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Old March 22nd, 2017 #361
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Remarks and Answers to Questions Following a Meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair



October 4, 2001 - 00:02 - The Kremlin, Moscow





Vladimir Putin:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We would like to brief you on the results of our meeting. But first I would like to once again thank the Prime Minister for promptly reacting to the invitation to come to Moscow to exchange opinions on the current situation in the world.

We see the consultations we are having today as a natural extension of our contacts with the United States, with the EU, with all European countries, and with Central Asian countries in order to define the positions of all those who have firmly committed themselves to the fight against international terror.

The fact that we can meet at such short notice and coordinate our positions is one more proof of the high level of relations achieved recently between the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation.

We have closely followed the recent developments in Britain and the stand taken by the British Prime Minister, and it deserves respect and without any doubt will have Russia’s backing.

Of course, we discussed a number of bilateral issues. We will continue to exchange opinions on economic interaction and cooperation in all other areas. But what you have said now and the general prevailing mood gives me grounds for saying that the level or relations achieved between Russia and the United Kingdom will help us to tackle the most acute problem confronting humankind, the fight against terror.



Tony Blair:

First of all can I express my thanks to President Putin for inviting me here and for seeing me so swiftly after the telephone conversation we had a few days ago. We have now met many times together, and even before 11 September there was a clear strengthening of relations between our two countries and also I believe between Russia and Europe and Russia and the United States of America.

The events of 11 September have given us a renewed sense of urgency. I would like to pay tribute to the strength and leadership of President Putin at this time and I believe that in part that is due to the experience of people here in Russia of the dangers of terrorism, not least the appalling terrorist act of 1999 in which several hundred people lost their lives, many here in Moscow. And the fact that Russia has shown its solidarity with the victims of 11 September is a sort of tremendous support, and indeed comfort at this time. But it is very much part of a changing set of relationships that is putting relations between Russia and Europe, Russia and the United States, Russia and Britain on a new footing for a new age. Today certainly we meet as two countries, not talking to each other out of necessity but working through problems in the spirit of friends and true partners. And for that I thank President Putin again for his leadership and the Russian people.



Question:

Mr Putin, at your previous meeting with the British Prime Minister in St Petersburg you spoke a lot about the threat of Islamic terrorism. Perhaps you think that the West has been somewhat dismissive of that threat? Is Russia capable of making an independent contribution to resolving the current situation, I mean the elimination of Osama bin Laden?



Vladimir Putin:

Yes, the things you have mentioned were discussed during our first meeting with the Prime Minister in St Petersburg. I don’t think that Western leaders have treated what I am saying with indifference or didn’t pay attention. Of course, you always hope that you will be spared the tragedy that has struck your neighbour. And you hate to think that this threat is global in character, and this is exactly what I have been pointing out, you have rightly said. But the British Prime Minister is the last person to whom such a reproach can be addressed.

I am not saying this because the British Prime Minister is my guest today, but because it is true. He and also German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder were the European leaders who initiated the building of relations that Russia has with the Western world today, in spite of the fact that the Western public was not as well disposed towards Russia then as it is today. Thanks to the stand taken by these and other leaders at the time, the West now has in Russia a reliable partner in the fight against international terror.

Besides, with what I hope is a temporary downturn in the Western economy – we are not inclined to exaggerate our own potential, but still, considering the Russian economic growth – we are ready to contribute and are already contributing to bilateral economic relations, not least by providing Europe with steady supplies of energy resources.

As for Russia’s immediate contribution to the common fight against terror, I have already described our approach and our contribution to these joint actions when I spoke on Russian television three days ago. This may lead to the neutralisation of the particularly odious international terrorists. We do not rule that out. And as I said, we are ready to expand our cooperation in other areas than those I have publicly mentioned. But that of course will depend on the level and character of relations with our partners. Thank you.



Question:

My question is a bit tricky. What do you think of the combat ability of the anti-terrorist coalition as a whole? Won’t the proposed and possible military actions inflict still more suffering on the Afghan people and won’t the tragedy spread to Afghanistan’s neighbours?



Tony Blair:

First of all, I think it is important to recognise that we have to take action against those responsible for these terrorist atrocities, but in doing so we do not seek in any way to act against the Afghan people. On the contrary, it is important that as well as any action that is taken in respect of bin Laden or the Taliban regime that shelter him, we put together a humanitarian coalition also, to give help on the humanitarian side so that the suffering of the people is minimised and so that those that are refugees are taken care of and given shelter.



Vladimir Putin:

First, will the anti-terrorist coalition’s actions be effective? We will only be able to tell when these actions become a reality and then we will be able to see whether or not they are effective. But I have absolutely no doubt that they can be effective. The main precondition for that is the pooling of efforts of many countries and a genuine commitment to effective joint work.

As for the suffering of civilians that may result from military operations, we are of course aware of these problems. But I think several circumstances should be borne in mind. The first circumstance: the Afghan people are already suffering from terrorism and fundamentalism under the regime that has established itself in Afghanistan in recent years. Our main task is to deliver the Afghan people from this suffering. Clearly, the terrorists have made the Afghan people hostages to their goals. Those who will carry out military actions should do everything – and I don’t doubt for a minute that everything will be done – to avoid civilian casualties.

But if such casualties do happen, the blame should not be put on those who plan and conduct such operations. The blame should be put on the terrorists who have made civilians hostages to their goals. I agree with the Prime Minister, of course, that we should do everything to promote social rehabilitation of the people and rehabilitation of the territories and to render assistance to Afghanistan, to the people of Afghanistan. We must render humanitarian assistance in the broadest sense of the word.



Question:

I would like to ask the President about the latest news of the air crash today. Is Russia sure that it was the result of the terrorist act?



Vladimir Putin:

The final conclusions about the causes of the tragedy will be made by experts after a thorough investigation and laboratory tests of the fragments of the plane. Our rescue services have reacted promptly. Within minutes of receiving the news about the tragedy aircraft and ships were dispatched to the area. Information and materials are being collected on the spot for final conclusions. Pending that, any statements on the topic would be premature and counterproductive.

As you know, I have ordered a commission to be formed to inquire into the disaster, the commission is headed by Vladimir Rushailo, the Russian Security Council Secretary. The commission includes experts from various ministries and agencies. They should draw the final conclusions on the causes of the tragedy.



Tony Blair:

Can I just add one word on that which is simply to express my profound sympathy to the families of the victims of the air tragedy earlier today, and to give through President Putin my sympathy to the Russian people that were victims, and obviously to the Government and nation of Israel as well for the lives of those they lost in the tragedy earlier today.



Question:

I have a question for both the Prime Minister and the President. How do you assess Russian-British relations today? Have they changed over the past year or year and a half? What are the main achievements of recent days and recent hours? And, if it is not a secret, have you finished your talks or are you going to continue them?



Vladimir Putin:

I have already addressed that topic. It remains for me to repeat that the building of relations between Russia and Britain has a long history, but more recently it was the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, who initiated moves to lend these relations a new quality. And what is more, he did so at a time when Western public opinion was not benevolent towards Russia. We remember that. We know that it was he, together with the German Chancellor, who laid the first stones in the foundation of our relations with the West. Today we understand that those were far-sighted and correct moves.

Of course, much has changed since then. Our relations have grown stronger and more stable. This is visible not only in the sphere of security and international relations, but also in the economic sphere. We are highly satisfied with this, but of course, more can be done. We intend to develop our relations further.

This is not the end of our meeting and exchange of information and exchange of opinions today. This is not the end of our consultations. We will continue. The Prime Minister has kindly agreed to come to my place after the press conference, and we will continue to talk over dinner.



Tony Blair:

First of all, can I say to you that I have now had, I think, eight different meetings with President Putin. We spoke together many, many times and I think that is a very good indication of the strengthening relationship, not just between Russia and Britain, but a strong personal relationship too, which I greatly value and I believe that something is happening in our world today that is immensely important. The Cold War is over. Many of the old difficulties of the past can be set aside. We have a real opportunity to forge new relationships and I think it is immensely important that we do so because we face common interests, and common problems today. And when we are battling something like the issue of international terrorism, but also on many other issues too, we need Russia there as a partner and a friend. And that is the relationship today, and I welcome that and from the very first meeting I had with President Putin in St Petersburg I recognised someone who had the vision and the imagination to set the past aside and build new relationships for the future and I think that is very important. And the fact that we have Russia today standing alongside the other countries of the world, including the United States of America, including all the countries of Europe, including Britain and giving its strong support to action against acts of terrorism that took place in the United States of America, that is living proof, visible proof, of the changed world in which we live. And I believe that we are only at the start of what we can gain from this new world. We have now got to take it further, deepen it further at every single level.



Question:

Mr Putin, one more question, please, about the plane. Some reports say that the plane has been shot down by a Ukrainian missile. Could you comment on that?



Vladimir Putin:

From the information we got from our Ukrainian partners it is true that military exercises were underway in an adjacent area.

But, first, all the relevant services had been notified about them. And secondly, the weapons used in these exercises in terms of their performance characteristics could not have reached the corridors used by aircraft in the area where our plane, the TU-154, was at the time.

Our servicemen were not involved in these exercises, but we have observers on the ground. So for the moment everything I have told you is based on the information from our Ukrainian partners. We have no reason to mistrust them. But of course the Defence Ministry – and the Russian Defence Minister has already discussed the matter with the Ukrainian Defence Minister – and these two ministries will clarify the details, including technical details. Considering that we had our observers there, obtaining information is not going to be a problem.

So, I would urge you not to dramatise things. All the information relevant to the problem will be studied and eventually presented to the public.

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21352
 
Old March 22nd, 2017 #362
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Answer to a Question about Russian-Georgian Relations



October 12, 2001 - 00:00 - Moscow





Question:

Mr Putin, what do you think about the latest statements by the Georgian Parliament on the withdrawal of Russian peace-keepers from Abkhazia and rumours in Georgia about its possible withdrawal from the CIS?



Vladimir Putin:

On the whole, the situation in the North and South Caucasus is fairly complicated. I think that this body of problems should be approached in a calm, sober and professional way without undue emotions.

You have asked several questions there. To take the first one, I would say that we consider the level of bilateral relations with Georgia to be highly satisfactory. Let me stress that in our opinion Russia has never refused to meet Georgia’s requirements. Russia has always met it halfway. In the energy sphere, while we sell gas to the West at $110 per 1,000 cubic metres, we charge Ukraine $80, Armenia $53 and Georgia $50.

We are ready to cooperate in the energy sector. We have met the request of the Georgian authorities to reschedule Georgia’s debts to the Russian Federation: we did it last December. We have helped Georgia to settle some issues in its relations with the IMF and the Paris Club. Most recently Georgia has asked us to revisit the problems of debt restructuring, and we are ready for it. So, on the whole, we believe that the level of relations is fairly high and satisfactory.

Of course, I repeat, there are numerous problems in the region. By the way, the Georgian leadership knows about them better than most because the Georgian President was a member of the Soviet Communist party and state leadership exactly at the time these problems arose. Today unfortunately, we have to deal with the problem of Karabakh and the problem of South Ossetia and South Ossetian refugees in Russia. We are ready to work together.

I need hardly remind you of the basic Russian position on the issue of Georgia’s territorial integrity. It has always been our position that the territorial integrity of Georgia must be guaranteed. I have never questioned this thesis. At the same time, and in fact for that reason, we regard the complex relations between Abkhazia and Georgia as an internal political problem of Georgia. I would like to stress that Russia does not intend to be drawn into a resolution of conflicts on the territory of third countries – we have enough problems of our own.

At the same time, what happens on our borders cannot be a matter of indifference to us. I have the impression that under the impact of the international community, which is beginning to unite in the fight against terror, the Georgian authorities have also tried to get rid of some groups and terrorist units and militants in the Pankissi Gorge, and have tried to push them out. Nothing wrong about that. But the fact that it is being done without coordination and that these groups surface on other stretches of the Russian-Georgian border is hardly welcome to us and cannot but give cause for concern.

The answer is very simple: we are not going to do anything other than strengthening our own border along its entire length. The border service and other military and security agencies have been instructed accordingly and work is already underway.

In this connection I can say that in spite of any Georgian internal political problems connected with Abkhazia, we will abide by our commitments to withdraw our troops from our base in Abkhazia. I would like to reaffirm that the troops will be withdrawn.

Now about peace-keepers. They are not our peace-keepers. They are CIS peace-keepers. They are there at Georgia’s request. If Georgia believes there is no need for them (and they are represented by Russian servicemen and, in addition to trying to prevent ethnic strife, they also provide security for UN personnel who come under attack and some of them, as you know, recently died at the hands of terrorists), if the Georgian leadership assumes responsibility before the international community and its own people – all right, it is their choice, and we will remove our peace-keepers.

As for the CIS, it is not a Russian, but an international organisation. Russia is not dragging anyone into it. If there is an interest in maintaining special relationships and gaining certain advantages, including economic advantages (I have already mentioned preferential treatment in the energy field), if there is such an interest, we are ready to go on working together. If there is no such interest, if you feel that the entire range of problems, including in the economic sphere, can be tackled effectively by other means and using other resources and in a different international configuration, we have no problem with that, and it is not going to be a signal to us to downgrade bilateral relations. On the contrary, I think it should not be detrimental to our bilateral relations. But for Russia it would diminish the burden that the special relationship implies in the political sphere.

I repeat, there is nothing that warrants dramatising the situation. It is a negotiating process. Besides, I absolutely agree with the Georgian President that all the bilateral issues that have piled up should be resolved in the course of our joint work on drafting a treaty on the basic principles of relations between Georgia and the Russian Federation.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21362
 
Old March 22nd, 2017 #363
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Answers to Questions from Participants in the APEC Business Meeting



October 19, 2001 - 00:00 - Shanghai





Question:

Mr Putin, could you speak in more detail about what you have touched upon: that Russia is ready to fight terror, and that to do this stable legislation is necessary and it should be done within the UN framework? Could you say whether you will directly back the US in its actions?



Vladimir Putin:

The answer is very simple. It lies on the surface. As for direct support for the United States, I think I should not repeat it once again. We have declared our direct support for the United States. We have already done that. If you want to know whether we are going to change our position I can tell you that we are not. The framework of our interaction has been laid down and we are ready to continue cooperation in that framework.

As for my mentioning the UN instruments and international law, I have this to say: odd though it may seem, many national legislations and national legal systems do not have a clear-cut definition of terrorism. The threats today are so massive and so global that they call for a quick and adequate response. Unfortunately, the political toolkit at our disposal prevents us from responding to these threats adequately and quickly. Such a toolkit must exist. Therefore I believe that we should create this system in a clear-cut way, with insight into the problem and through joint efforts.

In fact, what I am saying is shared by many of my colleagues in the European Community with whom I met recently. Such work is already underway in many parliaments. Moreover, if we fail to do it, or to do it quickly, it will create a legal vacuum which the terrorists will take advantage of: they will mislead the international public using the human rights thesis as a cover and civilians as a shield. They are a very resourceful lot and they can quickly adapt to changing conditions. We should develop precise and clear-cut criteria of what exactly terrorism is. And I repeat, we should have an instrument to enable us to react to these threats promptly.



Question:

My question is about what the new generation of Russians think about globalisation. How do they see themselves in this context, including in the APEC region? How do they see their own country in communication with other countries? In other words, what do the young people, the new generation of Russians think about?



Vladimir Putin:

Your question gives me pleasure on two grounds. First, you have a great interest in Russia, for which I would like to thank you. And second, by asking me what young people in Russia think you thereby include me in that group. That is also very good to hear.

