material side of our relations. Of much greater importance are the relations between the Church and the government in the spiritual sphere. The Russian Orthodox Church and all traditional confessions in Russia together with the government are building new and restoring previously lost shrines the way we are restoring together our common home, our Motherland - Russia. The Church, more than any other institution, provides support for every individual and the entire state at difficult moments, and it is the Church that shares our joys and successes.”
"Also, I see a danger in the bureaucracy growing accustomed to national projects and seeing them as nothing special. We cannot and will not tolerate this outlook. I mentioned this already at the beginning, and you well know that the national projects were successful because we concentrated our administrative and financial resources on them and imposed special oversight on the use of these resources. And these ingredients for success cannot be forgotten. Because the goals pursued by national projects are too important. We cannot let these projects become routine."
