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
The crisis makes its own corrections in social and economic plans and government promises. Some of them become impracticable even in theory. Among such promises is the task set by then President Vladimir Putin in July 2003 of doubling the country’s GDP within ten years. Even then, many economists doubted that this task was feasible. However, using some adjustments and forced argument, a formula was devised which, it seemed, made it possible to receive the desired effect. It was decided to take the year 2000, not 2003, as a reference point: at that time, the economy was growing exponentially after the 1998 crisis due to the effect of the poor economic base. Several months ago Vladimir Putin confirmed his forecast and promised a doubled GDP by late 2009 or early 2010. However, the latest forecasts and data of the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) show that the present government will have to take this promise off the agenda.
For politics. The past week saw two significant events, the first of which was a big surprise and the second had been widely expected. Vladimir Putin's peace-loving speech in Davos about the dangers of government interference in the economy gave the impression of having nothing to do with the way the Russian Government had behaved for many years.
Last weekend saw the most massive street rallies over the financial crisis in recent times. The opposition called for the resignation of the Putin Government. United Russia activists took to the streets to defend their leader. No clashes between civilians occurred but several dozen opposition protesters suffered as a result of provocations and in clashes with the police.
The biggest protest rally took place in Vladivostok, where 2,500 people marched down Svetlanskaya Street defying an official ban. The Communists, joined by car-owners' movement activists carried posters addressed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin: "Vlad, out" and "Putler Kaput".
On NOVATEK's Board of Directors. Gennady Timchenko, co-owner of the Swiss Gunvor, may become a member of the board of directors of Russia's biggest independent gas producer, NOVATEK, Kommersant has learnt. He will replace the former Anti-Monopoly Policy Minister Ilya Yuzhanov.
A year ago Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin, addressing the Davos Economic Forum, said that Russia was an island of stability in the ocean of the world crisis. This year, considering that the crisis is raging in Russia as well, the marine metaphor had to be tweaked a little bit. First, the delegation to the forum was led by the captain himself, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Second, in his keynote speech the latter described the world crisis as a "perfect storm" that had caught Russia in its epicentre along with other countries. The main question that everybody wanted answered was whether the world would be able to survive the raging elements and stay afloat and what the losses would be.
On February 3, 2009, the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State will meet in Moscow to endorse a plan of joint action aimed at overcoming the consequences of the crisis. On January 30, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Sidorsky signed the relevant document at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State.
Vladimir Putin takes IOC Chairman for a ride on Sochi's new road. The visit of high-ranking International Olympic officials to Sochi ended with a display of admiration.
Davos offered further proof that the whole world was intently watching Russia and Vladimir Putin. The reaction to the Prime Minister's behaviour is, more often than not, negative.
OAO Rostelecom and OAO Megaphone became the first Russian sponsors of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. A sponsorship agreement was signed with the Sochi-2014 Organizing Committee on Saturday. It is a record sponsorship contract at the national level worth $260 million. In addition, the companies will invest $200 million in the development of Sochi's telecom infrastructure.