Now for the substance of the question. In my statement I talked about it in general terms, but what I said is probably not enough. I would like to elaborate. I don’t think we need to be afraid of globalisation. That is an objective process. I am saying it as a citizen of a country which has suffered from isolation more than any other. Nothing can be worse than isolation. It is disastrous for any country, for any economy. But we should not overlook the negative consequences of globalisation. We should approach this matter very carefully. We should foresee the dangers and respond to them together. And the countries which enjoy certain advantages – above all highly developed industrialised countries – should understand that it is not in their own strategic interests to take advantage of the fact. Because unless we put in place an effective system of international economic relations we will create more and more crises. We will create a basis for more and more dangers and threats. To take the main issue, if for example, we fail to conquer poverty, then poverty will provide the basis for corruption which erodes the economies of various regions, the basis for terrorism which will strike us in various regions of the world and destabilise the economy. In principle, the leaders of the big powers understand this. The problem is to find a consensus for a decision. I think it is possible.



Question:

I would like to ask you about the special relationship between Russia and North Korea and the chances of that country becoming integrated into the international economic and political system, notably in Asia.



Vladimir Putin:

I don’t want to go into details, but one thing is important for us: Russia has traditional – and I want to stress that – traditional relations of cooperation with North Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is our neighbour. A lot of people of Korean extraction live in Russia. All these factors lead us to pay special attention to what is happening on the Korean Peninsula. We very much hope to be able to make our contribution to inter-Korean settlement. It is in the interests both of North Korea and the Republic of Korea. The leaders of both states have repeatedly said it to me.

We have a whole range of proposals on how to develop ties between the North and South Korea and expand multilateral cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, including three-way cooperation between the Republic of Korea, the DPRK and Russia. We are aware that China, Japan, the US and many other countries have reacted favourably to that proposal. I am absolutely convinced that the leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is committed to developing its country, and with due account of historical and political features, is thinking in terms of integrating it gradually, and not only in the framework of the inter-Korean dialogue, but integrating it into the international economic and political system.

I don’t want to go into detail, but we all understand that this is not easy. But I think it is possible and, secondly, I have no doubt that the DPRK leadership has a genuine wish to promote its relations with its neighbours.



Question:

Mr Putin, I hope you won’t take it as an impertinent question, but I hear some commentators say that economic reform must prevail over political reform. But Russia, on the contrary, puts political reform first. For example, China gets $50 billion in direct foreign investment a year, while Russia is experiencing some economic difficulties. Do you think that is a valid observation?



Vladimir Putin:

Your statement of the problem is correct. It is true that over the past decades Russia has witnessed a renewal of its political sphere. It was often done on an impulse. It was often done according to abstract schemes that did not take into account the historical features or the real state of the Russian economy, but invariably there was the commitment to bringing Russia into the international community. It was a sincere commitment, a consistent commitment and it absolutely reflects the trend of Russia’s development. At the same time, certain problems arose that led to a measure of political instability – and you know all about that. Who would care to invest resources in an unstable region? Today, as you know, we have achieved some sort of consensus in Russia. This is not only because I have forged a good relationship with the country’s parliament, it is because the main social forces in Russia have realised that political stability is vital for our economic development as well. There is an awareness that political stability can and must provide the natural basis for the economic development and upsurge of the Russian Federation.

This is not a passing trend. It is just the next natural stage in the evolution of Russia into a normal, civilised, modern democratic society whose economy is market-based and whose politics are democratic.

All this has increased the flow of investments. You may find it strange, but the biggest amount of investments last year came from Cyprus and the Netherlands.

For those who are not aware of it I can explain that this is really the return of Russian capital which had fled the country through various channels. But we know very well that it is the first step or the first sign that a favourable investment climate is emerging in the country. The return of national capital taken out of the country is always the first sign. This is world practice. It is a good signal. The next biggest investor in Russia recently has been Germany and then the US.

All this shows that Russia is gradually forming a stable, reliable and investment-friendly climate. We hope that those present will feel it and draw the right conclusions.

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21371
 
Old March 22nd, 2017 #364
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Opening Remarks and Answers to Questions at a Joint Press Conference with US President George W. Bush



October 21, 2001 - 00:00 - Shanghai





President Putin:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We will brief you about the meeting and talks with the President of the United States. In our opinion, it was a highly productive and useful meeting. Like in our previous talks in Ljubljana and Genoa, it was a frank and trusting conversation. Russian-American cooperation is in a steady uptrend. We respond to the global changes that took place in the world and we consistently strengthen the foundations of our renewed relations. Our strategic priority in the new century is a long-term partnership. A partnership based on the common values of world civilisation. A partnership geared to the common goals of global development and progress. This is the direction we intend to move in. Full-scale talks in the United States are scheduled for November. We will have a detailed review of Russian-American relations and discuss the most significant international issues. Our ministries, agencies and experts in charge of preparing the summit have received corresponding instructions.

The political, economic and psychological consequences of the September 11 tragedy are felt acutely in many countries and practically on all the continents. I think no one has any doubts any longer that the unprecedented challenge of fighting terrorism calls for pooling efforts of the world community. And we have prepared and issued a joint statement on that.

We have made a thorough analysis of the Russian-American dialogue on strategic stability. As you remember, an agreement was reached in Genoa that the interrelated issues of strategic offensive and defensive weapons will be discussed together. In our estimation there is some progress, in the first place as regards strategic offensive weapons. We have reaffirmed our mutual commitment to reducing strategic offensive weapons. Now the task is to determine the parameters of reductions and to put in place a reliable and verifiable mechanism of reducing the nuclear potentials of Russia and the US.

We have also moved forward on the issues of anti-missile defence. I for one believe we have an understanding that we can reach some agreements to meet the national interests of Russia and the United States with due account of the need to strengthen international stability in that important sphere. During the talk we exchanged opinions on acute regional issues: Iraq, the Middle East, the Balkans and others. We are still to discuss Russia’s relations with NATO.

We attach particular importance to business cooperation with the United States. We agreed in Ljubljana and Genoa that we would pay special attention to that. These agreements are working. Russian-American trade, economic and investment links have greatly expanded. US Secretary of Trade Donald Evans came to Moscow twice during the past months. We have hosted Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil and US trade negotiator Robert Zoellick. I must say that we have received a clear signal from the President of the United States. All our partners have shown a genuine commitment to broadening our relations. The Russian-American business dialogue is moving forward. What is particularly important is that it is gradually bringing in not only major Russian and US companies, but also medium and small businesses. We have agreed to work closely on a concrete plan of economic cooperation. We will discuss it in more detail in November. Thank you.



President Bush:

My administration seeks a new relationship with Russia based on cooperation and mutual interests, instead of confrontation and mutual vulnerability. We must truly and finally move beyond the Cold War. Today, after my third meeting with Vladimir Putin in five months, and after the events of the last five weeks, we can report progress toward that goal — positive progress.

Within hours after September 11th attacks, President Putin called. He extended his sympathy and he extended his support. He did something more. He knew that the American military was moving to high alert status. To simplify our situation, to show solidarity, he ordered Russia's military to stop a set of exercises that were getting underway. America, and I in particular, will remember this act of friendship in a time of need.

Today the world is building a broad international coalition against terrorism, and Russia is taking a full and responsible role in the coalition. Russia is sharing valuable intelligence on terrorist organizations, providing overflight clearance for humanitarian missions, and helping out diplomatically.

It is clear that President Putin understands the magnitude of the terrorist threat. It is clear there's a lot the United States and Russia can do together to defeat terrorism. The challenges and goals we share provide an opportunity to rethink and renew a broader relationship.

Both our nations are working to prevent proliferation and to reduce the threat from Cold War weapon stockpiles throughout the former Soviet Union.

We also see progress in our efforts to build a new strategic framework. Today we discussed significantly lowering offensive nuclear weapon arsenals, within a framework that includes limited defenses, defenses that are able to protect both our lands from political blackmail, from potential terrorist attack. Both our nations must be able to defend ourselves against the new threats of the 21st century, including long-range ballistic missiles.

The events of September the 11th make it clearer than ever that a Cold War ABM treaty that prevents us from defending our people is outdated, and I believe dangerous. Economic cooperation and progress will be an important part of our new relationship.

With the right incentives and a firm commitment to rule of law, there is no question in my mind a new class of entrepreneurs can grow and flourish in Russia. And there's no question in my mind that American businesses and American investment can foster that trend. Both President Putin and I are anxious to see this happen.

And our new relationship is one of candor. I emphasized to Vladimir Putin that the war on terror is not, and cannot be, a war on minorities. It's important to distinguish between those who pursue legitimate political aspirations and terrorists.

We're also looking at ways we can work together in the development of a free media in Russia. We had a good and serious exchange. Both of us see great opportunity. Both of us see positive good that has come out of the evil of September the 11th. Both of us are willing to work hard to seize the moment, to make sure we foster a new and unique and constructive relationship between our two great lands.



Question:

Sir, your communique did not mention the war in Afghanistan, and several leaders at this meeting have urged America to end the conflict quickly. What do you intend to do to cure this queasiness about your military initiative?

And to President Putin, do you agree with President Bush that the ABM, post-September 11th, is dangerous to the world? And, if so, are you more open to modifying it or scrapping it?



President Bush:

I think I listened to probably three or four hours of discussions about our campaign against terrorism. And there was a very strong support for our activities — strong support for sharing intelligence, strong support for the diplomatic front we're waging, strong support to disrupt the financial operations of the terrorists, and strong support for our military operations in Afghanistan.

The people who came to this conference came because they wanted to show the world that they were not afraid of terrorists. They weren't going to let terrorists disrupt an important meeting. They also came to stand with solidarity with the United States. And I'm most appreciative of the support we received. It was strong, it was steady, and it's real. And the people of the United States need to know that we're not conducting these operations alone. We've got universal support around the world.



President Putin:

I would like to say a couple of words on the first question. First, I fully agree with the position of President Bush and I think that his actions have been balanced and proportionate to the threat that the United States faced. Second, and it is important that everybody realises this, if we have started the fight against terror, it must be carried to the end. Otherwise terrorists will get the impression that they are invulnerable. And then their actions will become even more dangerous, more brazen and still more devastating. Now as regards the 1972 ABM Treaty. I can merely reiterate our position, which is widely known. We believe that it is an important element of stability in the world. But we agree – as I have said more than once – that we must think about the future and adequately respond to possible future threats. We are ready to discuss this with our American partners provided we are presented with the initial parameters of the discussion.



Question:

I have a question to the American President. Recently you talked much that U.S.-Russia relations gained a new strategic nature. And you even called Vladimir Putin your friend. Could you give specific examples of the changes in political, military and especially economic sphere?



President Bush:

Well, I think the first sign of our new relationship is that he knows I don't view Russia as an enemy, that we're not a threat to Russia. And I know that he's not going to threaten the United States. That's a different attitude from the old days.

The old days we used to distrust each other. The old days, the discussions were not very frank and candid. They were probably bureaucratic in nature. And we have a very frank and open relationship, because we're not a threat. As a matter of fact, we're looking for ways to form alliances and to find common ground. We actively seek ways to fight terrorism.

Vladimir Putin was the first person to call — that's what a friend does, calls in a time of need, and he called. It's clear to me that he understands that we're developing a new relationship. After all, in the old days, had an American President put their troops on alert, Russia would have responded. And then America would have upped the ante. And then Russia would have upped the ante and we would have had two issues on our hands — one, a terrorist attack on America, plus a military standoff.

Instead, his first reaction was to stand down, so as not to create any confusion, any doubt, so that the United States could stay focused on the terrorist attack. To me, that signals a brand new attitude, a different point of view — someone who doesn't fear America, but someone who wants to find ways to work with America. And so it's an attitude change, for starters.

Secondly, I look forward to working with him on a new strategic framework. I also look forward to working with him on ways to encourage the flow of capital from the United States into Russia. Russia is a land of vast natural resources. It's also a land of a different kind of resource, and that's brain power. Russia has got a lot of entrepreneurial talent. And I'm confident that the United States and our entrepreneurs and Russian entrepreneurs will find ways to work together. So we've got a lot in common.

But the thing that really bound us together most right now is our common desire to fight terrorism. And he understands what I understand, that the new wars of the 21st century will be fought fighting evildoers, people that have no country, people that may try to take a country, parasites that may try to leech onto a host country. But that's the true threat, and the true threat for both our governments. And we'll work together to fight terrorism. And he is an active participant in the coalition and I'm grateful for his support and advice.



Question:

Did you tell Mr. Putin that you would begin the process of withdrawing from the ABM Treaty by the end of the year? And did you give him a figure on missile cuts?



President Bush:

Let's see — no, to the second. Let me be a little more expansive. I told Mr. Putin that we are in the process of analyzing our nuclear arsenal, and that I intended to fulfill a campaign process, which was that we were going to reduce our nuclear arsenal to a level that would help maintain the peace, on the one hand; on the other hand, that would also represent the realities of the 21st century.

Secondly, I reiterated exactly what I told Vladimir in Slovenia — that I felt like the ABM Treaty was outmoded and outdated, and it was time for us to see if we couldn't work together to move beyond the ABM Treaty.

Well, we've got work to do between now and Crawford, and I look forward to continuing to work with him. Let me rephrase that — now and Washington/Crawford.

But he knows my feelings about the ABM Treaty, and so does America — actually, the world now I think fully understands it. It was a treaty written when our nations hated each other. We no longer hate each other. As a matter of fact, we're finding ways to cooperate. It's also a treaty that prevents peace-loving nations from developing systems necessary to hold terrorists who might acquire weapons of mass destruction to be delivered by ballistic missiles, won't be able to hold them accountable.

And we're in a new war, a new environment. And it seems wise to me to react to that environment in a positive way. We'll continue working with each other and see if we can't find common ground on the ABM Treaty.



Question:

I have question to both Presidents. It attracts our attention that you are building a good understanding on key problems. Can you say with certainty that your teams will act in the same spirit?



President Bush:

That's a very interesting question, and a man who understands bureaucracy. Well, I can assure you that the Secretary of State understands my point of view, and is working hard with his counterpart to achieve the common ground we seek. We have sent — as Vladimir mentioned, we sent our Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of Commerce and our Trade Representative to Russia to talk about ways to cooperate, talk about ways to enhance the flow of capital from the United States into Russia.

And so the answer to your question is, absolutely, that we will — that this attitude will be shared throughout our government. And it's a very good question you ask, because sometimes the intended top doesn't necessarily get translated throughout the levels of government. I'm confident, though, in this case, that it will happen. It's too important a relationship to allow bureaucratic intransigence to delay what I believe is going to be one of the more interesting relationships as we head into the 21st century.

I think it's necessary that United States and Russia cooperate. I think it's going to make the world more peaceful. I think it will lend a lot of stability in Europe, as well, when we find ways to cooperate.



President Putin:

First, I would like to confirm what you have said about the quality of our relations. It is true that President Bush has said many warm words about me, he said them publicly and I am grateful to him for that. I am aware of his attitude outside the framework of official events. I hope he feels the same way when he communicates with me. By the way, it does not prevent us from having our own points of view and sticking up for them on the most serious issues, defending the national interests of our countries. Among other things, we have a continuing discussion on the ABM.

I agree with many of the President’s points, and one cannot but agree with them. We have a common platform on which we can talk, have discussions and offer solutions. But for instance it would be difficult for me to agree that some terrorists will be able to capture intercontinental missiles and will be able to use them. So we always have a subject for discussion, we constantly engage each other in a debate, and our good personal relations do not stand in the way. However, speaking about our teams, bureaucracy is always a threat. At the same time I would like you to note that we always select teams of like-minded people. And if a team does something differently from what we recognise as the right way of pursuing our relations then it is not a team, but a rag-tag band. I wouldn’t like to be surrounded by such people.

