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.”
“Today we are living through the world financial and economic crisis, but for all that our trade and economic turnover has increased in the nine months of this year over last year. Vietnam is carrying out 60 projects with the participation of Russian companies. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung.”
“Relations between Russia and Vietnam are of an exceptionally special character. Both countries are treating their relations with particular attention and special warmth. The opening of the Kamran memorial as a tribute to our former military brotherhood is the recent evidence of this”.
“Over the past several years, relations between our two countries have been developing very positively. In four years we have, I believe, tripled our trade turnover, which reached two billion dollars last year. Naturally, the volume of trade decreased somewhat due to the global economic downturn. But I am convinced that this is a temporary setback, and that the levels will rebound”.
“The Customs Union is becoming the driver of the Eurasian Economic Community. We expect the rest of our EurAsEC partners to join this policy in the future. The launch of the Customs Union is a major step on the path to a common economic space with unrestricted goods, services, capital and workforce flow. It is a distinctly higher level of integration. A total of 170 million people represent a big consumer market which will open new vistas for businesses and producers from our countries and increase investment attractiveness.”
“The main objective is to create common mechanisms that will eliminate internal barriers on our customs territory and which will make it possible to control the Customs Union's external perimeter. We must prevent the creation of grey zones in the customs regulation. At the same time, we must not create additional obstacles for economic distribution.”
“Moreover, we have signed an agreement on the Customs Union's Customs Code. The agreement must be prepared for ratification as soon as possible. In the short-term, we must prioritise the creation of a common customs territory by July 1, 2010.”
“In the past six months, representatives of our departments and the ministries of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have put a lot of energy into highly successful attempts to draft the Customs Union's legal framework. We have accomplished practical results, drafting a package of key documents and decisions needed to launch the Customs Union. First, this implies the approval of a common customs tariff and the introduction of a common system of non-tariff regulation starting January 1, 2010 and the granting of authority to the Customs Union Commission”.
“More incentives should be given to people to start their own business. This year new businessmen are being paid a lump sum grant of 58,800 roubles. Incidentally, many have taken advantage of this measure, even though it is a bureaucratic and time consuming process. But still there have been those who benefitted from this opportunity.”
“Additional support measures are stipulated for school graduates, people with disabilities. A job created for a disabled person entitles the employer to a subsidy of 30,000 roubles. College and university graduates will be afforded extended training periods at factories and plants with pay, enabling them to gain practical experience.”
“In 2009, we have generally managed to free up the jobs market. Our efforts had a positive impact after all, though not in every area. Regional programmes involved almost 2,200,000 people, who were facing joblessness because of the crisis or sackings. People were given real help when they most needed it. Of course, we are aware that many people are questioning the quality of these jobs, and rightly so. But, again, this was a makeshift decision, taken at the time of a sharp economic crisis. In this context, we decided to carry on with our anti-crisis measures and support the jobs market in 2010. We are allocating 36.3 billion roubles for these purposes.”
"We should consider security. The programme [a Russian Railways investment programme for 2010] provides 450 million roubles for counterterror measures and 426.5 million roubles for fire prevention. Traffic safety will claim another 2.5 billion roubles. I think this proportion should be kept. At any rate, we must plan for such expenses today."
“As the military transitions to its new, modern structure, it needs to be divested of its so-called non-core assets, or in the case of the Armed Forces, its non-core activities. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a system for maintaining armour and automotive equipment at the manufacturer's plants. Maintaining separate auto services and tank repair plants is an unjustified and inexcusable extravagance in today's conditions. What is more, experts from the plants where the hardware is produced are better qualified to do this work. And they will receive additional funding.”
“The development of such modern and robust hardware directly depends on the unity and clarity of scientific and technical policies. Therefore, as soon as possible we need to consolidate the results of scientific research and design work, identify the most promising solutions and come up with a unified plan for future design work. I mean engines, weapons, ammunition, observation and aiming devices, as well as automated control systems.”
“The main goal of the defence industry is to supply our own military. Today we need to look to the future and keep in mind that science and technology for defence needs are developing at a rapid pace all over the world. And in the modern world, tanks and other armour, as before, remain one of the main components of any military. The manoeuvrability of forces is achieved primarily by reliable military vehicles.
“Quite recently we decided to contribute 4.4 billion roubles to the company's registered capital so that it could reach settlements with suppliers and solve other problems. The money has been received. Early next year, Uralvagonzavod will receive 10 billion roubles in the first quarter, also for its registered capital. This is direct aid to the company for its financial recovery and servicing its debt, which is being acquired so that the company can be modernised, even in these difficult conditions.”
“In addition, the report on the performance of regional and municipal agencies will include the figures on fire safety, especially in sensitive or crowded areas.”
“Regarding material support, the Russian Government will send the families of the deceased 400,000 roubles each and the Perm Territory will provide 100,000 roubles. Consequently, the total value of the support will be half a million roubles. Victims will receive 300,000 roubles out of the federal budget, plus another 100,000 out of the territory's budget. Consequently, a total of 400,000 roubles. Money can help solve many things, but not everything. In this case, far from everything. Therefore, I want to draw attention to the fact that the most important thing right now is consideration for people. We need to provide them with moral support. We need to help the families of the deceased. Let us make do with all formalities and, I repeat, provide them with moral support.”
“The energy efficiency of the budget sector, natural/infrastructure monopolies, and large companies with state capital is another important objective. I have said more than once that the government must start with itself in terms of energy savings. The consumption of fuel and energy in the budget sector must be cut by at least 15% within five years. The policy of energy savings implies not only bans and restrictions, but also measures encouraging the rational and responsible use of resources.”
“We must seriously consider energy efficiency for the design and maintenance of residential blocks, social facilities, and office and industrial premises. Of course, it is impossible to ensure radical improvements overnight, and the programme will be very expensive, as everyone knows. Still, all new construction projects, reconstruction and capital repairs of buildings must proceed with due attention to energy efficiency.”
