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.”
“As you know, leading economies are developing their post-recessionary strategies. Russia also needs one. Our growth strategy should take into account the new reality and provide solutions to the challenges of economic modernisation and an overhaul of the social security system and public administration. It is important to get the general public and experts involved in the discussion of this strategy.”
“The establishment of the Customs Union should be backed by the active development of Russian-Belarusian trade and economic ties. In 2010, we saw an 18% increase in trade, and we will try to maintain this positive trend this year. Expanding industrial cooperation and creating favourable conditions for trade and interregional partnership have been a focus of our attention as well. We will also strive to encourage work in the high-tech sector, in the fuel and energy sector for instance. I am referring to our plans to build a nuclear power station in Belarus.”
“War, military service and labour veterans have done a lot for Russia; they have worked for the country their whole lives. We all know very well that common people have lived very modestly, in particular during Soviet times. People often worked without the hope of receiving financial benefits, honouring their responsibilities and doing their duty to the country. Actually, the older generation, our senior citizens have worked selflessly for the benefit of the country all their lives, fighting in wars when necessary. Today these respected citizens have the right to expect us to provide them with decent living conditions, to feel that the government will care for them.”
“Everything related to people’s quality of life and health is certainly one of the top priorities for the state and the United Russia party. Therefore, I ask the federal and regional branches of United Russia to establish effective public oversight over the implementation of regional healthcare programmes. You need to work closely with trade unions, associations of health professionals and, of course, work collectives. Moreover, I believe that we must take the initiative and invite other political parties into this partnership, all those who are willing to cooperate constructively in the interests of our citizens in addressing basic problems to improve Russian healthcare.”
“Physical education needs improving, and teachers should take advantage of new methods to make lessons interesting and useful. For these purposes, it is necessary to introduce new programmes and modernise schools’ sports infrastructure. A construction plan for a new school building must include a gym and a swimming pool. We also need to expand the network of fitness complexes and junior sports clubs.”
“We are also using the assistance of foreign partners to develop the priority sphere of high-speed transportation. High-speed trains currently run on the Moscow-St Petersburg, Moscow-Nizhni Novgorod and St Petersburg-Helsinki routes. I think we should review our programme of high-speed rail transportation to commission new facilities ahead of schedule and add new routes. In particular, we should consider establishing high-speed lines between the cities that will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”
“We have always provided considerable assistance to this sector because of its economic and social importance. Last year it was granted over 180 billion roubles, compared to 103.2 billion roubles in 2009. This allowed the railways to set lower prices for passenger and cargo transportation than initially planned. Railway traffic grew by over 10% in 2010, which is fresh evidence that the country’s economy is recovering from the crisis. This is one of the main and best indicators of recovery.”
“The state, for its part, will help people acquire new professional skills, and will finance retraining and supplementary training programmes for staff of the companies engaged in production modernisation. Women employed in hazardous jobs, as well as new mothers on maternity leave, until their children reach the age of three years, will be able to acquire new professions for which there is high demand at state expense. Please note: we are allocating additional budget for these categories of individuals.”
“The upcoming celebrations, which are meant primarily to attract young people. The country's youth must receive as much information as possible on our role in space exploration and the present and future of the Russian cosmonautics. This has to be objective and interesting information provided in the most up-to-date manner. And, naturally, personal meetings with pilots, cosmonauts, and engineers can promote the interest of young people in innovation, technology, and scientific work. This is extremely important both for us and for the successful development of the country as a whole.”
“The establishment of the Customs Union promotes our membership in the WTO, believe me. There are several reasons for this. First, our colleagues see that though we are willing to join, we can also do without the WTO. They are also eager to see Russia among the countries that use the unified economic rules and interpret them similarly. So they have accelerated the process of admitting Russia. That is why the establishment of the Customs Union has accelerated, rather than hindered, our movement toward the WTO.”
“Next year, we will continue to be actively engaged in the labour market. The government has allocated nearly 28 billion roubles for employment programmes. We will also have to develop an effective policy regarding labour migration, and to boost the mobility of Russia's workforce. Other planned policies are aimed at making our social security system financially sustainable. We will also build a new mandatory medical insurance system, which should cover all Russian regions within two years.”
“Indeed, we do have something to show for all the work we have done. The key indicators, of course, are the falling rate of unemployment and the reduction in the number of people who live below the poverty line. We have managed to make progress on this even during the global financial and economic crisis. Of course, it had something to do with the changing trends in economic development. Last year we saw a major slump, 7.9%. This year we expect a growth of about 9%, and the industry indicators are even better, a growth of more than 8% and rising real wages.”