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21373
 
Old March 22nd, 2017 #365
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Statement for the Press and Answers to Journalists’ Questions Following the Meeting with President Emomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan and President Burhanuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan



October 22, 2001 - 00:00 - Dushanbe





Vladimir Putin:

First of all, I would like to thank the President of Tajikistan for hosting this meeting in the republic’s capital Dushanbe. I would like to thank our Afghan colleagues, Dr Rabbani, the Defence Minister of Afghanistan and the Foreign Minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan for the meeting today.

Everybody knows that the Russian Federation is a consistent and long-time supporter of the internationally recognised legitimate Islamic State of Afghanistan. We are aware of the suffering of the Afghan people, which was made worse after the territory of Afghanistan was made available to terrorist organisations and when practically the whole country was occupied by Islamic fundamentalists.

The talks today were extremely substantive and useful. Our Afghan colleagues briefed us on the situation in Afghanistan and we reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to support the Government of the Islamic State of Afghanistan in the military-technical field. We reaffirmed our commitments and described concrete plans of bringing humanitarian relief to the Afghan people. The aim of the Russian policy in the region is to create a situation in the country when the people of Afghanistan have a chance to independently determine their destiny, a chance to embark on peaceful life and build a state that is friendly towards its neighbours, including the Russian Federation.

In this connection we discussed the future of Afghanistan in some detail. I am pleased to note the commitment of our colleagues to building a system of representation in the country’s government bodies that reflects the interests of all the ethnic groups and political structures that are friendly, or would create an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding with all the countries in the region and win Afghanistan broad international support.

Thank you.



Question:

Did you discuss the future coalition government of Afghanistan? And what will be your reaction if the US insists that the Government include the “moderate” Taliban?



Vladimir Putin:

We believe that the movement has compromised itself by cooperation with international terrorists. And we regard as reasonable the position of the legitimate and internationally recognised Government of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, which is that the Taliban has no place in the future Government. At the same time, as I said before, we are glad that the Afghan leadership today seeks to expand its support base and the participation of all ethnic groups represented in Afghanistan. We believe this is the right position, and it was in that light that we discussed the future of Afghanistan.

As for the American position, these questions should be put to the American leadership. But I have to tell you that before flying to Dushanbe I had a substantive discussion with the President of the Untied States and the Secretary of State. We set out our position very clearly and succinctly. I got the impression that the position has met with understanding on the part of our American partners.



Question:

What concrete ways for delivering humanitarian aid and assisting Afghanistan in overcoming its humanitarian crisis have the three leaders decided on? And how soon will the aid start?



Vladimir Putin:

First, the aid is already coming from the Russian Federation, and we will proceed in two directions. First, direct humanitarian supplies will come from the Russian Federation. I repeat, we have already started delivering them. And second, we will help other countries and international organisations that wish to support the people of Afghanistan in this critical situation.

As you know, our delegation includes the Russian Minister for Emergency Situations, who has been here for several days preparing the dispatch of humanitarian cargoes to Afghanistan. We are doing it in close contact with the UN, which has some resources in Central Asian states. A whole list of goods with a statement of quantities has been prepared to be sent to Afghanistan shortly. The list has been agreed and our Afghan colleagues are aware of it.

We also discussed it with US President George W. Bush. He told me that he had decided to change the channels for supplying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan: not just to drop it from the air, as has been the case up until now, but to proceed in a more focused way, using the transportation system of the Russian Federation and directly delivering aid to the Afghan people.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21374
 
Old March 22nd, 2017 #366
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Answers to Questions Following Russian-Portuguese Talks



October 26, 2001 - 00:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow





Question:

When will the US-led anti-terrorist operation end – with the catching of bin Laden, destruction of Al-Qaeda infrastructure or the toppling of the Taliban regime? How do you see the future of Afghanistan after the Taliban and what role can the UN play in the future?



Vladimir Putin:

The actions of the international anti-terrorist coalition in Afghanistan are a key part of the fight against international terror, but only one part. The fight against international terrorism calls for the efforts of the entire international community and should be waged in several areas. It should include military pressure on the terrorist infrastructure and their units, and also cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and cutting the funding channels, etc. We have paid much attention to discussing these issues with Mr President.

As regards Afghanistan, where terrorist training bases have been created, where terrorist attacks on US cities were planned and where, by the way, terrorists were trained to be sent to the North Caucasus, to Chechnya, it will become possible to restore normal life in Afghanistan with the removal of the Taliban.

The government created there should have a broad base of support inside Afghanistan. The future government should have representatives of all ethnic groups, including of course, the most numerous one, the Pushtuns. The future government of Afghanistan should have the support of other countries in the region: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Pakistan, and of course other countries which have interests in that region. I mean the US, the European countries and the Russian Federation.

In that sense the role and significance of the UN in Afghan settlement is hard to overestimate. Mr President said that the UN must be involved in the future disposition in Afghanistan, and I absolutely agree with him. I can say more: we discussed the problem with US President George W. Bush in Shanghai in a very similar way. And in the same vein, I talked with the leadership of the Northern alliance, with the leadership of the Islamic State of Afghanistan just recently in Dushanbe. So on the whole, we are on the right track.

But there is one circumstance I would like to draw your attention to and which the Portuguese President mentioned in our talk. Today we face an important problem: we should not allow anyone to undermine international public opinion and the international coalition against terror. We see absolutely eye to eye on that with Portugal.



Question:

A lot has been said today about the OSCE. Does this organisation have a future, and if so, how do you see it?



Vladimir Putin:

I’ll try to be brief. I think the more harmonious the relations in Europe and the world, the more chance the OSCE has to address the key issues for the sake of which it has been created. So, there are some grounds for optimism.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21376
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #367
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Some fresh news this week:






Telephone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.



March 18, 2017 - 12:20



Mr Putin and Mr Nazarbayev considered pressing issues of the bilateral and regional cooperation, including certain aspects of preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Bishkek.

While discussing the Russian-Kazakhstani cooperation on the international scene, the two leaders exchanged opinions on the results of the recent round of intra-Syrian talks, which took place in Astana on March 14–16.

Mr Putin and Mr Nazarbayev also coordinated the schedule of short-term bilateral contacts at various levels.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54060






Telephone conversation with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev.



March 20, 2017 - 14:50



The two presidents exchanged congratulations on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (March 20, 1992), and noted that both countries have built up substantial experience of productive cooperation in different areas over this time. The two leaders expressed their confidence that their bilateral strategic partnership will continue to develop for the benefit of both countries and peoples.

They discussed a number of current issues on the bilateral agenda and exchanged views on cooperation within integration organisations in the Eurasian region, particularly in the context of preparations for a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Bishkek.

Mr Putin and Mr Atambayev coordinated their planned upcoming contacts.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54072






Meeting with President of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov



Vladimir Putin received President of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov at the Kremlin. President Tibilov is in Moscow at the Russian President’s invitation.



March 21, 2017 - 16:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The discussion focused on the prospects for developing bilateral relations, primarily in the socioeconomic field, and the upcoming elections in the Republic. Also addressed were security issues in the Trans Caucasus Region.





Vladimir Putin:

Mr Tibilov, I am very glad to welcome you here.

Russia and South Ossetia have built truly allied bilateral relations. We develop our relations on the basis of our basic Treaty; in addition, we have signed documents on various sectors – all of them are being implemented, on the whole.

As always in a large-scale effort, there are issues that require our special attention. We are generally pleased that the situation in your country is stabilising. We can even say it has stabilised now.

Along with issues of security and greater defence capability, the agenda certainly includes socio-economic issues such as improving the standard of living. I think we will mainly concentrate on this during our conversation today.

I am referring to the most important domestic political event, the presidential elections in early April. By the way, I wish you good luck. I hope the voting will proceed in accordance with the current constitution, in strict compliance with the laws of South Ossetia, and will ultimately lead to a new, favourable environment for development.



President of the Republic of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov:

Good afternoon, Mr Putin. I am happy to have this opportunity to meet with you.

First of all, I would like to note that since March 18, 2015, when we signed the Treaty on Alliance and Integration, we have developed a tradition to meet almost annually to discuss various aspects of the bilateral agenda, including, of course, our alliance and development, as well as integration between South Ossetia and Russia.

Today, I would also like to say that major and successful work has been done over these two years to implement the Treaty: it is filled with new agreements, many of them are already in effect, and the people have already felt the results of these agreements. You know, these agreements are not just about a specific area of work: they also mean security, confidence in the future, continuation of work on the country's socio-economic development, and cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.

I often recall our first meeting, when I just started working. I remember that I spent a month in office, and the picture that I had ‒ the state of affairs in South Ossetia ‒ was, of course, appalling. Five years later, summing up the results, I can say responsibly that with the full-scale assistance provided by the Russian Federation, South Ossetia has changed for the better.

I can specifically say that the city of Tskhinval, the capital of our republic, and other towns and villages and regional centres have changed, and the people already have a different outlook on life, whereas our interaction and cooperation with our colleagues from Russia and relevant experts in numerous programmes, including investment programmes, has yielded a tangible result.

Today, we can already talk about hundreds of square metres of new buildings, new roads and social facilities in our republic. These are all tangible results. Of course, we owe all of that to great Russia.

Mr President, I would like to express my gratitude to you personally for the trust that I received over the years. Today, I can confidently say that all the help that went to South Ossetia always found its target. This, I believe, is important, and I always considered this to be the most important thing in my work. Thank you very much.

I wish good health and prosperity to great Russia!



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54082






Meeting with President and CEO of BASF Kurt Bock



Vladimir Putin met with President and CEO of BASF Kurt Bock.



March 22, 2017 - 16:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow



BASF Chief Financial Officer Hans-Ulrich Engel was also present at the meeting.

Taking part on the Russia side were Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues, let me wish you a warm welcome to Moscow.

We have longstanding good relations with BASF, which has been working in Russia for a long time now in various sectors, chemicals and household chemicals, for example. The company is investing good money in localising production in Russia.

Energy is the other big sector in which BASF is working here. You have ties with different Russian companies, including LUKOIL and Gazprom. You are a visible and significant shareholder in the Nord Stream pipeline, and as far as I understand the situation, you support continuation of this project, the Nord Stream 2 project, which is a purely economic venture.

In this respect, let me repeat that this project is not aimed against any of our partners. What’s more, we are ready to continue relations with all partners, including Ukraine, as transit countries, but we take the position that there will be reliable and economically advantageous market conditions for this cooperation.

With Europe’s gas consumption on the increase, and the drop in production in European countries, Nord Stream 2 is very much a natural project.

We are pleased to see that our reliable partners in Europe in general, and in Germany, continue to work actively in Russia. Unfortunately, recent economic events have had a negative impact on our reciprocal trade. The Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations estimates that Germany has lost at least 150,000 jobs as a result of these unfavourable events.

But we do not lose hope that we will be able to restore full-format cooperation. Of course, we will continue to work hard on this with our economic partners, and with our partners at the political level. On May 2, as you know, we are expecting Federal Chancellor Ms Merkel’s visit.



President and CEO of BASF Kurt Bock (retranslated):

Mr President, thank you very much for giving me and my colleague on the board, Hans-Ulrich Engel, the chance to be here today and say a few words.

BASF has been working actively on the Russian market for more than 140 years now, including with our friends and partners from Gazprom.

We are active in two sectors here, chemicals and energy. These last two years have not been easy for us, but we have noted a growth trend starting this year. The basic conditions for continued growth are better now than they were a while ago. We will make the effort needed to make use of these opportunities. We recently discussed these matters with the Industry Minister. We will continue, of course, to our efforts to localise production here.

Our cooperation in the energy sector, specifically in the gas sector, is developing very, very well. This sector is of great importance for us. Of course, the main project in this area at the moment is Nord Stream 2. We completed the Nord Stream 1 project with success together. I think we will have the same success with Nord Stream 2, given that we now have successful experience of working together.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54088






Condolences to Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May



Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May over the tragic consequences of a terrorist attack in central London.



March 23, 2017 - 10:45



“Terrorist attacks are becoming increasingly cunning and cynical. It is obvious that all members of the international community should join forces to stand up against the terrorist threat,” the President of Russia wrote in his message of condolences.

Vladimir Putin passed on words of sympathy and support to the victims’ families and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured in the terrorist attack.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54094






Meeting with President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena



Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, who is on an official visit to Moscow at Mr Putin’s invitation.



March 23, 2017 - 16:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The two presidents adopted a Joint Declaration following their talks.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends,

Let me wish you a warm welcome to Russia. I am very happy that you accepted our invitation and have come to Russia as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries.

Mr President, Russia and Sri Lanka have developed excellent ties over these 60 years. Of course, we need to reflect on what more we can do to develop our trade and economic ties, and, for my part, I urge you to appoint a co-chair of the Intergovernmental Commission from your side.

Of course, it will be useful to discuss the international agenda, including the situation in the region.

It is a pleasure to see you. Welcome, Mr President.



President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena (retranslated):

Mr President,

It is a great pleasure to have this chance to come to Russia at your invitation. Thank you very much for this. Previously, we met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit and at the meeting with BIMSTEC leaders.

Mr President, you rightly noted that we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. Over these 60 years, we have indeed developed and strengthened our countries’ friendship. I see today’s meeting as historic, as it is taking place in this anniversary year.

Over these 60 years, the Soviet Union and then the Russian Federation have helped and supported Sri Lanka in its development. In particular, the Russian Federation and the Soviet Union often showed support for our country on the international stage.

I want to mention here our party’s leader and former prime minister, who made a big contribution to developing bilateral relations between our countries.

We value the fact that Russia has always helped Sri Lanka in its development, and value the active cooperation we have in various international organisations. We are very grateful to you for this cooperation.

I have visited your country several times over the last 40 years. Of course, I can say that I love Russia and feel great warmth for the Russian people.

As for you personally, Mr President, you are a great leader of your country and have great and unquestionable influence on the international stage.

Regarding the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, I think we should continue in this spirit, for the next 100 years at least.

As we continue to develop our bilateral ties, we can help and support each other’s development and work together more closely and actively on the international stage and at the multilateral level.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54099






Meeting with Marine Le Pen



Vladimir Putin met with Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front Party.



March 24, 2017 - 14:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Ms Le Pen, this is not your first time in Moscow, and I am pleased to welcome you here. I am aware that you came at the invitation of the State Duma – the parliament of the Russian Federation.

We value highly our relations with France and try to maintain good relations with incumbent government and the opposition.

I am, of course, aware of the ongoing election campaign in France. In no case do we want to influence the events as they unfold, but we reserve the right to communicate with all representatives of all political forces in France, just like our partners in Europe and the United States are doing.

Of course, it would be very interesting to exchange opinions with you on our bilateral relations and the situation in Europe. I know that you represent a European political force that is growing quickly.

I am very pleased to see you.



Marine Le Pen (retranslated):

Thank you, Mr President. As you know, I have long been urging the restoration of cultural, economic and strategic ties between Russia and France, which is especially important now when we face a serious terrorist threat.

The fight against terrorism can only be truly effective if the largest nations stand side by side and join forces. Russia is fighting in Syria. France has contributed by waging Operation Barkhane in Chad and by fighting terrorism in Mali. I believe that our countries are taking a very active part in this struggle, including by providing assistance to the countries that had to fight the rise of terrorism in the past and are still fighting this threat.

