It will now be easier to assess the investment climate in Russia's regions. The Government has expanded the number of criteria making it possible to assess regional business climates.
Norilsk Nickel is seeking to purchase two nickel deposits in Voronezh. At a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday, Norilsk Nickel's General Director and Board Chairman Vladimir Strzhalkovsky reported that the company's financial results in 2010 were above their own forecasts, with revenue of about $15 billion. Strzhalkovsky appealed to the prime minister to hold a competition for control of two promising deposits in the Voronezh Region, pledging to invest 1.2 billion roubles in them if Norilsk Nickel were to win. Putin agreed to look into the initiative.
United Russia, with the participation of its leader, Vladimir Putin, will hold a regional conference in the Central Federal District on the threshold of the spring legislative assemblies elections, where deputies in several regions will be elected. Party leaders head to problematic (for their Party) regions this week, and dozens of State Duma deputies will be starting to work in the regions as well with a view to the State Duma campaign, United Russia told Ъ.
Vladimir Putin has signed a resolution to cut 5% of the government executive office’s personnel as per with the presidential decree on optimizing the incredibly large number of government officials. Starting on March 31st of this year, therefore, only 1,453 people will be going to work at the Russian White House. But this is only the first stage of reductions, which will continue into the future.
A snow cyclone, which left 4,400 Russian villages without electricity, is moving towards the North Western regions, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Government Presidium held on January 13, 2011. He said local authorities must be prepared “to respond properly if anything like what we have seen in Central Russia happens there.”
The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan is considering a legal motion to rename a 4,446-metre Tien Shan peak after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. However, the relevant legislation needs to be amended in order to make it a reality.
Today’s 11.4% loan rates should not hamper economic development. The Central Bank of Russia and the Government will continue to reduce loan rates, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised on December 28, after visiting the new Vneshtorgbank (VTB) head office at the Moscow City business centre.
Kyrgyzstan plans to resume joint energy projects with Russia and is also inclined to join the Customs Union currently comprised of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his newly-appointed Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev discussed this possibility at their first face-to-face meeting.
Over 2,000 of Moscow’s 15,000 “non-stationary shops” – better known as street kiosks – have been demolished. Employers’ associations are now appealing to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to preserve at least small pavilions in the regions.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with sport fans, scoring an overwhelming victory.