“We need direct foreign investment. And not just capital but so-called smart investment that requires a technology transfer and the creation of new quality jobs. Russia is open to foreign investment. At the same time, investment in non-strategic sectors requires no coordination. As far as strategic sectors are concerned, the authorisation procedures will be simplified considerably, just like we had agreed.”
“There has been no decline in entrepreneurial activity even during the crisis. On the contrary, the number of small and medium enterprises has increased by nearly 600,000 in the last two years. Higher education institutions and research centres alone have created almost 700 small companies in the high-tech industry. I repeat: We are well aware of the huge economic and social significance of small and medium-sized business in Russia. In fact, this is true of any country. We will provide the necessary assistance.”
“State support for the automobile industry was timely and effective. More than 44 billion roubles were spent in 2010 to stimulate domestic demand. Incidentally, we were just now talking with the workers and I think that if one takes into account all the channels of support for GAZ, it amounts to 8 billion roubles. I mean stimulation demand, scrapping, subsidizing credit, state guarantees for certain enterprises, procurement of cars and vehicles for state needs and so on. As I said, 13 billion was spent under the scrap and reduced cost credit programmes.”
“Last year, when we all were suffering from the crisis, Russia supported Armenia. On your request we drew up and issued 500 million dollars in a soft loan with a maturity of 15 years. Despite a certain overall decrease, this allowed us to shore up both our bilateral trade and Russia's investment in the Armenian economy, which amounts to between 2.8 billion to 3 billion. Not a single Russian company has withdrawn from Armenia's economy. This goes for Gazprom, INTER RAO UES, JSFC Sistema, VTB Bank and many other companies. In total, several thousand companies comprising Russian capital are operating in Armenia.”
“Regional programmes should logically continue federal efforts to improve public health. They are designed to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare. The regions will purchase modern equipment, and renovate and otherwise update their key medical facilities. Healthcare facilities must comply with the latest medical standards, employ highly qualified specialists, and certainly raise staff salaries, including those of doctors in outpatient clinics.”
“The world today is completely open. A country that withdraws into itself loses its positions. Only an open country with an open employment market, education and sports can succeed. In an open country that kind of nationalism is impossible.”
“There are a number of tools that the government and private businesses in Russia can use to foster the development of science and innovation. I’m referring to government programmes, targeted research and development funds (which are companies in which the government is a stakeholder), and private investment and venture funds. It is important for these state-run funds to find where in this science and innovation support system they are most needed and where there are no alternatives to them.”
“Since 2005 the number of patients receiving high-tech medical care increased from 60,000 to 290,000. We need to further increase access to such services. We have already increased it fivefold, from 60,000 to 290,000. This is good, but the demand for such services is much higher, and we need to step up our efforts. Budget allocations for high-tech healthcare from 2008 to 2013 will total 135 billion roubles.”
“A mosque is to be built in Moscow, too, and it will be built. However, if we count how many churches and mosques have been restored and rebuilt in the whole country, it would seem that impossible has been done. There are hundreds, thousands of them, signifying the rebirth of our traditional faiths and religions. There’s one more thing to add. Surely, we are all different. In Russia, however, different confessions have always lived side by side. They have intermingled and have always shown respect for one another.”
“When it comes to World Cup football, this entails 13 cities. Yes, there will not be such large-scale infrastructure projects in all these. But, nevertheless, there is a lot of work to be done on the development of the road network, development of airport and of railway infrastructure. And if we can put together a good programme, and there are already proposals, on the development of high-speed rail traffic between all these cities, or at least between some of these cities, this would be a powerful development impetus for the entire infrastructure of the European part of the country, and this is certainly an advantage.”
“The proportion of Russians living below the poverty line has decreased from 13.1% last year to 12.5% this year. Is that a lot? I would say that this is a positive change. I'd like to remind you that 29% of people in Russia, or about 45 million, were living below the poverty line in the year 2000.”
“It is worth mentioning that these measures are the first actual integration efforts in 15 years. I’m referring to the establishment of the Customs Union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the next step which we are approaching – the establishment of a Common Economic Space. I would like to emphasise that this will mean a deep economic integration which will allow us to be more competitive. We will have a large market – 140 million in this country, 15 million in Kazakhstan plus 10 million in Belarus – look, this market can be compared to that of the European Union.”
“The several dozen Russian companies present in Mongolia are actively investing in the transport infrastructure, railway construction, and the prospecting and development of coal, uranium, and other deposits. No doubt, all this will build upon the export potential of the Mongolian economy – particularly through the use of Russian ports for trade with third-party countries. This mainly concerns the greater use of ports in the Russian Far East.”
