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 realise that the Ukrainian economy currently consumes as much energy as it needs. We will proceed from that. As for the details, we'll leave it up to businesses to settle between themselves. We hope they will do so."
"I have mentioned that during the past two years Russian-Polish relations have improved, becoming friendlier and more business-like. You were right when you said that in the past our relations were not as cordial.<...> I am grateful to the incumbent Polish Government, specifically Prime Minister Tusk, for being a counterpart and a partner that I am happy to cooperate with. We can discuss the controversial issues of the past in a calm and benevolent atmosphere, free from political prejudices, as well as develop pragmatic relations in politics and in the economy today, all based on respect for each other's interests. I hope we'll be able to maintain this positive trend, which I mentioned in my brief remarks."
"Poland is doing well economically despite the global crisis. But this in no way means that we should not counter current challenges together. Their number exceeds by far the threats of the global financial and economic crisis. It is clear that we should join our efforts to overcome the current problems, and to avoid difficulties in the future."
"I would like to express my wholehearted gratitude to you for the efforts your Government has taken in the past years to promote bilateral trade and economic relations. Our trade and economic relations rose very high in 2008: Russia became Poland's second largest trade and economic partner after Germany."
"We must, of course, think about the victims (of World War II). Without a profound understanding of what has happened, we will be unable to build a truly secure world, eradicate the legacy of the Cold War, and remove the artificial dividing lines. I would like to note that my country does not only recognize the mistakes and tragedies of the past, but is making a practical contribution to building a new world based on new principles. It is due to the position of my country that the virtual and real Berlin Wall was brought down, and prerequisites were established for the building of a new Europe without dividing lines."
"It is important to understand that any collaboration with extremists, which in the Second World War meant Nazism and its underlings, leads to tragedy, whatever the motives for such collaboration. In effect it is not collaboration, but collusion aimed at furthering one's ends at the expense of others."
"True, there are historical problems, which we should carefully study. We should analyze everything, which eventually led to the outbreak of this tragedy on September 1, 1939 with the only purpose being to prevent a repetition in the future. Knowing the nuances and facts of history, and without imposing one's own views on each other, we will be able to rise above the problems of the past, and build a future together. Objective circumstances compel us to follow this responsible, common policy."
"We have spoken with Mr Prime Minister about continued work of the Difficult Issues Commission, which is studying historical events preceding World War II. One of the focuses of its work is studying the archives. There is one rule for such cases in international practice - all actions are carried out on the basis of reciprocity. It is probably natural that we are recalling history on this tragic day. But I would like very much, and I have discussed this subject at length with Mr Tusk today.... I cannot say that our views on this issue fully coincide, but we agree that we should look at the entire picture in all of its diversity."
"This year marks the 200th anniversary of Finland's inclusion in the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy, and it is a good occasion to admit that relations between our countries are at a very positive level. Even though there are problems stemming from the global economic downturn, life still goes on and so do our relations."
"I fully agree with you that Russia and Bulgaria have special relations. All the projects we have developed in the past are aimed, in part, at strengthening Bulgaria's status as a major energy centre in Europe, and a large transit partner. In fact, these projects are aimed at changing the geopolitical - in this context - status of the country and providing the possibility for additional revenue from commodities transit."
"Russian-Dutch trade and economic relations are developing very successfully. Bilateral trade reached a record of $62 billion last year, and reinvestment reached $45 billion. Direct Dutch investment into the Russian economy stood at over $30 billion. Our joint plan of action will expire soon, and it is high time to lay the foundations for our cooperation over the next several years."
"As you know, cooperation between some Russian and Ukrainian companies is so deep that these companies would go out of business without each other. They would have to close down. This applies, for example, to aircraft building, which has excellent cooperation prospects. Russia has adjusted its policy with regard to An-70. We'll see how we could implement this project. There is much to discuss here."
"I would like to draw special attention to the condition of school buses. I hold that both regional and local authorities need to monitor more closely the technical condition of vehicles and the qualifications and health of drivers, even more so since there are positive examples of such work in several regions which have led to a reduction in road accidents involving students."
"Only in the past year financing of general education increased by 120 billion roubles. The total funds allocated for the purpose were 738 billion roubles. The Ministry of Regional Development conducted a survey of how efficiently these funds were being used. The picture is far from ideal. According to analysis' estimates, the share of inefficient spending is around 19%. In terms of the total amount, this is 140 billion roubles. To give you an example, with this amount of money the salaries of teachers and educational administrators could be raised immediately by 25%. Or 300 new schools could be built with this money."
"The second decision concerns the ongoing experiment when the state supports the system of educational loans for students of higher educational establishments. Students showing good progress can now enjoy a number of privileges. One is the deferment of payments on the principal sum of the loan for the entire period of tuition at college or university. The state also plans to subsidise the interest rate on educational loans at three quarters of the Central Bank's refinancing rate."
"We should pay particular attention to the overall safety of students. This includes anti-terrorist and fire-prevention measures, observance of sanitary standards, and safety on the roads and in transport. In the last two years, we allocated 24 billion roubles for fire-prevention measures. This included bringing the share of schools equipped with fire alarms up to 80%. As a result, the number of fires reduced by 55%."
"As you know, the Federation now issues subsidies to the regions to pay remuneration to form teachers. To begin with, we decided to keep these subsidies and therefore these payments. But such a factor as differentials for length of service in the Far North and other areas with special climatic conditions was not taken into account until now when determining the size of these subsidies."
"Russia has maintained good and long-standing relations with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Bank has invested over $11 billion in Russian projects, involving economic sectors highly important for the country. These include auto industry projects such as the launch of Volkswagen and Toyota assembly plants in Kaluga and St. Petersburg respectively, as well as power grid modernisation in certain Russian regions and a sewage treatment facilities project in St. Petersburg."
"I consider it expedient to draft a special federal targeted programme of reforming and modernising the housing and utilities sector in the period until 2020."
