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.”
“We expect that federal and regional road construction funds will accumulate more than eight trillion roubles by 2020. With these resources we can tackle the most challenging tasks. Within the next five to ten years we must upgrade every federal highway in the country. This goal is realistic enough, and I have no doubt that we can achieve it. Regional, urban and rural roads require particular attention. We must support the municipalities and regions.”
“Educational links are traditionally an important and effective element of the SCO’s activities. In this regard, a major step is establishing SCO University, a project involving some 60 top universities in SCO member states. The university charter will be signed during the Week of Education of SCO Member States «Education without Borders» currently underway in Moscow.”
“I consider establishing the SCO Energy Club a timely step. With assistance from the club, business communication and information exchange can be developed. It is necessary to establish the club’s regulatory framework and its secretariat.”
“We have agreed to speed up work to establish a special account of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that could become an effective instrument for financing these projects. At the same time, we will address the issue of the Development Bank, an idea proposed by our Chinese partners. <…>We will continue to promote direct contact between our companies, business associations and public entities. In return, we expect active and effective efforts from the SCO Business and Youth councils, which have initiated the Moscow Business Dialogue forum where attendees discuss prospects for interaction in breakthrough areas, such as information technology, Internet communications, e-business and e-commerce.”
“I believe that we need to form a strong infrastructural outline of the Shanghai Organisation. Primarily, we need this in order to further expand our respective national economies, and to create new points of growth and additional opportunities for the people of our nations. Secondly, this will help realise the huge transit potential of the region and secure its role as a link between Europe and the Asian-Pacific Region.”
“The prompt restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan is our common goal. Russia is prepared to participate in projects that seek to restore the Afghan economy, and we will continue to provide necessary assistance to our Afghan friends. All SCO member countries require proper conditions and guarantees for safe and steady development. We must provide secure protection against all threats and risks to our citizens.”
“During the decade of its operation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become an influential international forum, and has built up a significant capacity to develop the economy, and strengthen stability and security in the region. I share the perspective that our colleagues expressed earlier, that with our combined efforts we will be able to bring the work of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to a whole new level and achieve the ambitious goal of transforming our organisation into a foundational structure of the global economic and political architecture, an effective platform for cooperation between regional associations and an avenue for expanding dialogue with neighbouring countries.”
“As Russian Railways’ sole shareholder, the government will certainly take an active part in the implementation of the company’s social programmes and backbone projects. Let me recall that the federal budget allocates 40.4 billion roubles in 2012 for these purposes. Moreover, in September, we decided to provide additional support to the company: notably, it will receive an additional 40 billion roubles in order to implement its investment programme in 2012 and for capital repairs of railway infrastructure. The returns here will take the form of a better quality of transport services, lower costs for economic agents and, of course, for people, for passengers.”
“Importantly, as many as 185,000 veterans have had their housing conditions improved in the last four years. We will continue working to complete this task, to provide housing to all those who need it, together with regional authorities. We will definitely continue resolving housing problems of those who serve in the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies now and, of course, we will help those who retired without getting the housing they were entitled to and were put on municipal waiting lists where they felt like outcasts.”
“And finally all kinds of social benefits. Indeed, the Ministry of Defence proposed and jointly with the Ministry of Finance they did a very meticulous work not to abolish benefits but to put them in order. Well, it sounds like a threat, of course. But what does it mean, putting in order? <…> The amount of benefits does decrease a little in monetary terms <…>, but the salary will increase by 150-200%. For example, a captain, a battalion commander, will see his salary increase from its current 17,600 roubles a month to 66,000 roubles a month. That is a substantial difference.”
“We will index all incomes of servicemen and military pensioners according to inflation, and inflation will not eat up these incomes. We have taken such decision, I think it is even reflected in the law. If it is reflected in the law, any government will have to fulfill it, so the first threat, inflation, is countered with this.”
“The nature of the military and law enforcement service is such that people that have the right to retire are often still fairly young and active – they are in their prime, so to speak. Our task is to help them to get on their feet as civilians, to find a job, and not just any job, but an interesting job with good pay that is in line with their training.”
“As I said, the amount of military pensions should be determined by the recipient’s service record and by his or her contribution to the enhancement of Russia’s capabilities, defence or otherwise. Both military allowances and pensions will be raised starting on January 1, 2012, as part of a welfare reform in the armed forces. I’d like to emphasise that the reform will apply to all military pensioners, regardless of their institutional affiliation. <…> The planned raise will be a considerable one – no less than 50%. Necessary funds have been earmarked in the federal budgets for 2012 and subsequent years. Modern-day Russia has never seen such a large-scale military pension raise before.”
“I would like to bring up another important subject that has to do with improving schools and pre-school education. Please note that this also falls under the responsibility of municipal authorities. We have allocated 120 billion roubles for the modernisation of Russian schools over the next two years. What we need to do now is make all the necessary arrangements in conjunction with the regions and purchase equipment, outfit labs, gyms, medical offices and cafeterias. There is certainly the need to follow through on the implementation of the main purpose for the allocation of federal funds, which is to raise the salaries of school teachers. It’s not enough to report about the situation in general in a region or a municipality. Please make sure that each and every teacher sees an increase in his or her salary, without any glitches.”
“We have limited the increase in tariffs for 2012 in most so-called natural, or more precisely, infrastructural monopolies, including heat and power supply, to the rate of inflation. This time, tariffs will be adjusted not in January as previously, but on July 1. This means that there will no longer be any economic grounds for raising the amounts that appear on utilities bills. Therefore, please deal directly with managing and utilities companies, track the situation closely in the housing and utilities sector and stop any and all attempts by these companies to get into customers’ pockets.”
“It's clear that our system of approaches must also be changed. Requirements of the municipal authorities need to be formulated more clearly, and performance evaluation criteria should be introduced. This should be done by the people themselves in the first place. We are introducing these criteria to evaluate the performance of regional authorities and government institutions. These kinds of criteria for municipal authorities should also be in place. It is for this reason that the government has drafted major amendments to the existing legislation. In fact, for the first time ever, we are introducing a clear legal definition of such a concept as urban amenities and accountability of municipal authorities for the quality of work.”
“The Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was launched this year. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, everyone has been talking about integration. The CIS was functional and it carried out its role more or less, but true integration – I mean practical economic integration – has only just started now. <…> Integration processes are not imposed from the outside – they lie at the heart of the interests of our partners. We are led towards cooperation based on internal necessities. I must say that the leaders of both Kazakhstan and Belarus have done a great deal in helping us reach our current level of integration. Other countries have already voiced their readiness and desire to join in.”
“We must create additional growth points in the regions, as well as new industries and production lines. We must enter the world markets with science-intensive goods and services, as well as other products with high added value. The previously mentioned public-private partnership will play a major role in our efforts to achieve our development goals.”
“Within the next few years we will have to fundamentally change our economy. These are not our ambitions, nor a slogan, but the requirements of the day. This is a challenge that faces the entire world in general and Russia in particular. Only an efficient, competitive economy with a powerful industrial and technological base will allow us to feel confident in the constantly developing world, to reduce our dependence on complicated and turbulent processes in the world economy and guarantee our protection against global risks.”
