Cross-border crime will be countered by urban development programmes.
At a meeting of the State Border Commission chaired by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin yesterday, Mr Putin proposed raising the level of social and economic development in border territories in order to help protect the Russian borders from contraband, drug trafficking and cross-border crime.
The meeting was held as a video conference. Sitting in the government situation room, Mr Putin addressed the officials in federal districts. Topics for discussion included trade and economic cooperation with neighbouring states, the creation of modern border infrastructure required for the preparation of the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the formation of a common customs space between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Mr Putin acknowledged that there were problems in the border territories, including illegal migration, drug trafficking, gunrunning and poaching. As he put it, "Fighting these negative developments with force alone is ineffective." He called for a comprehensive approach to redress the situation, which should start with improving the social and economic situation in the border communities and seeking to raise the living standards in the area. He also suggested liquidating the social base that spawns cross-border crime, possibly with assistance from foreign investors.
Apart from that, Mr Putin urged the authorities of the border regions "to be more selective when choosing investment projects with foreign participation". Projects that would create hi-tech production facilities and new jobs for Russians should be top priority, he said. Such projects would mean billions in investments, which 2010's deficit budget certainly does not have. This fact throws a whole new light on the idea of creating a common customs space of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus starting January 1, 2010. For one, it would save all of the member countries a great deal of money. Take, for example, the Russia-Kazakhstan border - the world's longest overland border (about 7,500 km). The creation of a common customs space greatly cuts down on the costs involved in developing that border. Developing just one kilometre of the state border costs an estimated 1 billion roubles. Now, Kazakhstan will assume responsibility for the security of the common customs border in the southeast, which will undoubtedly reduce costs for Russia substantially.
Yet, Mr Putin believes that defending the common customs space is a task to be shared between Moscow, Minsk and Astana. "Such integration requires a higher level of interaction between the supervisory and law-enforcement bodies of the Customs Union member states. We can only create an effective system of state control on the external borders of the common customs territory by using common approaches," Mr Putin stressed, imploring conference participants to focus on the further development of the tripartite union's common border.
The Prime Minister also brought up the issues of construction, reconstruction and providing new equipment for border crossing points ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. According to Mr Putin, all the crossing points to be used by the Games' participants and guests will be equipped with modern communication systems and biometric passport control complexes to ensure that all guests pass through the border formalities as quickly and comfortably as possible.
Igor Naumov