“In the Navy, arms are to be renewed and strengthened; a strategic marine nuclear squad is to be formed from fourth-generation nuclear subs; modern surface vessels are to be purchased; and the operational hardware is to be repaired and upgraded. To be able to cope with the challenges of enhancing the country's defence capacity, the Navy must be developed in a level fashion, including the development of strategic nuclear forces alongside general-purpose naval forces.”
“The RGS is called upon to bear a substantial share of the responsibility to cultivate concern for the environment in society, to raise environmental awareness in the country. This objective applies, first and foremost, to the younger generation. I hope that the projects targeted at children and young people will be real priorities for the RGS and its partners. It is about developing educational programmes to support young scientists and, of course, organising competitions, festivals and expeditions that will help kids realise their potential, to believe in themselves and, most importantly, to truly get to know their homeland – our country.”
“This year Russia and Finland have managed to reverse the negative trends caused by the global economic crisis. Over the first nine months of this year our trade grew by 23% and Russia remains Finland’s largest trade and economic partner. The Russian economy has received a solid amount of direct Finnish investment and major joint projects in infrastructure and innovation continue to be carried out. Finnish companies have invested billions of euros in power generation.”
“We must fundamentally modernise our pharmaceutical and medical industries. Basically, we'll have to develop a new industry that will attract investment, generate innovations, create efficient jobs, and, most importantly, that will produce competitive, safe, high-quality and affordable products for our people and our health care system. We must reach a strategic goal – meeting domestic requirements in pharmaceuticals and equipment ourselves.”
“CES, similarly to the customs union before that, is being formed in a very short time, without exaggeration, in record time. Such a pace is made possible by the constructive spirit of all participants in this process, as well as a tremendous amount of work. I say this without exaggeration: the effort at the expert and industry levels was enormous. And I want to thank all the government officials for the contribution you have made to this major, very important process, a matter of strategic importance for our country.”
“Vnesheconombank could credit commercial banks so they fund projects for affordable economy-class housing. As we agreed before, this investment should amount to at least 50 billion roubles, and the funding source should be Vnesheconombank’s return on operations in financial markets. I’d like to remind you that the bank earned profits from Russian companies’ shares which it bought during the recession and which have gone up. It would be sound to invest these revenues in housing programmes. These monies will be provided at only 3%, which will allow banks to reduce interest rates for end borrowers, ordinary people.”
“We are gradually integrating the Far East into our country’s common economic space, removing obstacles that impede the region’s normal development and laying a stable base for future growth. What is the main objective and what priorities will we focus on in our work? First of all, we must create a transport infrastructure that will be comfortable and affordable for the public and efficient for business and operation.”
“We have created an effective mechanism to ensure that people can receive medical services for free, as guaranteed by the state. I'd like to emphasise that these services are of the appropriate quality, or at least so it should be. Starting January 1, 2011 we will implement modernisation programmes that are designed to upgrade regional hospitals and clinics – providing them with new equipment and promoting the adoption of new technology and new medical standards. We will have the additional opportunity to raise salaries in the industry.”
“As for democracy, this is a long-running argument we have been having with our American colleagues. <…> And when we tell our American colleagues that there are systemic problems in this sphere we hear, “Don’t poke your noses into our affairs. This is how things work here and this is the way it is going to be.” We are not butting in, but I would also like to advise our colleagues not to poke their noses into our affairs. This is the sovereign choice of the Russian people. The Russian people unequivocally backed democracy in the early 90s. They will not be swayed from this path. No one should have any doubts on that score. This is in Russia’s own interests. And we will definitely continue along this path.”
“You can take my word for it that the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be up to the highest standards. New modern stadiums and facilities will be built in time, and to perfection. We are eager to do our best to secure the comfort and safety of our guests. We also have a couple of offers. You know about it. Visa-free entry and free of charge trips between cities to watch football matches. Besides, you can get to know Russia, a unique country with a long history and rich culture. Not bad, not bad at all.”
“First of all, we need to show that Russia is an open country, that it is open to the whole world. People will understand what Russia is when they come here. There are still a lot of stereotypes left over from the past. But the more contacts we establish, the faster these stereotypes will dissipate.We can move this process forward by hosting major sporting events such as the World Students Games, the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Moreover, they will ensure that, at least in Europe, there are not any visible or invisible Berlin Walls.”
“We have taken a major decision in the interests of domestic producers – in 2011 we’ll cut poultry imports to Russia practically in half. This was not an easy decision but we’ve taken it with a view to reducing imports in general and strengthening domestic agriculture.”
