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.”
“I'm convinced all our projects in the North Caucasus must be measured primarily by the new jobs they create, and this means that we must form a modern and effective employment structure and increase the demand for qualified labour and business initiatives. Regional employment programmes have been effective. <…> Therefore, next year we will continue implementing programmes to reduce tensions in the labour market and we will introduce a new direction – certification of the professional skills of job seekers.”
“There should be strict requirements involved in the management of power companies with public shareholdings. It is no secret that the risk of corruption is potentially very high in this sphere, as is the likelihood of a clash of interests. <…> It seems fair that the heads of these entities, their family members and close relatives be required to inform the Ministry of Energy about their income and property status. These heads should be dismissed if some shady connections are uncovered.”
“As for the power-generating industry, one can safely say that the country has overcome all crises. <…> We need to create a powerful energy foundation for our overall national development and industrial growth, and to develop new territories and the vast expanses of our country, to facilitate a reliable base of power-generation for the operation of the housing/municipal utilities infrastructure and the social sphere. Moreover, we should not forget that the modernisation of the power industry’s infrastructure creates a substantial demand for science, engineering centres, as well as such affiliated sectors as engineering and the construction industry.”
“Our aim is to create an objective and economically justified mechanism for power pricing. The consumer should pay a price that is fair, not one that is simply pulled out of a hat. No one is saying that a system should be devised that will ruin the electrical energy industry or the power sector in general. No, of course not. But there is no justification for having exorbitant prices either. Otherwise we are creating insurmountable obstacles for our national economic development.”
“The Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station has seen its fifth hydropower generation unit come into operation. Importantly, this new unit was built after the accident to more advanced specifications, including higher safety standards and increased reliability. The plan is to replace all the plant’s 10 turbines over the next three years. Some of the new units have already been delivered to the plant, and are waiting to be installed. The overhauled plant will come back on stream by the end of 2014.”
“We have built 2.5 billion roubles for the subsidised air transportation programme into the federal budget for next year. The same goes for 2013 and 2014. The same funds for each year have been built into the three-year budget. In addition, the programme will be supplemented with new routes as of 2012. They will include Moscow-Pevek, Moscow-Tiksi, and Moscow-Naryan-Mar. The list is still open. I have requested that the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, and regional leaders look into the issue of further expanding this list.”
“Undoubtedly, we will continue to pay special attention to all issues related to transport infrastructure. We have to efficiently integrate these territories into the national and global transport flows, that is, create new opportunities for promoting economic growth, attracting investments, and improving the quality of life in these regions.”
“Please note that Sochi is receiving an unprecedented amount of federal funds, not exclusively through the Olympic construction programme. We haven’t cancelled subsidies that have been allocated to Sochi in previous years, before it was announced that Sochi would host the Olympics. These federal funds that go towards supporting Sochi and its residents continue to do so.”
“The government is willing to contribute to the process of placing children with families. <…>How is this policy translated into life? Through the decision to support adoptive families and put them on an equal footing with families which bring up their own children, making them eligible for the same benefits.”
“We have established a system of federal higher educational establishments and a nationwide network of research universities. And each of them will be in receipt of additional funding. We have approved a grant allocation programme for talented people, a grant allocation programme for scientists that suggest interesting and promising ideas, strategic ideas.”
“I think we should certainly improve the conditions for children in orphanages. Along with improving the conditions in orphanages and resolving other social issues for children without parents (I am first of all referring to providing them with housing), we should reduce the number of foreign adoptions, gradually ending them at some point in the near future. At the same time we should encourage adoptions by Russian parents. This is, in my opinion, the right strategy for dealing with this issue.”
“Our traditional denominations – the Buddhists, the Christians, the Jews and the Moslems – are essentially of the same view as regards these basic moral values. And, certainly, this is what we must jointly promote. We don’t have other value orientations and they are unlikely to appear any time soon.”
“We need to strengthen our political system, first of all. We need to expand the foundations of democracy in the country so that people begin to feel their direct connection with the authorities at the municipal, regional and federal levels, so that trust in the authorities grows and the political system becomes self-sufficient and resistant to external shocks and to all kinds of impostors that are trying to get in here from the outside and to influence our domestic political processes.”
“We need, of course, to diversify the economy, to modernise and renew it. We need innovation and modernisation to penetrate the brain of every citizen, for innovation to become part of our general policy. And, of course, we need to improve and develop our social sphere, so that no one feels neglected by the government.”
“My personal opinion is that we can meet social obligations only on the basis of economic growth, and that economic growth requires light taxation, efficient taxation as well as the implementation of budget obligations for people in need of support. It is necessary to ensure national security, defence, healthcare, education, pensions etc., because all this requires budget funding. But this also means that we should think about making this taxation less burdensome and more efficient, that’s certain.”
“None of the developed economies will have a budget surplus this year; while Russia’s federal revenue will exceed expenditures. Inflation will be the lowest in recent history this year – 7%, which is even below the estimates. The country’s reserve funds are growing too. We have a healthy economy and financial sector and we stand a good chance of making a development breakthrough.”
“Improving the performance of the government machine is our strategic goal. One way to achieve this is to carry out the electronic government project, which we are currently doing. Once implemented, it will greatly reduce the need for people to go from office to office to deal with numerous bureaucrats; instead, they will go to a «one-stop shop» and receive all the information or documents that they need there.”
“The first step has been made now. Obviously, the State Duma will have many new members. The presidential election will be followed by the government’s formation. And, of course (as we have said many times) there will be considerable changes in the government as such and later on in the governors’ corps.”
“I think it is necessary to use electronic interaction channels more actively for sending information to Civil Registry Offices, federal authorities, to stimulate information sharing between departments of Civil Registry Offices in various regions. Our objective is to make it possible for citizens of this country to take important family issues to their local Civil Registry Office so that all these official institutions communicate electronically, and promptly and conveniently resolve all problems for people.”
