“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.”
“Creating the conditions for comfortable and unobstructed business activities, our focus on entrepreneurial initiative, and predictable and responsible economic policy – this is our choice and it represents the unified position of the Russian government. We seek to work together with everyone who wants to do creative work and achieve success in our country.”
“We will proceed carefully, strengthening the fundamentals of our political system and refining it. We will not tread water, and we will make sure that the Russian people and our partners – our economic partners above all, but also our political partners – see the continuity of our course and understand that they are dealing with a stable and solid country, which is safe for investment and can be a reliable partner.”
“Our strategic goal is to diversify the economy. However, to change its structure, we must open the way for thousands of new projects and business ideas, and we understand this. First of all, what we need is state-of-the-art manufacturing and modernised, quality jobs, new technology, and a dramatic increase in performance. Moreover, we intend to carry out large projects in bio- and nanotechnology, communications, energy-saving, and space exploration. We are going to establish a network of powerful hi-tech companies.”
“The domestic farming industry must satisfy the needs of the Russian market and facilitate its steady balance, particularly, in terms of costs. We must only export the excessive grain harvests. Based on this assumption, the government will gradually resume supportive measures in order to secure the position that our grain producers held previously in the global market. But I will repeat it once more: domestic consumption is a priority.”
“This year’s results have shown that the Russian farming industry is becoming steady and well-balanced. We begin to extend the production range and make changes to the system of the rural economy, which means there are new prospects and new standards of living for the people working in the rural area and new prospects for the steady supplying of the big industrial centers. This is our main objective: to ensure a good quality of life in the rural area and to supply affordable domestic produce to big industrial cities.”
“We expect a total of 95 million tonnes of crops this year, with wheat harvest amounting to 60 million tonnes, 18 million tonnes more than in 2010. What does it mean? It means we reached the goal we set for ourselves. It means that such a substantial reserve will cover both the domestic demand and the reserves required for the next year, thus restoring Russia’s position in the global market. In this regard, I would like to say thank you to the workers of the farming industry. This is an excellent result!”
“I am convinced that the establishment of the Eurasian Union and efficient integration are approaches that will enable members to take a prominent place in our complicated, 21st century world. Only by standing together will all our countries be able to take their places as leaders of global growth and drivers of progress, only together will they succeed and prosper.”
“Some of our neighbours explain their lack of interest in joining forward-looking integration projects in the post-Soviet space by saying that these projects contradict their pro-European stance. I believe that this is a false antithesis. We do not intend to cut ourselves off, nor do we plan to stand in opposition to anyone. The Eurasian Union will be based on universal integration principles as an essential part of Greater Europe united by shared values of freedom, democracy, and market laws.”
“Its natural resources, capital, and potent reserve of human resources will combine to put the Eurasian Union in a strong competitive position in the industry and technology race, in the struggle for investors, for the creation of new jobs and the establishment of cutting-edge facilities. Alongside other key players and regional structures, such as the European Union, the United States, China and APEC, the Eurasian Union will help ensure global sustainable development.”
“It is crucial that the Common Economic Space is rooted in coordinated action in key institutional areas such as: macroeconomics, ensuring competition, technical regulations, agricultural subsidies, transport, and natural monopolies tariffs. Later, this framework will also include common visa and migration policies, allowing border controls between our states to be lifted.”
“The Customs Union and CES are special in that they have supranational structures which will also be guided by the basic requirements to minimise bureaucracy and heed people’s actual interests.”
“The CIS experience enabled us to launch a many-tiered, multi-speed integration process in the post-Soviet space, and to set up much needed institutions such as the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Customs Union and finally the Common Economic Space.”
“A crucial integration project, the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (CES), will kick off on January 1, 2012. This project is, without exaggeration, a historic milestone for all three countries and for the broader post-Soviet space.”
“We hope that the federal contract system will become an effective tool of state investment policy and will play a major role in modernising the entire economy. And, of course, it should considerably enhance the effectiveness of budget expenditures.
“We must purchase quality and innovative products for government and social needs and form a system that will reduce corruption and ensure maximal transparency of this work – starting with purchase plans and ending with the performance of contracts.”
“The intellectual and cultural potential of the nation are shaped by how much we read and how much we publish; but even more than that, they are shaped by the moral and ethical values that are conveyed by these books; whether they encourage critical thinking, reflection and analysis. <…> It is for the good of the country and its future that we will revive our people's appetite for a good read. We have all the necessary tools for this: talented authors and professional publishers.”
“Reading high quality and serious literature directly influences people’s level of education and cultural sophistication. It sets social trends and shapes the nation’s aspirations to make scientific and economic breakthroughs and other significant achievements. To a great extent, it serves as a springboard for the entire nation, giving it a competitive edge on the world scene.”
“The VEB must continue to develop programmes of support for small and medium-sized businesses, which has been a strategic priority for the bank. There will now be a special emphasis placed on supporting companies that operate in non-trade sectors, on financing innovative projects related to the creation of new production lines, quality merchandise and technology.”
“The VEB should take a more proactive role in investment policy, operating as a powerful driving force behind projects aimed at restructuring the Russian economy to enhance its resistance to any kind of outside stress. Some of the top priorities are high-tech and infrastructural programmes and projects that create new jobs for skilled workers.”