VERBATIM
VIP-Premier magazine has interviewed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Some excerpts from the interview are published below.
ON THE RUSSIAN FUEL AND ENERGY SECTOR
The fuel and energy industry currently accounts for some 50% of budget revenues in Russia ... The fuel and energy industry is our strategic competitive advantage in global markets. It stands to reason that we should use what benefits us most and brings maximum profits... Of course, our traditional industries, and especially the fuel and energy industry, will continue to act as economic stabilisers for a long time yet. But in the future they may cede this role to other sectors, such as agriculture, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals and aircraft industry.
ON THE NATIONAL IDEA
I get asked this question a lot. And I'll give the same answer by quoting Alexander Solzhenitsyn who once said that "preserving the people" was Russia's national idea. This phrase captures the main goal of modern Russia...
ON THE BENEFIT OF THE CRISIS
The crisis isn't something I look at as a boon or a curse. Crises are natural and inevitable. They come about when problems accumulate but they also make it possible to solve such problems. They expose problem areas and provide the incentive to change the situation... The crisis reminded us once again that the Russian economy relies heavily on commodity exports and exposed weak spots in the financial market and in basic market institutions, and especially the insufficient level of competition ... I would call it a test of our stability... You could call the crisis a lesson...
ON HIS PERSONAL ROLE
I feel more like a workhorse than a VIP. This is particularly true during my trips around Russia. I have to concentrate on specific tasks being discussed at conferences, meetings and commissions, as well as on questions asked by people at meetings, on their personal problems and requests...
