Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, leader of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, talked to journalists at a news conference in Khabarovsk.
Yesterday, Putin attended a United Russia conference in the Far Eastern Federal District. At first, he was surprised by Primorye Territory Governor Sergei Darkin's report that animals had already been purchased for the Vladivostok Oceanarium, subsequently proposing that poachers be thrown to tigers and leopards.
Before attending the fourth regional United Russia conference, Putin visited an exhibition highlighting various future projects in nine regions of the Far Eastern Federal District.
Vladimir Putin continues to confirm his famous statement that he has no one to talk to after the death of Mahatma Gandhi. Putin remained silent, while inspecting all the nine displays, and he looked quite content with his life, his career and the exhibition.
The prime minister spent most of the time at the displays from the Sakha-Yakutia Republic (the first one) and the Magadan Region, which described the expansion of the Natalkinskoye gold-ore deposit in detail. Gold is probably the only thing which can stop a man dead in his tracks.
As usual, the prime minister was surrounded by other people, including United Russia leader Boris Gryzlov who stayed close to Vyacheslav Volodin, the newly-appointed Government Chief of Staff. It appears that, instead of leaving the party, Volodin has become a full-fledged member. It is common knowledge that his relationships with other party members have recently cooled.
As chief of staff, Volodin has given these relationships a new lease on life.
"You have become so accustomed to each other that you are unable to say goodbye?" I asked Gryzlov, who did not look like a man bent on eradicating the vestiges of stagnation in the party.
"Yes, that's right," Gryzlov nodded.
"Actually, we have acquired some new habits," Volodin added, confirming my conjectures.
A mock-up of the Vostochny space centre, due to be built in the Amur Region, was also on display. Unfortunately, the project has made little headway beyond this mock-up. Nothing has changed here since Vladimir Putin drove along the Chita-Khabarovsk highway and visited the space-centre site several months ago. And all he saw there was a stick with a fur hat on it sticking out of the ground.
The presentation of the Jewish Autonomous Region featured the most ambitious project, namely, the construction of the 120-bed Obluchenskaya district hospital, with a capacity of 240 patients per shift. There are plans to build the hospital in 2014, what with the Sochi Winter Olympics looming on the horizon. The presentation said little about how the project will be financed.
In his opening remarks, Vladimir Putin congratulated Far Eastern residents on Russia's winning the right to host the FIFA World Cup 2018. However, this event has nothing to do with the Far East.
"Unfortunately, we aren't planning to hold any matches in the Far East. I was afraid that FIFA members would be terrified if we showed them the entire Russian territory because they would have to travel so much," Putin said.
Consequently, Russia's Far East is not involved in the process of nationwide modernisation which will last until 2018.
However, numerous other projects are planned for Far Eastern regions. A new airport terminal will be commissioned in the run-up to the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The prime minister has said this project is expensive but necessary to meet long-term air-traffic demand. Moreover, Putin promised that the Yakutsk-Magadan highway would be built, that over 12 billion roubles will be allocated for the development of Russia's Far East in 2012, that gas prices will be reduced in the Sakhalin Region, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, and that fully processed timber, rather than logs, will be exported several years from now.
"We won't have anything unless we take the first steps. Otherwise we will have to buy everything abroad," Putin said in conclusion.
He gestured with his hands in such a downcast manner that no one wanted to imagine this worst-case scenario coming to pass.
They started discussing specific projects after Putin's remarks, as is customary at other regional party conferences. Oleg Miserva, CEO of the coal producer SakhalinUgol, proposed building the most advanced seaport in the world. His idea was probably influenced by the fact that Putin had recently visited a number of wonderful ports in other Russian regions.
Apart from investment, such projects require land, whose allotment should be coordinated with the Federal Customs Service. The region owns such land, and the Sakhalin Region Governor is a member of United Russia, so Putin is confident that there will be no problems.
"Does the customs service agree? Why are you smiling?" Putin asked.
Federal Customs Service Director Andrei Belyaninov picked up the microphone and said: "Mr Putin, I'm smiling because I'm in a good mood."
"Could you please say something to bring a smile to the faces of the other people involved in this project?" Putin said.
Andrei Belyaninov said something.
Next the party members discussed plans to build an iron-and-steel complex in the Far East. Several minutes later, it turned out that the region already had such a complex, and that over 40 billion roubles had been spent on its expansion.
Exorbitant railway prices were also discussed. Businesses exporting their products to China find it hard to afford them. A businessman who had spoken on this issue nearly convinced the prime minister that railway prices should be reduced. At that moment, Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin told Putin that it involves raw materials before VAT, rather than processed products. This annoyed the prime minister.
"We will support processing over simple exports," he warned.
"Don't worry," the businessman nodded.
"I will worry," Putin replied stubbornly.
Putin asked Primorye Territory Governor Sergei Darkin about construction of an oceanarium in Vladivostok.
"Yes, everything is OK. We have already bought the animals," Darkin replied with some dismay.
"What animals?" Putin asked in an astonished voice.
It suddenly dawned on Darkin that there could be no animals in an oceanarium.
"Sea animals, Mr Putin," Darkin said.
Sergei Bratukhin, CEO of the timber corporation DalLesProm, then took the floor. After telling the audience about the timber-processing industry's prospects he said, "Mr Putin, my second son, Timofei, was born, while I was preparing for this report."
Bratukhin was apparently distracted when he was preparing his report.
"Congratulations," said the prime minister as he shook his hand. "Dmitry Medvedev would like you to have a third son."
(Editor's note: In his state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed benefits for families with three children.)
Bratukhin shrugged his shoulders in disappointment because he could only boast two children. Perhaps he could have boasted about the timber-processing industry once again.
In conclusion, the prime minister advocated incentives for hunters who don't shoot Ussuri tigers and said poachers should be thrown to tigers," adding, "And to the leopards."
Andrei Kolesnikov