Mr President, you know that terrorist blows have been delivered to France. Yesterday terrorists delivered a terrible blow with many casualties. They continue their attacks every day, using new forms of terrorism, including so-called economy-class terrorism, when the blows are delivered by individuals some of whom enter our countries together with migrants to strike at the population on orders from terrorist organisations, such as ISIS. I believe that in this situation we must do everything in our power to create conditions for an effective exchange of intelligence information in order to protect our nations from the threat that has hit France and has recently delivered a blow to our British friends.

I would like to say that I see it as a big problem that Russian MPs cannot meet with their colleagues from the EU countries. I believe that meetings between representatives of our democratic forces can help all of us find an effective solution to the ongoing terrorist crisis, which, apart from the military aspect, has many other components, as I could see during a meeting with President of Chad Idriss Deby.

As we have said at the meeting with the State Duma Speaker, I believe that all countries should also think about human trafficking, that is trade in people for purposes of financing terrorism.



Vladimir Putin:

As you know, there have been many terrorist attacks in Russia. France, Belgium, the United States and many other countries have also suffered. Unfortunately, the erosion of traditional values in many Middle Eastern countries has intensified violence and migration flows.

Tragic events are taking place in Syria and in Iraq’s Mosul, where hundreds of thousands of refugees were forced to flee from their homes. I fully agree with you that we can effectively fight terrorism only by pooling our efforts.

Today, so soon after the tragedy in London, a tragic event happened in Chechnya in the North Caucasus, where terrorists attacked a National Guard unit. We all live in difficult conditions. We must open our eyes to this threat and join forces to fight terrorism.



Marine Le Pen (retranslated):

Mr President, I would like to begin by saying that in addition to solidarity and joint actions, which we definitely need, such countries as Russia should consider ways to promote the development of African countries, in particular, in Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa. The African countries that are fighting terrorism say this struggle requires significant financial resources. As a result, they have to reduce spending on healthcare, education and agriculture.

Besides, many young people face the temptation of escaping economic problems by joining armed terrorist groups. In other words, I believe that we need a truly global strategy that will bring together all the countries that want to preserve or restore security around the world.

In my opinion, this strategy should include attention to the economic development of the countries that have become the object of the terrorist threat and have to defend themselves against it.



Vladimir Putin:

I fully agree with you. You are quite right.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54102
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #368
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Working meeting with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Sergei Donskoy



Mr Donskoy briefed the President on measures to enhance the efficiency of subsoil resource use, develop a system of protected natural zones, and support eco-tourism.



March 20, 2017 - 14:15 - The Kremlin, Moscow





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Donskoy, we discussed with you on many occasions the question of effective subsoil use. I know the Ministry has prepared a range of instruments, including work with licences. Let us talk about this now.



Natural Resources and Environment Minister Sergei Donskoy:

Yes, Mr President.

Let me begin by saying that a new system for subsoil resource use began taking shape 25 years ago, with the adoption of the law on subsoil resources. Over this time, practically all of the discovered deposits have been distributed among subsoil users. The share of unallocated subsoil resources is 3 percent for diamonds, for example, around 5 percent for natural gas, 6 percent for oil, and 6.9–7 percent for copper. Today, we are shifting our focus from subsoil resource distribution to ensuring that resources are used effectively.

Let me brief you on what we have done over this time to resolve this task. Firstly, we have modernised and essentially put in place a new system of preparing and approving detailed engineering plans, in order to rationalise subsoil resource use. We have introduced a new classification for oil and gas, which conforms to the framework classification used by the UN. We signed the relevant document harmonising these two classification systems with the UN last autumn. We have set new rules for processing geological data, making it more accessible and rapidly updated. Acting on your instructions, we have updated licences, as I briefed you at an earlier meeting. We have now completed this one-off updating. We have covered 5,326 licences, of which 70 percent were updated, while the holders of the remaining 30 percent did not go ahead with updating, for various reasons. Those 30 percent are now under our special supervision.

I would also like to note that this updating enabled us to include in the licences clearer obligations that make monitoring more effective. Practically all licences now set deadlines for carrying out geological exploration, providing geological data, and much more.



Vladimir Putin:

These obligations have become more specific.



Sergey Donskoy:

Yes, more specific and clearer, and this means we can now continue our work to improve the supervision of subsoil resource use.

At the same time, we passed several laws that made it possible to provide subsoil resource deposits to resource users for geological exploration on declarative basis. When investment in geological exploration was falling all around the world (we estimate that it fell around 2.8-fold in the world), it stabilised here, and this is important, and we believe that the measures we took contributed to this. Investment coming in through this new system now comes to around 28 billion, which is comparable to state financing.

The time allowed for geological exploration has also been increased. In remote and difficult zones where more time is needed for exploration, we have made this possible. The timeframe has increased by 40 percent, from 5 to 7 years, on land, and exploration can now take up to 10 years offshore.

We have introduced economic incentives, particularly through eliminating excess costs and administrative barriers. We give users the possibility to correct technical mistakes in licences and change the boundaries of their licenced sections. The state expert evaluation of planned wells, which duplicated work already done, has been abolished. Extraction of associated components is now allowed (only for state companies for now, but as we pick up the pace in this work, we plan to extend it to a broader range of companies). It is also possible now to use land plots and forest tracts for subsoil resource use purposes.

Overall, we think that these measures have made it possible to make this work independent of external challenges, and recent years confirm this.

Now, we have completed the improvement work and have cleansed the stock of licences of outdated obligations that were either generally obsolete or do not meet current demands, and we think that the conditions are now in place for a better performing sector. To achieve this, we first need to bring order to subsoil resource use through stricter supervision. If necessary, we are looking at the possibility of revoking the licences of subsoil resource users that fail to comply with the requirements. As I said, the licences now set out clear requirements. In other words, the decision-making process is clearer now.

Then there is the system of economic incentives. What does this involve? Last year, we decided and introduced legal provisions making it possible to deduct geological exploration costs from profit tax, taking into account the mark-up factor. This provision applies only to offshore exploration currently, but we believe it could be used on land as well, particularly in the regions we want to stimulate (this mechanism is widely used in the world and we are in talks with the Finance Ministry now).

In other words, this mechanism could be put to use in areas we want to develop. However, we want to develop another type of mechanism here. Currently, resource users pay rentals, payment for the area in which they are carrying out geological exploration. We want to raise these payments for resource users who do not perform the work and comply with geological exploration timeframes. In this way we would like to encourage them to keep to the deadlines and requirements set out in their licences and to give them motivation to do so.

We are also looking at the possibility of developing new exploration and production technologies at technological test sites. We hope to pass a law this year making it possible to develop technological test sites in various places, tailoring them for use with different types of hard-to-access resources and different types of technology. This draft law is ready now and is going through the approvals process.

Work is also underway on developing new forms of state participation in large exploration projects. In particular, we are putting the emphasis on developing private-public partnerships in this area.

This is the general picture regarding what we have done to improve effectiveness in this area.



Vladimir Putin:

How long have you been working on these measures?



Sergey Donskoy:

We began active work in 2012. Many people worked on the new classification system. The old one dated from 1983 and did not meet today’s requirements. We have gone over to the new system, which makes it possible to take economic factors into account, as well as many new approaches and technological change. This work began in 2005 and was very substantial, but the active phase started in 2012 and is now completed. We also had international experts involved, so that we could examine the international aspects of our national classification and ensure the necessary degree of consistency.



Vladimir Putin:

What are the legal areas in need of bolstering in your opinion?



Sergei Donskoy:

We need to focus on economic incentives for geological exploration today, to have the targeted instruments we need for use in new zones where we plan to develop geological exploration and make new discoveries. This is our priority. We also need to motivate resource users to comply with the rules and obligations set out in their licences. We believe this is one of the key tasks now if we want these licences to work effectively, in terms of revenue for resource users, but also, above all, in terms of the development effect for the country. This creates a good basis for regional development, after all.



Vladimir Putin:

You set this all out in the licences themselves, but what interests me is your opinion regarding the need for additional measures to strengthen the legal base, perhaps government regulations, additions to the legal base. Do you see a need for any additional measures here?



Sergei Donskoy:

The first point I mentioned does require legal amendments. Measures to stimulate development of hard-to-access deposits will also require legal amendments, and so will the development of test sites to which we can attract companies looking to develop innovative technology, small and medium business working on innovations that big companies will later use in their work as well.

As for the private-public partnership plans, it could be possible here to develop junior business and to offer incentives to small companies working at the earlier stages and implementing their geological exploration ideas. Then there is the creation of public-private stimulation funds.



Vladimir Putin:

How soon do you think this will be done?



Sergei Donskoy:

Everything is at the approvals stage at the moment. We hope to introduce these additional measures this year, after amending the law.



Vladimir Putin:

When do you plan to submit the draft law to the Duma?



Sergei Donskoy:

We hope to submit these new proposals in autumn and have them passed.



Vladimir Putin:

Good, thank you.

You also wanted to speak about the protected nature zones.



Sergey Donskoy:

Yes, we have a particular situation this year. In accordance with your executive orders, we are working on measures to mark the Year of the Environment and the Year of Protected Nature Zones. The existence of these protected zones in Russia marks its 100th anniversary this year. In 1917, tsarist Russia established the first such zone, the Barguzinsky Reserve, to restore the sable population.



Vladimir Putin:

In 1917?



Sergey Donskoy:

Yes, 1917 according to the modern calendar, but it was December 1916 by the old calendar. If we take into account the calendar change though, the anniversary falls on January 2017. We have already carried out the first activity planned to mark this centenary, at the Baikal Reserve, where we have opened a visitors’ centre, one of the best such centres yet established, and we invite everyone to come and see Baikal’s beauty in all its splendour.

Regarding current protected nature zones, we have more than 200 different reserves and national parks today, and we plan to create another 7 this year – both reserves and national parks. Around 10 million hectares of land will become part of the protected zone system. I would like to say here that international experts and our own specialists agree that the protected nature zone system (reserves and national parks) is one of the best forms of preserving territories that are home to between 50 and 80 percent of rare animal species, and could be subject to human impact.

Last autumn, you visited the Orenburg Reserve, where we are carrying out a project to reintroduce the Przhevalsky horse. We brought a dozen horses from Hungary last autumn. This September, we will bring another 10 horses from Hungary. We are thus developing this project and will have a solid core of Przhevalsky horses for taking it further. This summer, we also plan to launch projects to develop eco-tourism and invite people to come and see the horses in the wild and from there to become familiar with what is a very important, but very fragile sector, I think.

Most important, I would like to stress, is that specialists estimate that our national parks could attract up to 20 million people on eco-tourism routes. We currently host only 2 million people. This year, we are putting the emphasis on building the infrastructure required for the development of eco-tourism in the national parks. We plan to amend the laws and continue these infrastructure development projects.

The most efficient and memorable means of drawing attention to eco-tourism and to our sites and their beauty is to have your support, Mr President. We propose three sites for your attention – the Russian Arctic in the Franz-Josef Archipelago, the Baikal Reserve, and the Putorana Plateau. These are all beautiful and interesting sites. If you agreed to visit, this would be a visible and big contribution to developing eco-tourism in our protected nature zones.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you. I will certainly do this. We will choose a site and decide on a time when a visit would have the greatest effect.



Sergey Donskoy:

Thank you, Mr President.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54071



About Nikolay Przhevalsky - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1097

About Przewalski's horse - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1098

Last edited by Alex Him; March 25th, 2017 at 04:23 AM.
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #369
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Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects meeting



Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects at the Kremlin.



March 21, 2017 - 15:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow



Participants in the meeting reviewed progress in the implementation of priority projects in healthcare, as well as measures aimed at enhancing labour efficiency.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

This is the Council’s first meeting in 2017. We will focus on issues that directly affect the quality of life and wellbeing of families in Russia, and are vital for the emergence of a strong, competitive economy. We will consider the development of healthcare, as well as issues related to enhancing labour efficiency.

I will start with healthcare. Over the recent years, substantial progress has been achieved in this area. Of course, life expectancy is a key indicator. It has now reached 72 years. Let me remind you that life expectancy increased by 6.5 years over the past 12 years, from 65.4 in 2005 to 71.87 in 2016. Men now live 7.7 years longer on average and women 4.6 years longer. As you know, over this period infant mortality declined from 10.2 to 6 per 1,000 births, and stood at 5.1 in January 2017. As for maternal deaths, the figures are even better, since the mortality rate dropped more than threefold.

An effective maternity and childcare system has been created, and medical facilities have benefited from significant upgrades alongside the development of high-technology medical care.

I would like to remind you that the number of patients who received high-tech medical assistance increased from 60,000 in 2005 to 963,100 in 2016, or nearly 15-fold. The number of medical facilities that provide such assistance has increased more than 10-fold, from 90 to 932.

We must definitely keep moving forward. We have the conditions to increase life expectancy in Russia to 76 years by 2025 and to considerably reduce the mortality rate among the economically active population.

I would also like to point out a few elements that give cause for concern, such as an increase in the death rate among the economically active population in 2015. The increase was not critical, but we must take note of this nevertheless.

For the situation to continue developing in the right vein, we must create a modern healthcare system at all levels, from elementary facilities to federal clinics, a system that will meet the highest international standards.

We must admit that there are still many unresolved problems, despite the positive changes. People say rightly and with good reason that there are not enough doctors, especially in small towns and villages. It is not easy to make an appointment with specialists or to have a medical examination quickly, and front desk employees are often unfriendly. In the Address to the Federal Assembly, I spoke about installing computers at healthcare facilities but this is only the technical aspect of the problem.

I would like to say again that we not only need to connect outpatient clinics and hospitals to the internet, but also to create conditions for people to make appointments with specialists and undergo medical examinations quickly and calmly, including senior citizens who have little knowledge about information technology and electronic records. If we do this, our doctors will have less paperwork and more time for their patients, for improving their professional skills or for receiving online assistance from their colleagues at regional and federal healthcare centres.

We need to elevate the prestige and status of medical workers, improve their financial well-being and safety net, including legal protection. Just like education, healthcare is more than a service, since the work that doctors and teachers do is vital to the future of the country and its people.

Let me emphasise that the key criteria for success in any project related to healthcare is to achieve the meaningful, tangible results that people expect: prompt and precise diagnostics and effective treatment, a considerate, human attitude toward patients, availability, quality and efficacy of medical drugs.

In the Address to the Federal Assembly, I spoke about the need to develop medical airlift services. This is about fair treatment and equal opportunity when it comes to accessing medical services across the country, which is especially relevant given how vast our country is.

Of course, we have to think long-term as well, and use the potential of Russian researchers to achieve breakthrough results in genetics, personalised medical care and biomedicine, Big Data processing, and the adoption of best practices at all levels of healthcare.

One more thing: it is important not only to treat people, but also to prevent them from getting sick and to promote a healthy lifestyle. We have to keep up our efforts in this area as well.

These goals and objectives call for effective management approaches, and substantial financial resources. I expect Ms Veronika Skvortsova [Minister of Healthcare] to make a detailed presentation on what needs to be done.

With regard to the second item on our agenda concerning labour productivity enhancement, clearly, this is a key issue that underlies economic growth. Notably, our targeted efforts have already helped us achieve steady productivity growth in certain economic sectors. For example, according to Rosstat, labour productivity in the aviation industry increased by 15.6 percent in 2012, 27 percent in 2013, and 29 percent in 2014. The figures for 2015 and 2016 are more modest, but overall, Russia’s productivity is generally less than 50 percent of the productivity of the truly efficient economies. Thanks to powerful progress in technology, this gap could drastically increase if we do not respond to it in a timely manner. According to the OECD, in 2015, the contribution of one worker to the GDP was $23.18 per hour in Russia, whereas in the OECD countries it was $46.53 per hour.

