Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called his work in the cabinet “a series of professional development courses.”
In his speech to the cabinet, Putin thanked the government for their work over the past four years.
“Every government member has assumed full responsibility, both professional and political, for those specific areas he or she is assigned to. And I know that all of you have worked to the best of your abilities,” he said.
“Of course, it has been impossible to avoid all setbacks and mistakes when it comes to such large-scale, complicated work. In some cases, we were unable to achieve everything or to do things exactly how we wanted. But, on the whole, we have been unwavering and tireless in our work,” he said, and expressed his thanks a second time.
Putin recalled that although he had had some experience working for the government in previous years, when he became president, he’d had to devote much of his time to socio-economic issues. His work in the government, however, during these very difficult years had been a particular trial of its own.
“There were times when I felt that I was attending a series of professional development courses,” he said.
Putin also thanked the cabinet for its patience and extremely careful approach towards collaborative work.
“Together we have managed to prevent a repeat of the crisis of 1998. This is, to a large extent, thanks to your work. It shows that the government’s plan of anti-crisis measures has been effective,” he stated.
“Virtually all main sectors, including the automotive industry, the construction industry, agriculture, the defence industry and our strategic enterprises, received a substantial level of support. The banking and financial sectors were also kept stable,” he said.
The president-elect then expressed his gratitude to the regional governors for keeping the labour market intact.
“We did not cut back on our social programme but in fact even increased our social spending quite considerably. We have launched large-scale healthcare and education programmes,” Putin added.
He said the creation of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space has been the biggest geopolitical event on post-Soviet territory since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
“Support from our citizens has always helped us, and I’m confident that the new government will also rely on the people’s assistance. In order for this to continue to be possible, we must never forget about the needs of ordinary people. The present government has largely managed to keep to this approach,” Putin said.
Alexei Golenishchev and Maria Zhebit
