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 must adapt trade and economic contacts to the global economic realities. We must concentrate on the most advantageous directions of our cooperation, such as energy, transport, the timber sector, and a range of arctic technologies, including ship building. Maybe, the latter should come first. The energy sphere includes supply of hydrocarbons, nuclear power engineering, the power plant industry, renewable energy sources, and so on."
"Allow me to recall that during Mr Prime Minister's visit to Moscow, duties on exports of rough wood were frozen at the request of the Finnish side. We also met our Finnish partners halfway and reopened the Torfyanovka international checkpoint to commercial vehicle transport traffic. There are other examples of mutual concessions."
"The situation in the global economy is far from simple, and we feel the effects of the crisis in our countries. However, I would like to say that our cooperation is a factor that helps us to stand up at the time of trial. Look at our energy cooperation: Russian partners provide everything the Finnish economy needs regularly, on time and in the required amount. I am referring to oil, gas, coal, electricity and chemicals."
It is the Russian Government's duty to organise production implying large added value. Our Government does not differ from any other Government in the world in this respect-which does not mean that we can act spontaneously, be unpredictable, make headlong moves, and damage our long-established partners.
"Allow me to recall that the federal budget has allocated a total of 64.7 billion roubles for this programme, out of which 8.9 billion roubles were transferred last year, and another 55.8 billion roubles will be provided for this year. I would like to emphasize this year's increase to 55.8 billion compared with last year's 8.9 billion despite the ongoing crisis. This is enough to fully resolve the problem."
"As we have pledged, by May 1, 2010 all war veterans requiring better housing conditions should be provided with flats. I would like to inform you that we have decided to improve considerably the terms of granting housing. Today, in calculating the funding, we proceed from the quota of 22 square meters per capita, whereas subsequently we will apply a higher standard - 36 square meters per capita."
"Yesterday I announced that I had signed a Government Resolution on allocating 25 billion roubles, or some $700 million, to VAZ. We did it in coordination with Renault and in a way that would not undermine the foreign partner's position and share in the joint venture. I believe this is very important during the current crisis. We also see that our partners, in this case Renault, also understand the situation."
"This is a good project, with over $200 million of investment, 50,000 cars and 750 new jobs. Moreover, it has the capability to increase production several-fold, to 500,000 cars, without increasing its production area. The company is so far using only one-third of the land plots allocated to it in the city. However, the decision to increase production will depend on the market situation."
"The Russian Government will continue to support any investment, but above all direct investment and especially investment in high technology, new ideas and innovation projects."
"As I have said, I am pinning great hopes on the expansion of Magna's presence - in particular, on sharing a part of its knowhow with Russia. I hope it will tell on Russian industrial production."
"The troubleshooting plan proposed by such an influential company as Magna has been recognised as the best possible option for investors and, even more so, for Opel employees in Germany and other countries. That is essential. I am interested in it, to an extent, because Opel has two plants in Russia."
"As for purchasing Opel stock, I want to make it understood from the start that the Russian Government is not directly involved but approves Sberbank's participation in the transaction. This is primarily because Sberbank is one of the largest creditors of the Russian automotive industry and has long-established contacts with it."
"VEB loans made it possible to prevent selling cheaply strategic Russian industrial assets which had been mortgaged abroad. We earmarked $50 billion for the purpose initially but we made do with $10.5 billion, and even that sum has been partly paid."
"The bank started funding the 21st new project. The projects are related to infrastructure development, high technologies, and new industrial plants - in particular, the modernisation of Siberian and Far Eastern railways; the establishment of technology parks in Tatarstan and the Kaluga Region; the reconstruction of several power plants, and work in the entire energy industry. The bank also joined the investors in Olympic construction in Sochi."
"Oil and gas producing companies have indicated several times that without guaranteed access to pipelines they will not be able to foster the rational use of transit gas. I think that such a guarantee will appear. But that means that in the near future, let us say by 2012, we must realise our plans for the amount of gas burnt in flares not to exceed 5%."
"When considering the future development of the consumer industry, we must give ourselves real, achievable aims, carefully weighing up our options, and not knowingly making promises that we cannot fulfil. I will now identify what I consider to be two key problems. The first is the struggle against illegal imports, a problem I mentioned earlier, and black market production. To this day counterfeit production occupies 40% of the market. Here I am also including smuggled goods. it's vital to implement several major investment projects in the sector, modernise consumer industry enterprises with the latest technology, which will allow a significant increase in production quality and will also gradually enable domestically produced goods to regain their prestige in the eyes of consumers in this country and abroad."
"Today the consumer industry comprises a healthy core of several dozen major enterprises and hundreds of small and medium sized companies, which have found their market niche, developing their production of goods for which there is a demand, including for children and young people."
"Despite the difficult situation with budget revenues, state support programmes will continue to be implemented in 2009. 200 million roubles have been set aside for interest rate subsidy on loans for the purchase of raw materials, and 90 million roubles for loans for technological upgrades."
"Russia joining the Convention Concerning International Carriage of Goods by Rail (COTIF). This step will create the conditions for expanding the railway ferry service link between the Russian ports of Baltiysk and Ust-Luga and the German port Sassnitz-Mukran, and in future ports in other European countries. Russian transporters will be able to independently configure their railway routes to the Baltic."