We need to increase labour productivity by at least 5 to 6 percent each year. These figures would be indicative of increased efficiency in the economy and at specific enterprises, the creation of modern jobs and decent wages, meaning that if we resolve this issue, personal income will also increase, and employees will be able to provide for their families and children.

Many professional opportunities will also open up to the young people who are just entering the labour market. Working with the regions, and with companies and businesses, it is imperative to build a clear-cut working system for supporting employment and labour mobility.

There must be one approach: if an old inefficient job is cut, then at least one new job must be created, both at major modern companies and in small businesses.

We realise that small businesses are of particular importance. Each person should be provided with an opportunity to get a new job or to open a business of their own, to improve their skills or acquire another profession; so it is fundamentally important that the programme designed to boost labour productivity is carried out in close coordination with measures to train personnel and promote entrepreneurship.

I propose testing this system in several regions within the framework of regional labour efficiency. The Government should select these regions and provide the necessary assistance. At the federal level, we should review the legal framework, remove obstacles to the development of a modern labour market and create additional incentives for companies to increase labour efficiency, modernise production and create new jobs.

We recently discussed this issue and related proposals from our companies at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. I ask the Government to analyse the situation jointly with our business associations, draft amendments to legislation and submit them to the State Duma without delay. As I have said, we must balance the task of increasing labour efficiency against the interests of businesses and the people. There is no question that the people’s right to employment must be protected in this period of technological revolution.

And lastly, I suggest creating a federal competence centre with assistance from our development institutions. It would promote the best international experience and the best Russian practices in enhancing labour efficiency and improving labour management. The idea is to optimise production and business processes and provide incentives for the workforce. Officials, including those from local governments, and company managers alike must learn these skills. I would like [Economic Development Minister] Maxim Oreshkin to tell us what the ministry thinks about ways to achieve these goals in all these areas.

Let us get down to work. Mr Skvortsova, you have the floor.



Minister of Healthcare Veronika Skvortsova:

Mr President, colleagues,

Creating a nationwide patient-oriented system that unites all medical institutions regardless of their form of ownership or departmental affiliation, that operates under standard quality requirements, with access to medical care and medical worker skills, and that implements state guarantees for free medical care for the people based on social equality, is the main concept underlying Russia’s healthcare development.

This has allowed us, over the past five years, to achieve certain positive results in improving our healthcare system, primarily to form a modern system to protect maternity and childhood and to significantly reduce maternal, infant and child mortality rates. In 2013, we restored general preventive medical checkups and health screenings, which have covered 87.5 million adults and virtually all of our children.

This made it possible to significantly improve the early detection of diseases, while they are amenable to effective treatment. I would like to say that thanks to active cancer screenings, 55 percent of malignant tumours were detected in their first or second stage last year, which allowed us to reduce the one-year mortality rate to 23 percent and raise the five-year survival rate by over 53 percent.

In general, a specialised emergency medical care system has been built based on the creation and proper placement of medical institutions at the second interregional level, which includes over 540 vascular centres and more than 1,500 injury care centres. Over the past five years, the stroke fatality rate has decreased by more than 34 percent and that of traffic accidents by 20 percent. Since 2012, the use of high-tech assistance has tripled, and medical assistance has come closer to people's homes with 932 organisations now providing this assistance.

Importantly, over the past two years, in 2015 and 2016, the number of foreign patients coming to Russia for treatment at Russian clinics has surged by 87 percent to exceed 13,500 in 2016. Those patients came to Russia seeking services related to reproductive technology, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, cardio-vascular surgery, ophthalmology and dental care. Patients from more than 20 countries within and beyond the former Soviet Union were attracted by high-quality services and affordable prices.

At the same time, the number of Russians traveling abroad for elective treatment sharply declined: in 2016, the number stood at 80,000 people of the 33 million people who receive similar treatment at Russian clinics. There were 60 percent fewer people seeking medical care in Israel, and 30 percent fewer people who travelled to Germany.

More than 2,000 new medical facilities were built, more than 20,000 facilities benefited from upgrades and 390,000 units of medical equipment were purchased as part of investment projects and programmes aimed at improving healthcare. That said, healthcare in Russia still has many shortcomings. A lot has yet to be done to overcome challenges and issues Russians face when seeking medical aid.

We have outlined five development priorities. First and foremost, we need to improve the accessibility of medical assistance. By working together with the Russian regions, by 2018 we intend to complete the roll-out of a three-level regional healthcare system based on a single set of requirements regarding the location of medical infrastructure using a special geographic information system, as well as based on single medical standards. This will include visiting doctor services for underpopulated communities with less than 100 residents. There are more than 80,000 facilities of this kind across the country. This way, maximum waiting times for obtaining various guaranteed medical services as per the government programme will be respected in all regions.

An issue of major concern is ensuring timely emergency medical assistance to patients with life-threatening conditions who live in remote areas with difficult climatic and road conditions. This is why the development of air-borne medicine is one of our priorities. The implementation of this project within two years will help seriously reduce the time of delivering patients to specialised medical centres.

The use of digital technologies can greatly increase the accessibility of medical assistance. Online appointments with a doctor and the online issue of prescriptions and sick leave certificates has proved to be very effective. In 2019, we will complete the development of a system of telemedicine consultations in various specialties for various groups of healthcare facilities, including basic national applied research and medical centres.

Starting in 2020, we will gradually introduce the system of electronic health monitoring for patients from risk groups. This involves using individual equipment that will measure their blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose and other blood components, spatial location and other indicators, with emergency response in case of critical changes.

The next important development priority is the introduction of standard healthcare quality requirements across the country and the establishment of a quality control system. From 2014 through 2016, jointly with the National Medical Chamber expert community, we created a system of nationwide clinical recommendations for major health conditions. In order to help doctors adapt to the system faster, in December 2016 we finished an online directory of clinical recommendations and a search engine for diagnostic and treatment algorithms by key word and graphologies.

The system is being implemented across the country starting this year through doctor workstations, of which we already have 70 percent of the total required number. By the end of 2018, the clinical recommendations will be available in all Russian regions. In line with the clinical recommendations, we have developed criteria to evaluate the quality of medical care to be made statutory. Starting this July, all quality control reviews will be based on these criteria.

We set a high value on creating a comfortable and sympathetic environment at healthcare institutions. In 2015, we held the first Polite Reception national contest. The regions selected best reception practices at outpatient clinics and health centres and presented them at the federal level. These practices included comfortable offices, prompt appointments, call centres, appointment and information terminals, and information screens. The contest has become an annual event and has made a significant contribution to the expansion of a positive experience in the country.

Special attention should be given to our joint project with the Presidential Directorate for Domestic Policy and Rosatom experts, which is designed to increase the accessibility and quality of medical treatment by optimising technological processes at medical institutions and eliminating avoidable waste.

This technology suite has already been introduced in three regions and showed that it takes no more than four to five months to improve patient logistics, move away from using queues at medical centres, reduce waiting times at doctors’ offices up to 90 percent, double the time of direct doctor-patient interaction, create convenient conditions for regular physical checkups in one visit, and divide flows of healthy and sick patients.

We have already achieved some positive results at the first six reorganised outpatient clinics, and have now extended that experience to another 30 clinics. From now on, we plan to actively replicate this model across the country, across all federal districts and regions.

To help patients exercise their right to healthcare, in 2016 we began developing the position of insurance agents within the mandatory medical insurance system. Contact centres and text message alerts are being gradually introduced, along with ways to restore a patient's violated rights before any undesirable consequences occur.

This patient-oriented system will be introduced across Russia before the end of 2018. The development and implementation of new digital and biomedical technologies is of extreme importance. In 2020, the formation of a unified state healthcare information system will be completed on the basis of a single electronic medical record for each patient.

This will ease the introduction of electronic document flow and patients' personal accounts. Any patient will be able to access their account on the system from any computer, obtain the necessary information and excerpts from their medical documents, make an appointment with a doctor or contact the insurance agent.

The system will be enhanced with an archive of digital images. Intelligent programmes for automated reading of images with a drastic increase in diagnostic accuracy and speed will be implemented. We will introduce a system for automated analysis of the quality of medical care whereby the protocol for treating a particular patient will be run against the system’s standard protocols and quality criteria.

By the end of 2020, the system is to be fully integrated with information and analytical systems in mandatory health insurance and circulation of medicines and medical products, which will make it possible to conduct comprehensive analyses of the entire industry’s resource efficiency.

Thus, by the end of 2020, we will be able to reach an entirely new management level in the healthcare system, as well as continuity and healthcare quality. Beginning in 2020, according to current plans, automated programmes to handle big data will be introduced, which will make it possible to automatically select the best medical treatment protocol for each person with input from telemedicine consultations.

At the same time, personalised biomedical technologies will be developed. In the next three years, rapid genome sequencing technology will be introduced, which will allow us to create, by 2020, a unified system of biomarkers of major diseases, as well as modern technologies for monitoring human health and a network of high-tech centres for predictive, prognostic, and preventive medicine.

Starting this year, we will introduce regenerative medicine methods based on cellular and tissue technologies. By 2020, a network of biobanks, depositories and collections of biomaterials will be created, which will give a new impetus to developing regenerative medicine with the transplantation of autologous organs and tissues, that is, those obtained from the same individual.

At the same time, personalised pharmacotherapy will be developed, including targeted immune preparations for treating oncological and systemic autoimmune diseases; vector vaccines; gene therapy; and genome editing mechanisms. Biophysical solutions in the form of robotics, cyber prosthetics, various joints between human body parts and machine mechanisms will be introduced.

Sustainable progress in innovative medicine will be possible through the active implementation of the HealthNet and NeiroNet national initiatives, the development of research and education clusters at leading universities and national applied research medical centres, and also the opening of several new translational medicine centres in 2017–2018. We are actively using systems of target-specific innovative development and clinical testing to reduce the time needed for completing innovative projects and providing a clinical and economic framework for their implementation.

Medical staff is the main driving force of the development of our medical industry. We continue working to satisfy all regions’ real needs in medical specialists and nurses through the modernised system of training medical professionals. Its effectiveness reached 90 percent in 2016.

Advanced training is another key priority. We have created and approved professional standards for core medical disciplines together with the National Medical Chamber. Professional standards for specialists and nursing staff will be completed by 2019. Educational standards and programmes will be updated within six months of the adoption of the professional standards.

In 2016, we completed the creation of the National Register of Doctors and the unified portal of continued advanced training for doctors, which shows the individual trajectory of each doctor’s professional development. All doctors in this country will become part of the system by late 2021.

Also in 2016, we launched a project to gradually introduce a fundamentally new mechanism of licensing doctors based on certification by the professional community, in accordance with international standards. All medical professionals must receive this certification by the end of 2021.

Giving people a sense of responsibility for their own health is a major priority for us. To this effect, the comprehensive programme aimed at creating incentives for people to live healthy lives will continue: starting from pre-school and school age, children will take special educational modules developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, and university students will be offered to join the volunteer movement and engage in sports activities by the Federal Agency for Youth and the Ministry of Sport. There will also be corporate programmes aimed at promoting and implementing a healthy environment at work in cooperation with the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Tobacco and alcohol awareness projects will continue, and so will healthy nutrition programmes and efforts to promote physical activity and sport.

The average life expectancy is to increase significantly by 2025 to at least 76 years by 2025 on the back of these priority activities. The average healthy life expectancy is to reach 66 years, infant mortality is to decline to 4.5 per 1,000 births, and the mortality rate among working-age people is to decline.

It has to be said that in 2016, a 3.5 percent decline was registered, from 546 to 517 per 100,000, and by 2025 we expect this indicator to drop to 380 per 100,000. By this time, the health industry will be one of the top sectors of the Russian economy. Russia has all it takes to become a leading player in biomedicine and digital medical technology.

Using clinical guidelines, some 3,500 medical and economic standards were developed to put a price on all medical services provided free of charge and to identify deficits in a number of areas. Additional investment is needed to proceed with new pilot projects.

We ask you to instruct the Ministry of Healthcare, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance to carry out a joint analysis of all the necessary calculations to understand whether additional funding will be needed and where it can come from taking into account the projected tax adjustments. Investment in public health promises guaranteed returns for the national economy.

Thank you very much.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you, Ms Skvortsova.

Everything you said is important, without question. I think all our colleagues and citizens find it interesting and important to learn about our plans and developments related to using high technology, genome research, the ability to influence the genome and use this knowledge to improve the health of our nation.

No less important is the current state of affairs in our healthcare system. Independent assessment of the quality of services provided by medical organisations is critical. Independent assessment is important in any sphere, including healthcare. How do you plan to achieve this? By using public councils at government bodies in the regions?



Veronika Skvortsova:

Yes, we will do so.



Vladimir Putin:

Just a second. You and I both know how public councils are formed. Often they are controlled entities whose creation makes no sense. We need other tools. They are out there. I am not going to focus on them now and waste our time, but there are many of them.

We need impartial, independent assessments. Please do not take a perfunctory approach. We do not need just areas of activity. What we need are specific results in each area. There are other issues as well, but I am simply asking you to pay attention to things that, I believe, concern our citizens the most. This is my first point.

The second thing is standards. We have been talking about standards for a long time now. Even the previous Government discussed them. We need to reconcile this with the economic wing [of the Government]. Again, we are sick and tired of discussing these standards, and we must advance to the greatest extent possible based on the current situation. It is imperative to move forward in this direction.

One more question, actually for Mr Manturov, about air-borne medical services. We have also discussed it many times: what aircraft will this programme use?



Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov:

Mr President, last year the Government decided to add capital in the amount of 3.8 billion rubles to the State Transport Leasing Company, which will be used to purchase Ansat helicopters, five of which have already been purchased by regional operators who will perform these services on orders of the regions. That is, the Ansat project is complete. Ms Skvortsova and I inspected it last autumn and accepted it for operation – this certified machine provides medical services.



Vladimir Putin:

How many years did it take to get there?



Denis Manturov:

It was certified in 2015.



Vladimir Putin:

We have more than just Ansat and Ka-226 helicopters. We need to speed this process up. What do five pieces of equipment mean for our country? Nothing. Zero.



Denis Manturov:

Mr President, this is just the beginning. We expect that this year the Government will also assist us in increasing the capital of the State Transport Leasing Company in order to supply aviation equipment via operational and financial leasing. This applies not only to helicopters. Upon your instructions, two years ago a decision was made to launch the L-410, which can also be used as an ambulance at short distances of up to 500 kilometres. Therefore, I think that we have a good basis to build upon. Taking into account the decisions to develop air-borne medical services, there will be orders and equipment.



Vladimir Putin:

Where will the production facilities be located in our country?



Denis Manturov:

The Urals Civil Aviation Plant located in Yekaterinburg. Our colleagues already delivered the first two vehicles last year to the first customer, which is the Ministry of Defence.

Again, due to additional capitalisation of the State Transport Leasing Company, the first civilian customers will have their orders filled this year. Every year, the level of localisation will increase.



Vladimir Putin:

What is the final level?



Denis Manturov:

70 percent.



Vladimir Putin:

Fine.

Mr Oreshkin, please.



Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin:

Mr President, colleagues,

The current stage of development of Russia’s economy is marked by a difficult demographic situation that stems from the grave economic crisis of the 1990s and the aftermath of WWII.

Against this background, our labour market is experiencing two problems. The first is a rapid reduction in the number of working-age citizens. According to the baseline forecast by the Federal State Statistics Service, this figure is expected to decrease by 800,000 people per year from 2018 through 2020 and by 600,000 per year on average until 2024. The second issue is the reduced number of young people in the composition of the labour force, which seriously slows down the transformation of the labour market structure.