“We ask all our friends to support us in our World Cup bid. Germany is among the first of our friends. <..> But we understand that FIFA members must make this decision on the basis of many factors that come into play regarding holding the World Cup in one country or another, and proceeding from the strategic aim of developing football worldwide. I believe that the fact that Eastern Europe has never held a world championship is an important motive for deciding in Russia's favour.”
“At a certain point Russia and Germany charted this course of strengthening cooperation, of building a strategic partnership, and this approach is yielding real, tangible results. Bilateral trade revenue now stands at about 18 billion euros for each side. Well, take 18 billion euros, maybe by yearend it will be 20 billion euros, that's the volume of goods that German industry produces and sells on our market. Is this a lot or a little? And this, as you know, means providing jobs and prosperity for millions of people in Germany.”
“We have all the opportunities for collective development, particularly great transit and transport potential within the SCO, above all continental corridors North-South and Asia-Europe. We could promote broad cooperation in this area, and create the right conditions to launch large-scale ambitious international projects. We agreed with our dialogue partners to expedite the creation of a special SCO account that would become an instrument of financial support for new projects, an account that would accumulate both state and private funds.”
“Russia and Tajikistan are closely tied by bonds of friendship. Our relations have strengthened significantly over the past few years. Our mutual trust is clearly evidenced by the cooperation between our military agencies and the presence of a full-fledged Russian military base in Tajikistan that has been operating with your direct support for a long time. I believe that this is an important factor in the region’s stability.”
“While our discussion today is about the fate of the tiger, we are in fact touching on issues that are critical for the entire planet, humanity and its future. Using the example of the tiger, we are speaking about how to preserve nature. We are saying that human civilization can only develop sustainably if we take a responsible attitude to nature, our common home. We all have to work hard and join forces to ensure that this attitude becomes widespread.”
“The tax service is not a body that makes money, but one that takes it away. And yet, any rational person understands the important role the tax services play in any economy and any state. It is important, of course, that the legislative, legal, and regulatory framework of the tax service has been properly developed. But how the process of administration is organised is no less important. I want to thank all the employees of the tax service for their work.”
“Eurasian economic community is the undisputed leader of integration in the post-Soviet space. Over its 10-year history, EurAsEC has become a mature and influential regional organisation. Our five countries are successfully promoting joint social and economic initiatives. We also cooperate in the cultural sphere, increasing the tempo and improving the quality of our joint work. The Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan has grown into the community's centerpiece project. Since its launch, it has already brought tangible benefits to some enterprises and even entire industries, and has accelerated post-crisis economic recovery.”
“I'd like to say a few words about the VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation. You visited it seven years ago. Do you remember the condition it was in? The involvement of Rostekhnologii changed everything. The support of the local authorities changed the situation beyond recognition. They have invested almost $700 million in reconstruction and are planning to spend as much in the next two to three years. This will fundamentally change production. Major changes will also take place here, at the Locomotive Plant. AVISMA launched new production with American partners; the Locomotive Plant is cooperating with German partners, whereas the Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant is a strictly Russian enterprise. All three enterprises are paying a great deal of attention to the prospects for creating an entirely new technological foundation, and they deserve support.”
“The regions should also create their own road funds. I’d like to emphasise once again that we will primarily provide assistance to the regions that set up these funds. We have drafted the necessary amendments to the Budget Code and are about to submit them to the State Duma. I’d like to ask the deputies to review the government’s proposals as a matter of priority. I’d also like to request that our colleagues in the regions promptly make all of the decisions necessary for establishing road funds.This will allow us to launch the new mechanisms for funding road construction next January.”
“Resolving housing problems is certainly one of our main priorities. This policy is aimed at providing new apartments or new houses to as many Russian families as possible. People should have a range of options for improving their housing depending on each family’s income and current circumstances. These options must include state support, mortgage or personal savings.”
“The South Stream project is not connected with gas prices in any way. <…> We are suggesting that a pipeline be built from the Russian shore to Bulgaria to fully guarantee unbroken supplies to Bulgaria and all of Southern Europe. That’s what this is about: to reduce transit risks to the lowest possible or eliminate them entirely. To this end, upgrading the infrastructure is the main thing.”
“Bulgarian resorts have always been popular with Russians. Hundreds of thousands of Russians spend their holidays on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. Between January and August of this year 320,000 Russian tourists visited Bulgaria. This number is expected to reach half a million soon. Russian companies invest a great deal in Bulgarian tourism infrastructure. Russia is eager to continue interacting with Bulgaria to promote mutual tourism.”
