Point of View

“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 would like us to discuss support for orphaned children and children with disabilities. This year's federal allocation for this purpose is 70 billion roubles. Orphans have regular compulsory medical check-ups, and the number of medical centres providing high-tech medical services to children with disabilities is growing."

"A programme has started this year to provide long-distance training for children with disabilities, giving them the opportunity of receiving a high-quality modern education. This is essential for their integration in society as adults, for successful careers and reasonable incomes and high living standards. In the first half of 2009, over 2,500 children with disabilities enrolled in long-distance education programmes, including those involved in the pilot projects. This number sounds fine unless you consider that as many as 35,000 children need this special long-distance training. I believe that each of them should be given the opportunity by 2012."

"Now I would like to talk separately and in more detail about the Housing Project. <....> Unfortunately, today the scale of construction has decreased by almost 20%. Mortgage has abruptly fallen by six times. The construction industry is going through hard times. Let me recall that so far in 2009 we spent about 450 billion roubles on the government housing policy. We would have wished to spend more, and it might have been worth it, but it was simply impossible. This audience is competent and everyone understands the value of 450 billion roubles. This is huge money which should be used effectively to maintain demand, and to encourage mortgage and housing construction."

"In effect, the government is acting as the key player in the housing market, and hence, is capable of actively influencing pricing and supply structure, and of encouraging the construction of low-income housing, especially low-rise dwellings."

“I would like to emphasise that the cost of one square metre of low-income housing should not exceed 30,000 roubles. This can and should be achieved, and not at the expense of the quality of the housing or the comfort. Importantly, we should proceed from the premise that no less than 40% of our citizens should be able to purchase such flats.”

"In 2009, two federal centres for advanced medical care and research were opened in Russia, with equipment being set up in four more centres. I would like to once again remind you that we discussed at length the need to create them, debating whether it would be more reasonable to concentrate efforts in the federal centre. Practice has shown that the creation of such facilities in the regions is justified. The level of service improves, more high skills specialists are employed in specific areas, and more complex operations are carried out."

"The Government has prepared a series of resolutions to bolster the healthcare and social assistance system. A total of 12 billion roubles is to be allocated in order to offset a shortfall in revenues of territorial healthcare insurance funds. Another 2.2 billion roubles will be allotted for high-tech healthcare, with 2.3 billion roubles earmarked for rehabilitation equipment for disabled people. I met with the heads of organisations for the disabled, and agreed with them on the said measures. This decision has been made."

"Education and healthcare are undergoing an all-round transformation to improve their service quality and to encourage the best specialists. These programmes are under way. The average salary for teachers in the regions - I'd like to note: not in all regions, but only in the regions where complex education modernisation projects are being implemented - have increased by 30%."

"This year, some 450 billion roubles has been allocated for the national projects. These are considerably large funds, and I would like to highlight that we did not economise in this area. I would also like to add that a number of new programmes have been launched within the framework of the national projects."

“I am determined that our main goal today is to bolster the positive developments that have been achieved thanks to the national projects, and to use an active social policy both as a tool to improve the living standards of our citizens and an effective anti-crisis measure.<...> For example, birth rates rose 4.7% within the first half of the year, which is the result of last year's measures; last year, as you know, birth rates grew as well. Death rates fell 3.7%, with infant mortality dropping 10%. As a result, natural population decline diminished by 30%.”

“As you know, we intended initially to keep next year's budget deficit under 5-5.5%. However, there are low-income population groups who need support-pensioners, disabled persons, and others. There are also commitments to some economic sectors-in particular, the state-financed ones, which we must keep. There are also pivotal national priorities-defence, security, the innovation economy, which also need support. So we have deemed it necessary to raise the budget deficit to 7.5%.”

“7.5% is the highest permissible deficit. If the Government, the Finance Ministry or any other agency, or State Duma or Federation Council members think priorities should be shifted in the budget draft submitted by the Government, it should be done not by increasing the deficit but through redistribution of expenditures. Setting priorities is an essential part of our joint efforts.”

“We have to retain the preset rate of funding at this year's level, and even increase it slightly, despite the crisis. In the process, regrettably, we are going to come across problems caused by the deficit. And here our actions must be as responsible as possible. We must not upset national macroeconomic stability.”

“We will continue to pursue our social policy. Let's put it blankly, we will continue to pay retirement pensions, as we have done starting from 2003, based on my decision. More than 1 billion roubles have been allocated for these purposes this year. And next year payments will remain the same. No changes are expected.”

"We all know quite well that since 2003 Russia has been providing assistance to Russian citizens who live in Abkhazia, paying pensions and several other allowances. I understand perfectly well that this assistance is only a response to the heritage of the past. Our main goal is creating a self-sustained economic system in Abkhazia."

“Why could Abkhazia be interesting for Russia in terms of economy? The first point, which is obvious, is tourism. I have just visited Turkey and met with Prime Minister Erdogan, a good friend of mine, and with President Gul as well. We discussed different fields of co-operation. Two-and-a-half million Russian tourists visit Turkey every year. Turkey is a big country and there are a lot of modern hotels there. And one million Russian tourists visit Abkhazia. The figure is comparable with that of Turkey. One million! That's what we have under current circumstances, when far from everything has been restored, neither in Gagra, nor in other resorts. Imagine what will happen if we restore everything.”

“As for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, well, speaking of the Abkhazian budget, this year we allocated funds to the tune of 2.5 billion roubles to support the Abkhazian budget. And these are only the funds allocated to support the budget; there are funds allocated for other purposes as well. Next year the figure will be approximately the same, just a little bit smaller. But, next year we are going to allocate considerable funds for security purposes, specifically, for our military base in Abkhazia - about 15 billion roubles. This money will be used to reinforce the border and to create an up-to-date border - not the Maginot Line, but a border - to enable normal communication with both Georgia and Russia, to create modern infrastructure, to equip the border and to equip border troops, to upgrade the military base. All in all, it will take 15-16 billion roubles.”

“There are infrastructure projects regarding transport, border crossings with Russia, as there are weak points there. To be frank, we have not found any specific financing sources so far, but still motorway and bridge construction, railroad restoration between Sochi and Sukhumi, marine transportation between Sochi and Sukhumi - all this will require another 4 billion roubles. This is a rough estimate. I would like to repeat that we have not yet found sources to finance infrastructure projects, but the expenses have not been calculated yet. The calculations are being done now by the experts. And we will continue to do it.”

“We are going to work within existing treaties and agreements. The legal basis for our cooperation is strengthening; we have drafted about 40 agreements with Abkhazia on various spheres of our cooperation, and we are confident they are going to work efficiently towards the well-being of the people of Abkhazia and Russia.”

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