The Ministry of Economic Development has currently entered the final stage of refining the Government’s comprehensive action plan through 2025, which envisages a wide range of measures to accelerate economic growth and reach the global average. The measures aimed at increasing the size of the economically active population and reducing the level of structural unemployment play an important part in this regard.

Yet, it is obvious that increasing labour productivity should be the key focus for achieving higher economic growth rates, especially considering that the high level of so-called low productivity employment serves as a major reserve for our labour market.

We should note four key issues related to the persistent low labour productivity. The first is the low level of managerial and technological competencies required for a qualitative leap in productivity at problem enterprises. The second is underdeveloped mechanisms for project financing necessary for implementing projects to increase production efficiency. The third is the considerable number of barriers to productivity that appear not so much in the Labour Code as in the numerous industrial regulations that, for instance, pose redundant requirements which lead to the retention of redundant staff members. The fourth is, of course, the high social risks associated with mass layoffs and the often inadequate mechanisms for rapidly finding new jobs, re-training and training personnel.

Productivity, a priority project, is designed to address these problem areas, lay a solid foundation and create a managerial and organisational framework to focus the efforts of the business sector, the regional authorities and the federal Government on facilitating the development and implementation of programmes to boost productivity at specific enterprises. Regional productivity programmes are proposed for this administrative framework, which should ensure, first, the development and implementation of corporate road maps to boost productivity, and second, mandatory measures to provide employment to people who are made redundant.

What is the basis for corporate road maps? The first instrument here is the creation of what are known as centres of competences at the federal and regional level. A federal centre will form and maintain a generally accessible data base on modern managerial practices and technological solutions in various fields and also provide information about the successful projects to boost productivity at specific enterprises. The general availability of this data base is very important as it will make it possible to multiply the effect, including outside the enterprises involved in regional productivity boosting programmes.

The federal centre of competences should be built at Vnesheconombank (VEB), to which end the latter should receive additional financing. This centre will not only ensure the implementation of the productivity project but will also logically complement the project to create the so-called project financing factory that is being carried out by the Economic Development Ministry with the VEB managerial team. Regional centres of competences, which can be built at the existing development institutions, will coordinate the development and implementation of regional programmes and help enterprises draw up corporate road maps.

The second element in developing corporate road maps is the presidential managerial personnel training programme. It can be targeted, among other things, at training both regional teams under this project and managerial personnel at specific enterprises and participants in this programme.

It is important to note that Russia is seriously behind in terms of modern managerial practices, so there is the following proposal: to reformat one of the national economic forums in Krasnoyarsk into a managerial forum as a measure to intensify the sharing of best managerial practices. The venue could be rotated between Krasnoyarsk and Kaliningrad.


(Next, Maxim Oreshkin discussed issues related to the implementation of productivity boosting programmes, in particular, project financing, tax incentives, re-employment and retraining programmes for employees made redundant and support for labour mobility.)


No doubt, job placement efforts should be coordinated with existing federal and regional programmes, as well as with other priority projects, in particular fostering small businesses and facilitating the development of single-industry towns. The tools created as part of these projects will also significantly expand employment opportunities for employees made redundant or for starting their own businesses.

Regarding the organisational aspect of the matter, in the next six months we should address the following tasks at the federal level.

First, in close cooperation with the business sector, develop and begin to implement a road map on essential amendments to labour, tax and industrial legislation to remove barriers and incentivise efforts to boost productivity.

The Economic Development Ministry is organising this effort together with its colleagues in the Government, above all the Labour Ministry, the Industry and Trade Ministry and the Finance Ministry, as well as with business associations. Naturally, all these amendments will need to be made in close collaboration with our social partners.

Second, build a VEB-based federal centre of competences.

Third, lay the methodological and legal groundwork for regional programmes.

Fourth, ensure the signing of agreements with the regions and monitor their implementation.

Fifth, draw up a plan to expand the functionality of managerial personnel training programme.

Sixth, develop a programme to reboot employment services.

Seventh, clarify the set of financial and administrative support tools for the programme’s implementation.

Regarding the regional part of the programme, at the first stage, about five pilot regions could be selected that, during the first six months, should create regional development institutions and draw up regional programmes to boost productivity, within the framework of which enterprises should be selected for participation in this programme and measures spelled out to provide quality employment for redundant employees.

The project’s administrative structure assigns the role of the contracting authority to the Economic Development Ministry; the role of project supervisor in the Government will be assumed by Arkady Dvorkovich.

That concludes my report. Thank you.



Vladimir Putin:

Everything is correct and interesting, but teaching can go on forever and we know this. And it can be done in different ways. The most important thing, of course, is incentivisation, benefits and lifting legislative barriers, as you said, to boosting productivity.

Have you, together with the Finance Ministry and your other colleagues, worked on lifting these barriers, including tax incentives? Have you worked on this at the practical level?



Maxim Oreshkin:

These mechanisms will need to be finalised. This will in fact be the focus of our efforts in the next few months because, to reiterate, the most important thing is to ensure that these incentives lead to a positive budgetary effect, not to losing money.



Vladimir Putin:

Yes, indeed, ensure a positive budgetary effect. “Eliminating excess staffing regulations, including the impossibility of outsourcing a particular function”: Outsourcing is crucial. Surely you now that what happens is that outsourcing often amounts to the establishment of quasi-private companies that receive de-facto budgetary funds, and instead of outsourcing we have an increase in budget spending with an end result that is barely acceptable in terms of quality. It is not enough to simply write these things. We should proceed from the reality that we encounter when we attempt to organise this work.

As regards tax incentives, what does this mean? I would like to hear from Mr Siluanov. It is perfectly obvious that this is necessary. It is obvious to me that if we want to carry out all our plans, there should be incentives, and businesses should see the benefits from the introduction of new practices. This is the only way to make everything work. Teaching can go on forever, but if there are no incentives, nothing will happen.



Finance Minister Anton Siluanov:

Mr President, in keeping with your instructions, we are working on a proposal to streamline the tax system and this will include a measure to boost productivity at enterprises. As such, naturally, we are considering incentives to create highly productive jobs and incentives for enterprises to modernise their production so as to reduce the number of employees and produce more and better quality goods with smaller numbers.

At the other end, employees who are made redundant will enroll on retraining programmes within our existing institutions. At any rate, we will use tax legislation to incentivise enterprises to invest resources in innovation and modern technology to boost productivity.



Vladimir Putin:

What is a tentative timeframe for launching these mechanisms?



Maxim Oreshkin:

I believe we should finish preparations by the end of the summer and in the autumn we will move forward with this in pilot regions.



Vladimir Putin:

Good. Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, are there any comments, proposals, considerations or questions on the agenda?

Please.



Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Economic Council Alexei Kudrin:

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

The Centre for Strategic Planning presented its proposals and they were largely taken into account. I support the main provisions of Ms Skvortsova’s report.

I would like to note in particular that it puts forward five priority projects. In terms of scale, what can be done by 2024 goes far beyond what has been done on national healthcare projects so far. The scope of change, including in the availability of technology and the quality of medical care for the public, will exceed everything that has ever been accomplished within a space of five or six years. These are the basic concepts.

I support these basic targets. I would like to highlight the possibility of transitioning to a healthy life expectancy. This is especially important for us because in the next 15 years, the younger generation, the 20–39 age brackets, will decline by 10 million. This is a demographic forecast and, practically speaking, a fact.

The number of people over 40 will increase by 3 million and the number of people over 55–60 – the pension age today – will also increase. In other words, the same GDP, and even a larger GDP, will have to be achieved with a significantly older working population. This means that we should approve – and this is what is in fact proposed – a concept of active longevity, which will set higher standards on medical care and specialist re-training standards. I believe all of this has been duly noted here.

I would like to add that we also suggested – and this is reflected in these materials – that this sector can significantly expand the range of its products, including export services. Even with small investments in this sector, relatively small, by 2024, $3 billion could be generated in additional export services. It will work to stabilise our foreign trade balance, which is less dependent on oil. This sector can also make its contribution.

I would also like to note that it is considered among the most innovative sectors in the world today. The volume of investment in R&D projects in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology is many times more than any other investment, even in defence research projects. So, the procurement of equipment and technological modernisation in this field essentially meets national demand, which generally makes the economy as a whole more productive.

So I also support the proposal to increase spending on medical care. Improving people’s health in terms of economic payoff (incidentally, this also boosts productivity) reduces the amount of sick leave taken and improves efficiency. Furthermore, this also provides absolutely new incentives encouraging innovative trends in Russia. To reiterate, this also provides new opportunities.

I could point out a few other things but they were already mentioned in general. For example, we believe that the number of pharmaceutical patents could be doubled, making a new contribution to technological development in Russia.

But of course, the most important thing is to intensify efforts with regard to healthy lifestyle, that is to say, investing in this sphere, which should be everyone’s concern, can substantially improve the health of the nation and, I would argue, also productivity. Plus, there is an array of sub-projects that were mentioned here and that involve better care for people with chronic conditions, including the provision of medicines, rehabilitation procedures and predictive medicine. Generally, we have also participated in drafting these projects, so we support them.



Vladimir Putin:

Good.

Please.



President of OPORARussia public association of small and medium-sized businesses Alexander Kalinin:

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

We believe that boosting productivity is crucial for the country’s economic growth. According to OPORA Russia experts, about 40 percent of time in industry is used productively, 20 percent is lost to the inefficient use of labour, 20 percent is spent on lunch and smoke breaks and 20 percent is lost as a result of low productivity.

With average wages in Russia at 36,000 rubles [a month], consumers today in effect have to pay over 2 trillion rubles a year for unproductive costs in industry alone. This also makes our goods less competitive (the figures are enormous) and in addition, does not make it possible to raise wages for people who deserve higher wages.

We believe that the main issue at the first stage, which does not require any budgetary appropriations, is efficient production organisation, which flourished especially during the Soviet days. However, it requires the involvement of company owners, managers and employees. To this end, three tasks need to be carried out: organisational, motivational and culturological.

Organisationally, we believe a national committee to boost productivity should be created, as in the majority of countries, which should be headed by a high-level statesman. For example, in Singapore, such a national committee is headed by a deputy prime minister and in Pakistan, by an industry minister. National committees include high-level regional officials. We agree that training centres should be established at the regional level to promote and teach about efficient production organisation.

In addition, a methodology to measure productivity and impose sanctions for distorting productivity reporting figures is formulated at the governmental level. A reserve of enterprises is formed that are willing voluntarily to join a productivity programme. There is an array of measures to incentivise them to join this programme voluntarily. What should these measures be, from our perspective?

First, compensation for interest, say, up to 5 percent, similar to what is now used by the Ministry of Agriculture. If an enterprise has joined a productivity programme and if it really boosts productivity and then takes out loans from financial institutions to procure technology, in this case, it is compensated for the interest, provided all the basic targets are met and this particular technology is in fact procured. The experience of the Agriculture Ministry shows that this mechanism is very much in demand.

Furthermore, measures such as tax deductions can be used. If productivity is measured in terms of the added value that an enterprise has additionally generated, that is, if the national budget has received additional tax revenue, only in that case can an enterprise receive a VAT deduction in the amount less than what it additionally transferred to the budget in the preceding period as a result of productivity boosting measures.

Culturological aspects should primarily involve promoting via the media the need to boost productivity within the framework of the state order, as well as the implementation of training programmes similar to the production organisation practices that existed in the Soviet Union. Furthermore, we consider it necessary to create about 100,000 new places at universities to train production management specialists.

To reiterate, a qualitative change in the situation can be brought about by involving in this process not only state administrators but also company owners, managers and employees on a mass scale, and we are willing to join it within the framework of our business association. However, this requires a state-level decision and it is wonderful that this matter has been included among our country’s strategic development priorities.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

Mr Roshal, please.



President of Scientific Research Institute for Emergency Children's Surgery and Traumatology Leonid Roshal:

Mr President, first of all, thank you very much for the invitation.

I must say that the entire block that deals with healthcare – the Presidential Executive Office, the Federation Council, the Duma, the Government and the Healthcare Ministry – is working intensely, in endless discussions. This is certainly not boring. I listened to Ms Skvortsova and I must say – and I am not trying to be flattering – that I admire her. She has all the figures at her fingertips; her thinking is wonderful, strategic; she is a top-notch medical professional; and she does not rely on her aides, but generates new ideas on her own, in keeping with her convictions.

Sometimes we argue. True, we will get to personalised pharmacotherapy and regulatory medicine, to everything new that was mentioned in the report, [which was] perhaps not quite comprehensible, [with] a bit of wishful thinking. However, time, faith and optimism are crucial. She is sometimes criticised over the fact that, thanks to TV, when she meets with you, she talks only about achievements and not problems, and TV does not show her tears after Government meetings, when she comes out, unable to achieve what she wanted to achieve.

At the same time it is necessary to deal with a load of problems every minute, participate in endless meetings amid the lack of a single healthcare management system and the policy pursued by governors who are responsible for healthcare at the legislative level but pursue their own line.

Let us imagine for a moment that the armed forces were organised that way. How would Defence Minister Shoigu feel today? And we are even more vital than the military because every day, it is a matter of life or death, and this is why, for example, in many countries only doctors who are members of the medical community have license to practice medicine. The community is responsible for them and they are responsible to the community. Every year, they expel from their ranks those who have violated ethical norms or unified diagnosis and treatment standards. And this is why they are as good as can be. And what about us? If we want our results and the level of healthcare organisation to be as good as theirs, we need to raise healthcare spending to at least 5 percent of GDP. Not 10–15 percent, as over there, in euros, but at least 5 percent, in rubles, not 3 percent, as now. Of course, there is no understanding in this regard, as Mr Siluanov has repeatedly stated.

You know, today Ms Skvortsova reminded me of Vladimir Lenin with his GOELRO Plan [in the Soviet Union, the first unified state long-range plan for the national economic development]. Amid a plethora of problems, it was a kind of fantasy, but the plan materialised, until [Anatoly] Chubais came around. We understand the present situation very well. Let us dream at least. We need to ensure that the Russian people are satisfied with their healthcare system. The people are unhappy with personnel problems in the healthcare system or with the professional level of a ton of doctors even though there are some wonderful specialists that are every bit as good as their Western counterparts. The Ministry of Healthcare has never worked under such difficult conditions as today.

I do not fully understand how we still manage to improve indicators amid the ill-conceived optimisation. This is a separate issue. We clearly understand that the country is in a difficult situation and we are in the same boat. We make no secret of the fact that all of this is happening amid the general underfunding of the healthcare system, a growing shortage of qualified medical personnel at the practical level and outstanding problems related to medical student training and doctors’ qualifications.

By the way, we lack a coherent national programme to overcome the personnel shortage. “Some day” is just not good enough for the people now. Today, the situation at the primary care level is on the verge of disaster. We need such a programme. It would be a good idea to put this on our meeting’s agenda.

Another programme, without which progress is impossible and which should be formulated as a national programme, involves the entire sphere of professional medical activity that now falls within the purview of the Ministry of Healthcare and the National Medical Chamber, Russia’s largest medical association.

Generally, healthcare ministries in all leading countries do not deal with professional activity. All of this is delegated to professional organisations, which are responsible for specialist training standards. And we are grateful to you, Mr President, for your instruction. Within the remaining eighteen months, a step-by-step transition to self-regulation of professional activity will be codified in law: step by step, without undue haste, carefully, so as not to make foolish mistakes. And we are asking the Duma to facilitate this process.

As a first step, together with the Ministry of Healthcare, we are working on a system of state public administration of professional activity. All the documents related to professional activity are being discussed with the National Medical Chamber as an expert community before being signed into law. This is good.

What have we been able to achieve by working together? We have overhauled post-graduate education. Education should be a lifelong process for a doctor, not the way things were done in the past when doctors were sent for training only once every five years. However, the system should be convenient for doctors, which requires legislative action. We are developing professional standards in all areas of activity in order to specify what doctors should know, and what skills they should master by the time they complete a graduate course or an internship. This was not the case before.

This has turned out to be a daunting task. Standards for 30 qualifications have already been drafted, and we expect this effort to be completed this year. Professional standards should relate to specific employment conditions. For this reason, we will have to continue our work for many years to come. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Presidential National Council for Professional Qualifications chaired by Alexander Shokhin and the Labour Ministry for contributing to our efforts.

Professional standards are used to review educational programmes. At the same time, educational institutions should be properly equipped and baseline tariffs increased. The same goes for internships, since we are lagging behind in this area as well. Professional certification has gone beyond theoretical knowledge and now requires practical skills. We are now talking about a new approach to certifying professionals; accreditation commissions have been established in all regions where there are medical schools. These commissions are headed by representatives of medical associations from the National Medical Chamber.

What we want is for educational institutions to teach the profession, while we are in charge of professional certification. We made it clear that standards of the past had nothing to do with treatment and were no more than a pile of medical and economic terms. They had to be replaced by clinical recommendations, treatment protocols developed and approved under the law by professional bodies. There are currently more than 1,200 organisations of this kind. These efforts will carry on, and this provision should find its way into the law.

We have developed and are implementing the world’s best system for independent professional expertise based on an anonymous document workflow and extra-territorial principle. Make no mistake, all this should also be included in a special programme. We are working on these issues, but there are still challenges. I would like to ask you to ease the crippling administrative burden. We face fines for almost everything. No other profession faces this kind of pressure.

Let me repeat my personal opinion: we have to get rid of the unnecessary system of insurance companies that have latched onto our bodies and do nothing to improve the quality or accessibility of healthcare services. There are currently 12 insurance companies in our institution only. Each company comes when it wants, distracting us from work. This does nothing to improve the quality of healthcare. This is all just paperwork.

Mr President, you said that it is important to create an insurance system. I agree. However, when I asked insurers what it is be like, not a single company was able to tell me what it means in today’s world. Please, Mr President, we have to stop increasing salaries of medical workers by cutting staff. Mr Siluanov does not want to hear about it.

Forgive me, if I said something wrong. Thank you for your attention.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much.

Mr Fortov, please.



President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fortov:

Like Mr Roshal, I would like to thank Ms Skvortsova, though not for her tears or for looking a bit like Lenin. I want to thank her for working so hard to introduce research achievements in medical practice. This is very serious work. We see a powerful effect from the joint work of the Academy’s medical, physical, mathematical and biological institutes.

The Ministry, the Federal Agency for Scientific Organisations (FASO) and the Academy joined forced to prepare a programme titled Physics in Medicine. The thing is that the ability to understand and formulate problems and to create equipment is very high in physics, as you know. The use of this ability in medicine offers new opportunities.

A few examples. Plasma that generates light in lamps is unique in that its electronic component is hot and its ion component is cold. This property can be used to effectively kill microbes that are resistant to antibiotics.

We worked with Ms Skvortsova’s ministry to create a very effective device that employs opposite physical principles, which is nothing new. Take the femtosecond laser. Researchers can use it to emit extremely short pulses that need just one second to cover a distance that is one tenth of the thickness of a human hair. This offers fantastic opportunities in ophthalmology, cell management and in many other areas.

As a result of our work, we have created a programme, which I have recently discussed with you. In our opinion, this programme should be assisted, if possible, considering that it is a very far-reaching programme. Physicists would like to join it, too, which would bring together three components – agriculture, medicine and natural sciences – in one programme. And researchers from these three fields would work together. I am sure that this will help to make great strides in our work.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you, Mr Fortov.

Mr Repik, please.



President of Delovaya Rossiya Alexei Repik:

Mr President, both issues we are discussing today are very important. Low labour efficiency is one of the biggest obstacles to implementing the task you have set of boosting economic growth. Since we are responsible for developing digital healthcare in the framework of the HealthNet roadmap of the National Technology Initiative, I would like to focus on the first issue, which concerns the priority healthcare project. What Mr Fortov has said here is very important, because new technologies, such as electronic data in medicine, are a graphic example of convergence between medicine and other sciences, in this case, information technology.

There is global competition between technologies, groups and even countries not in the field of data collection but in data processing and the implementation of its results. Ultimately, it is not data that is important, but the mechanism of taking medical decisions on the basis of an algorithm created by artificial intelligence. In this case, artificial intelligence uses the analysis process for self-learning. In other words, it uses a large amount of data for learning to divide patients into groups and identify the parameters that influenced the health of each patient.

Large amounts of information are fed into the system, and the better this algorithm is tuned (special teams established under the National Technology Initiative have both the necessary knowledge and also international patents), the better the solution it offers. Therefore, we need to create a data format – the quality of the data is extremely important, too – so that these algorithms will not replace the doctor but help him, like a microscope, which does not replace human eyesight but is an additional instrument for enhancing its ability.

We must take into account the development of new-generation sensors and feedback equipment, which promises breakthrough progress in the collection of medical data. Mr President, it is also important that broadband internet access will be available at all healthcare facilities by the end of 2018, in keeping with your instructions, and the system will become fully operational. This access is needed not only for hospital staff to play computer games, but for using the data we collect to make decisions that will improve our KPI (Key Performance Indicator). This translates into a higher life expectancy and a better quality of life in Russia, as Ms Skvortsova said.

We will definitely reach these goals if we launch this system. In other words, I am in favour of using the competitive advantages of national medicine, of which there are many. For example, our Chinese colleagues have launched similar projects and invested millions of dollars in them, but this has not helped them create advantages comparable to those our classical medicine has, and so they are lagging behind us.

By the way, the growing demand for exporting our medical services indicates the high quality of our primary healthcare, something Ms Skvortsova talked about. In this context, I would like to ask you, Mr President, to instruct the Healthcare Ministry to launch a pilot project with HealthNet (a Healthcare Ministry supported project) in several regions to collect qualitative data that we can work with, nothing casual, but something we can actually use in decision making.

Of course, considering the sensitivity of this information, we must be very careful when dealing with medical data. We can rely on the experience of Rostec that worked on the integrated state healthcare information system and came up with solutions that will be available to every doctor. These innovations will be helpful both for the Healthcare Ministry and the Government in making Russia a leader in this area, to improve the quality of life and to increase the life expectancy even beyond the 76 years that Ms Skvortsova mentioned.

Thank you.



Vladimir Putin:

Ms Golodets, please.



Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets:

Mr President, I would like to come back to the issue of productivity. I think today we did not discuss one important aspect of this. Productivity is an economic indicator. When technical upgrades and the automation of manual tasks can bring an advantage and profits, businesses will always adapt. We can see it in the reports.

For example, in 2013 when the insurance rate on hazardous workplaces was increased, the number of such workplaces started to decrease rapidly. Since then, the number of hazardous jobs has been reduced by 800,000. This is how many people were relieved from occupational health risk only because insurance rates changed.

The current situation with labour efficiency is largely attributable to the fact that we have fallen behind schedule we have set for increasing the minimum wage, because labour costs at the lower end of the scale were undervalued. For example, last year 28 million people, or about one third of the workforce, changed jobs. People can easily resign and find a new job. Unemployment has not increased. Our employment offices helped four million people find jobs, and the number of job openings was always above 900,000. The figure reached one million in certain periods, and was sometimes lower, always remaining above the 900,000 threshold.

For this reason, in order to sync these processes in terms of labour efficiency, we need to go back to the fundamental issue of increasing the minimum wage, as had been agreed. This increase would immediately solve the issue of low-productivity jobs. In this sense, we are ready to provide every assistance to retrain people in advance, so that they do not face any difficulties in this situation. Mr President, I would like to ask you to issue instructions to this effect, including to the Labour Ministry, because this is a key issue as far as productivity is concerned.



Vladimir Putin:

Very well, thank you.

I would like to thank all the colleagues who took the floor, primarily those who prepared today’s meeting and discussions.

Of course, healthcare and labour efficiency are essential issues, since there is no way we can move forward and there will be no development unless these issues are addressed. What matters the most is that the conversations we had, the great plans and initiatives that were presented do not remain in mid-air. It is for this reason that I asked ministers questions about their plans, future work in these areas, implementation and timeframes.

I ask Mr Medvedev to report on this issue at one of our regular meetings that often take place without the media. I ask you to take this issue under your control in order to ensure that all deadlines are respected and all initiatives that were planned are implemented to an adequate standard.

Thank you very much.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54079
 
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Meeting with Metropolitan Kornily of Moscow and All Russia of Old-Rite Russian Orthodox Church



The President met with Metropolitan Kornily of Moscow and All Russia of the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church.



March 16, 2017 - 20:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow





The discussion focused on matters related to the life of the Old-Rite Church, its activity and prospects for its development.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54054






Meeting with Chairman of Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin



Vladimir Putin met with Chairman of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia and Chief Mufti of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin.



March 21, 2017 - 17:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow





They discussed current issues of the Muslim community. The meeting was held following regular communication between the President and representatives of Russian religious faiths.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54083
 
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Meeting with CIS Executive Secretary Nikolai Lebedev



Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Chairman of the Executive Committee and Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev.



March 21, 2017 - 18:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The discussion focused on the current situation in the Commonwealth and preparations for upcoming meetings of the CIS supreme bodies. The President, in particular, stressed that the development and strengthening of the Commonwealth of Independent States remains one of Russia’s priorities.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54084






Ceremony presenting officers appointed to senior command posts



Vladimir Putin met with officers appointed to senior command posts and awarded higher military (special) titles and ranks.



March 23, 2017 - 14:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow





Mr Putin congratulated the officers on their new appointments and outlined the tasks before the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, and intelligence and security services.

The President also thanked military service personnel taking part in the anti-terrorist operation in Syria for their high level of professionalism, courage, and heroism.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Comrade officers,

By tradition, members of the Armed Forces, intelligence services, law enforcement agencies and other security services are taking part in this ceremony today. I want to welcome you all to the Kremlin and congratulate you on your new senior appointments, ranks and titles.

You have performed worthily in your posts and carried out your missions with success. I hope that in your new qualities, you will make a significant contribution to strengthening Russia’s defence capability, ensuring our society’s stability and protecting our citizens’ safety.

Let me note that our Armed Forces have become considerably stronger over recent years and are capable of countering any aggression against Russia and protecting our people, our country, and our allies. Present here today are senior officers taking part in the Russian Armed Forces’ operation against terrorists in Syria. I want to thank you for your high level of professionalism, courage and heroism.

We will continue to develop our country’s defence potential and ensure that all branches of the armed forces have the latest arms and equipment. This concerns the strategic nuclear forces, above all. Their share of new weapons systems should surpass 60 percent by the end of 2020, and in some areas, will surpass 90 percent. High-precision weapons play a growing role in deterring potential aggressors. These systems have proved their worth in full measure during the anti-terrorist operations in Syria.

The army and navy will see their high-precision weapon offensive capability increase four-fold by 2021. The general forces, which play a key role in ground operations, will also see their combat capability bolstered. The ground forces, for example, will receive modern tanks and armoured personnel carriers based on the Armata and Kurganets models, as well as Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled artillery systems. New planes will increase our air force’s combat possibilities 1.5-fold, and the navy will receive modern new ships and submarines armed with high-precision cruise missiles.

Along with continuing the armed forces’ comprehensive rearmament, it is important to continue raising the personnel’s combat training. Last year, the number of exercises and training manoeuvres increased by 13 percent. The practice of snap inspections of units’ combat readiness continues to expand. I am sure that this experience will serve to further develop and enhance the armed forces.

Comrade officers,

Guaranteeing Russia’s security depends directly on the effective work of all law enforcement and security agencies, on your coordination and your well-organised cooperation on resolving common tasks.

The fight against terrorism remains one of the Federal Security Service’s priorities. As I said at the annual FSB board meeting in February, there is reason to be proud, there are clear successes, but you must continue improving your counterterrorist strategy and tactics. I ask you to work more actively, too, on your other key tasks, such as counterintelligence, combating economic crimes and corruption, and protecting key infrastructure sites.

The current situation places particular demands on the Foreign Intelligence Service. This is especially true of operational information on the nature and likely development of events in unstable zones in the Middle East and Africa and in some parts of Asia. Developments in the situation in other key regions of the world are equally important.

Effective protection of their rights and lawful interests – this is what our public expects from the police. It is important to raise the number of crimes solved, respond firmly to any manifestations of extremism, and consolidate the positive trends we see in the work of the traffic police, criminal investigation department, and local police officers.

Work continues to develop the Federal National Guard. The first snap inspection of the National Guard’s combat readiness showed their high level of training. It is important to make this new service highly mobile, give it modern weapons and equipment, and, of course, preserve the best traditions of the units that compose it.

At the recent annual meeting of the Prosecutor General Office’s Board, we discussed in detail the agency’s main tasks, which include responding to all violations of labour and social law and protecting the rights of pensioners, minors and other vulnerable population groups.

The Investigative Committee’s key tasks include forming a solid base of evidence for cases and making use of the latest forensic means. Thoroughness is particularly important in work on so-called latent crimes, including corruption-related crimes.

The Federal Guard Service shows a high level of professionalism, which we see in its work to ensure the safety of senior officials and foreign guests, protect important state facilities, and ensure the uninterrupted work of confidential communications systems. I am sure that you will continue to work just as confidently and reliably.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry has great responsibilities. One of the most important is to develop the unified state system for disaster prevention and relief. The Ministry also has work ahead to raise the level of public safety in public places and reduce the risks of manmade accidents and disasters.

The Federal Penitentiary Service has new tasks before it today, including the establishment of a new system of correction centres by 2019, which will enable us to reduce the number of people sentenced for crimes of low and medium seriousness and serving their sentences in the existing prison system.

Comrade officers,

The senior command staff play an exceptionally important role in carrying out the tasks ahead. I am sure that you will make every effort to live up to our expectations. I wish you success, good health, and all the very best to you and your families.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54096






Visit to Maly Theatre



Vladimir Putin attended a performance of Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “Last Victim” at the State Academic Maly Theatre.



March 23, 2017 - 22:00 - Moscow





The President also spoke to the theatre’s administration about the restoration of the historical stage completed in December 2016 and the current situation at the theatre.

Established in 1824, the State Academic Maly Theatre is one of the oldest theatres in Russia. It has played an important role in the development of Russian culture.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54100






Awarding of Presidential Prizes for Young Culture Professionals and for Writing and Art for Children and Young People



Vladimir Putin awarded the 2016 Presidential Prize for Young Culture Professionals and the 2016 Presidential Prize for Writing and Art for Children and Young People. The ceremony took place ahead of Culture Worker’s Day, which is celebrated on March 25.



March 24, 2017 - 12:45 - The Kremlin, Moscow





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, friends, prize winners,

Let me start by conveying my heartfelt congratulations on Culture Worker’s Day to all who work in this area, all those who pursue their talent and vocation in the theatre, cinema, literature, artwork, at concert venues and rural clubs, libraries and museums.

Culture serves as a beacon in our lives, providing a foundation and determining the environment in which we evolve. Culture epitomises a nation’s historical memory and the spiritual energy, which makes the culture worker profession a special, noble and responsible endeavour.

The key purpose in this area is to preserve and expand Russia’s unique cultural heritage, shape and strengthen values that bring together our society, promoting morality, taste, knowledge and behaviour patterns. All this is related to culture. Those who work in this area have a direct impact on the current cultural landscape in our country, its diversity not only in major cities, but also in smaller towns and rural areas.

Friends,

There is a good tradition to mark Culture Worker’s Day by awarding prizes to young culture professionals and for writing and art for children and young people.

At all times, it was important to search for and find creative language that would appeal to the young generation and help children understand such values as patriotism, justice, generosity, friendship and human decency. These are the qualities that can be attributed to most characters created by Leonid Shvartsman, a veteran of Russian animated cinematography. His filmography includes over 50 films, a huge legacy of hand-drawn and puppet animation that preserves the warmth of this outstanding artist’s hands and soul.

Cheburashka, - https://vnnforum.com/showpost.php?p=...6&postcount=36 - Gena the Crocodile, Shapoklyak, The Kitten Named Whoof and many other inimitable, moving characters full of kind humour have won millions of children’s – and adults’ – hearts, without exaggeration. These characters stay with us throughout our lives and we pass them on to our children and grandchildren. They remain compelling to every new generation.

Thank you, Mr Shvartsman, for your hard work and for creating an entire universe of animated films so loved by our people.

Among today’s winners is Vladimir Grammatikov, a renowned film director and representative of the top league of Russian cinema. His films always have a clear, open and honest message. They are interesting to both children and adults thanks to their stories about relationships, talented production, sincere and captivating themes and subtle irony.

Mr Grammatikov believes the purpose of art is to give people healing and hope. The same goal connects the participants of the Boomerang National Forum of Screen Arts. This unique cultural project brings together young creators and established masters of filmmaking, television and journalism.

Books for young children are a special area of literature. Funny, kind and imaginative poems and fairy tales by another prize winner, Anastasia Orlova, are well loved by both little kids and their parents. Her writing is highly regarded by fellow writers and followers of Agniya Barto, Samuil Marshak and Kornei Chukovsky.

Vera Lagutenkova has been awarded a prize for her contribution to developing art education in Russia. Ms Lagutenkova is a distinctive and delicate artist capable of portraying the joys of everyday life. She is also an art critic, teacher and exhibition organiser and curator. She finds new and fascinating ways to introduce people to the arts, and she does it with great professionalism and joy. A talented representative of the respected Russian school of painting, she helps talented children and expresses her proactive position in life through her paintings and social work.

Anton Shagin is a young and very talented actor who has proved his ability to play different characters in the theatre and cinema. He has won popularity with his virtuoso portrayal of these characters and a deep understanding of their inner world and the motives for their behaviour and actions.

Viktor Shalai has made it his goal and meaning in life to preserve and popularise Russia’s cultural and historical heritage. He has created many interesting permanent exhibitions at the Arseniev State Museum in Primorye Territory and initiated several important exhibitions and collection exchanges with other regional museums. Mr Shalai’s work at the museum has turned it into a modern cultural, historical and local history space and one of the most popular museums in Russia.

Dear prize winners,

Each of you has convincingly demonstrated your talent, loyalty to your professional choice and your creative endeavour. You have scored impressive results and have proved that this is only possible when you work hard and love your job.

I wholeheartedly thank you for your great contribution to Russia’s cultural development and wish you success and new achievements. Thank you for your attention.


<…>


Vladimir Putin:

Friends, prize winners,

I would like to respond to what our colleagues have said. I agree with the honourable prize winner about the need to improve intellectual property protection. What we absolutely must do is ensure that this process is transparent. We are thinking about it, and the relevant legislative amendments are being drafted with this objective in mind. I think that we will keep moving in this direction and together, with the support of creative intellectuals, we will achieve results that will not face any criticism or raise concerns, and will work for the people of the arts.

I would now like to challenge what some of the award winners have said about art being the only type of activity where things cannot be done by simply following guidelines or instructions. Of course, guidelines can be used in any activity, even in art. However, I do believe that in any activity there is place for creativity. For example, isn’t there place for creativity in culinary art? Of course there is, I assure you, and you know this all too well.

That said, there is no doubt that in its essence art is all about creativity, to the great joy of those who are involved in this area. It is truly a great joy to be creative. Nothing in my opinion is more gratifying than creating something. When coupled with talent, as is the case for each and every prize winner here today, this creativity benefits millions of people, not only those who create.

For that, we are very grateful.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54101

Last edited by Alex Him; March 25th, 2017 at 07:41 PM.
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #372
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Meeting with Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina



Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Governor of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina to discuss the 2016 results.



March 22, 2017 - 15:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The President also informed Ms Nabiullina that he would propose to the State Duma that they renew her mandate as Governor of the Central Bank.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Ms Nabiullina, let’s discuss the results for 2016 and the start of 2017. How do you assess the situation?



Governor of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina:

Overall, the situation is normalising and developing. Looking at the financial sector, we see that adaptation to the new conditions is complete now. If you recall, four years ago, we planned some changes to address problems that had built up with regulation and oversight in the financial sector. Of course, external events such as the big drop in oil prices and the restrictions on our financial institutions’ access to external markets had a big impact on our work. We were obliged to take additional measures in order to help the financial sector adapt to the new situation, and, most importantly, help the economy to adapt.

As we see it, the assessments show that 2014–2015 were difficult years for the banking system. They lost profits (profits fell up to five-fold) and their bad assets increased. But the results for 2016 show that the banking sector has either returned to the pre-2014 levels in most areas, or even surpassed them. Profits and capital have recovered. We think the banking system is ready now to increase lending, on a healthy and good-quality basis, what’s more, in order to avoid risks for banks’ depositors and creditors.

Over this time, we continued our policy of cleaning up the banking system, despite the difficult circumstances, because problems really had built up and some banks’ assets existed only on paper. When the economy is growing, this is not hard to hide, but when the economy runs into difficulties, it all becomes evident very rapidly. Over these last four years, we have been forced to revoke the licences of more than 300 banks and 317 lending organisations.

In 70 percent of cases, one of the reasons, sometimes the main reason, was that these banks were taking part in the shadow economy and were involved in dubious operations. We see progress now, because when we began this work actively in 2013, we estimated illegal capital outflow at 1.7 trillion, but we estimate that it came to around 183 billion in 2016. This is still a lot, but it is nonetheless a nine-fold drop. The same is true for turning funds into cash. We estimated this at 1.2 trillion when we began, and now it is slightly more than 500 billion. There is still work to do here, though.

The problem is that not only banks are involved in this. We were forced to go through the banking system, which is the infrastructure, to resolve problems with the dubious operations that were taking place in payment terminals. We succeeded in resolving this problem, including with the use of postal service infrastructure and going through the travel agencies.

The problem today is the use of enforcement orders. They are being used to take money out, and we see that operations of this kind are on the rise. This shows that there is no room for complacency, because illegal revenue, attempts to take capital out of the country, attempts to turn it into cash, all put pressure on the system and are on the lookout for any possible loopholes. We will continue to work actively in this area.



Vladimir Putin:

You asked me to help you with relations with the law enforcement agencies. How is this work organised?



Elvira Nabiullina:

This cooperation has improved and become more effective, and far more cases are opened now following our requests. We are now working in two areas with the law enforcement system. Aside from our routine work and briefings, there is the issue of falsified accounts and reports. It seems we need legal amendments, and we are currently working on this with the law enforcement agencies. We are also working with them on the problem of the so-called ‘runaway bankers’ – when people leave the country. We are holding inter-agency discussions on this issue. There are several proposals on how to resolve this problem, but we see that it can be resolved.

There is another problem for which we also put forward an initiative. It concerns bank secrecy. The Central Bank has always taken a hard line on the transfer of information related to bank secrecy to whoever, because this is an important element of trust in the banking system. However, sometimes we get a vicious circle, when we inform law enforcement agencies about certain violations and they do not have sufficient grounds for opening a criminal case because they lack the relevant information. They may only receive it once criminal proceedings are initiated. So we propose transferring documents covered by bank secrecy when there are signs of such violations, and only in such cases, to ensure that criminal proceedings are initiated as soon as possible and to hold the owners and managers of such banks to account in a more effective manner.



Vladimir Putin:

The return of term deposits should be guaranteed.



Elvira Nabiullina:

Yes, it should be guaranteed unconditionally, because what often happens is that days before [a bank’s] license is revoked, [its] assets are stripped, and here it is important for us to protect depositors’ and investors’ rights.

However, it needs to be said that overall, the deposit insurance system is quite effective. It may be recalled that in 2015 we actually doubled insurance coverage – from 700,000 to 1.4 million [rubles]. The system helps streamline the banking sector.

There is another area to which I would like to draw your attention. Negative factors have revealed the vulnerability of our financial system. Not all the essential infrastructure elements have been put in place in our country. I mean, for example, the plastic cards system and the payment card processing system in general. At that time we transferred all operations on international cards to domestic processing quickly enough, in less than a year. Last year, 2016, our efforts were focused on creating complete infrastructure for using our own Mir cards. At present, over 90 percent of ATMs and payment terminals are ready to process Mir cards and we consider 2017 important, crucial for the use of Mir cards on a large scale.

The vulnerability of our reinsurance system was also revealed. We did not have sufficient reinsurance capacity and last year legislation was passed – thank you for supporting this draft law – and in the second half of the year we established a risk reinsurance company, reinsuring risks especially for our enterprises subject to sanctions, and it is gaining momentum.

There were similar threats related to our suspension from the SWIFT system. We also upgraded our payments system, and should something happen in the country all operations in the SWIFT format will proceed as usual. We have created a SWIFT analogue and the basic elements of financial market infrastructure that were lacking were put in place.

Here, it was probably very important that in 2013 the Central Bank became a mega regulator and so we were able to take a comprehensive view of the financial market as a whole. A lot of work still lies ahead on closing regulatory gaps and tightening oversight not only over the banking sector but also over insurance companies and non-state pension funds.

From our perspective, this is a very important area because overall, they are not very well developed. Their total assets account for about 10 percent of GDP. Whereas the banking system’s assets already slightly exceed GDP – here, there is huge potential for long money and generally, for ensuring that the financial sphere makes a bigger contribution to economic growth, to investment and economic growth. There are still plenty of problems here, including in mandatory third-party liability insurance, which is a highly sensitive sector. We have yet to address all its problems. New legislation is pending and we hope that the situation will improve.

Such are the results of our work in the past four years.



Vladimir Putin:

Good.

Your term of office is coming to an end.



Elvira Nabiullina:

It expires in late June 2017. Under the law, the President names a new candidate three months before the term is due to expire.



Vladimir Putin:

Ms Nabiullina, you headed up the Central Bank at a difficult time for both the global and the Russian economy. During this time the bank has emerged as an even more important regulator – as you have just said, a mega regulator. It regulates virtually the entire financial market, the entire financial sphere. The Central Bank is crucial for the health of the Russian economy as a whole. Whatever the Central Bank does at this difficult time, whatever steps it takes, this always elicits a response from expert circles and from the public, and whatever the Central Bank does is always a subject of debate.

Having said that, it is perfectly obvious that under your leadership, the Central Bank has done a great deal to stabilise the economic situation in general and to ensure the stable development of the banking sector, as well as the entire financial system. I very much hope that under your leadership, our leading financial institution, our main financial regulator will continue to work just as confidently, making necessary and timely decisions. I therefore intend to submit your candidacy to the State Duma for a new term as Central Bank Chair.



Elvira Nabiullina:

Thank you very much, Mr President. Thank you for your continuing trust. I am confident that in working to meet the goals set by the law, the Central Bank will make a positive contribution to the development of the Russian economy.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54087






Vladimir Putin nominated Elvira Nabiullina for the post of Central Bank Governor



March 22, 2017 - 15:45



According to Article 83 (c) of the Russian Federation Constitution and Article 14 of the Federal Law On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (the Bank of Russia), the President presented Elvira Nabiullina as a nominee for Central Bank Governor starting June 24, 2017, to the State Duma.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/acts/news/54091
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #373
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Meeting of the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign States



Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign States.



March 22, 2017 - 17:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The Commission’s results for 2016 and the main areas of military technical cooperation for 2017–2019 were the items on the agenda.

Before the meeting, Mr Putin congratulated Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his birthday and presented him with a collection of poetry by Russian poet and diplomat Fyodor Tyutchev (1803–1873).





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

This is the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation’s first meeting this year. I propose that we review the 2016 results and discuss the upcoming tasks in this area.

There have been some changes to the Commission’s membership. We will discuss this too, later. I hope that our colleagues will work effectively. I count on this, and I wish you success.

Regarding the 2016 results, Russia confidently held the second place in the world in 2016 in terms of military exports, which came to more than $15 billion. I remind you that we had a result of $14.5 billion in 2015. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates that Russia accounts for 23 percent of global arms exports. The United States is substantially ahead, with 33 percent, and after us come China, with 6.2 percent, France, with 6 percent, and Germany, with 5.6 percent.

Thanks to their well-coordinated work, Russia’s defence industry companies not only performed with success on the competitive global market, but surpassed their target objectives. This is the case, above all, for companies such as MiG, NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Almaz-Antey, and Russian Helicopters. Their results are good, even excellent. MiG surpassed its target objectives by 118 percent, Rosoboronexport by 101 percent, NPO Mashinostroyeniya by 155 percent, Almaz-Antey (air defence systems) by 185 percent, and Russian Helicopters by 327 percent.

There is stable demand for Russian military exports and we export to 52 countries around the world. Last year, we signed new contracts for a total of $9.5 billion. Our defence industry’s export portfolio thus remains at the $50-billion level.

We plan to increase Russia’s presence on the global arms and military equipment market, enter new markets, expand our product range, and improve our arms’ quality characteristics. Last year, we signed 18 international contracts in the military technical cooperation area.

Russia’s arms are showing just how reliable and effective they are in the fight against terrorism in the Syrian Arab Republic and throughout the Middle East.

The use of aviation and air defence systems in real combat conditions is giving our flight, engineering and technical crews invaluable experience. The same is true for those enhancing our air defence systems and developing military goods. I want to thank them for their active work and for responding rapidly to feedback coming in when the military goods are in use. Our military goods are being put to use with success not just in combat conditions, in battle, but in humanitarian aims too.

For example, our newest mine clearing systems have been used to clear mines in Aleppo and Palmyra, and our equipment has been used to neutralise terrorists’ chemical weapons. Our mobile field hospitals, field kitchens have proven their effectiveness, as have our engineering systems, which help to restore civilian life and restore electricity and water supply to towns.

Let me note that we must continue to constantly analyse the experience we gain through practical use of our defence technology and improve our military training methods. This approach will help to develop ties within the military technical cooperation system and improve the quality of our defence industry’s goods.

Let’s start work.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54089



About Fyodor Tyutchev - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1099

Last edited by Alex Him; March 25th, 2017 at 09:01 PM.
 
Old March 25th, 2017 #374
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Meeting of the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign States



Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign States.



March 22, 2017 - 17:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The Commission’s results for 2016 and the main areas of military technical cooperation for 2017–2019 were the items on the agenda.

Before the meeting, Mr Putin congratulated Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his birthday and presented him with a collection of poetry by Russian poet and diplomat Fyodor Tyutchev (1803–1873).





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

This is the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation’s first meeting this year. I propose that we review the 2016 results and discuss the upcoming tasks in this area.

There have been some changes to the Commission’s membership. We will discuss this too, later. I hope that our colleagues will work effectively. I count on this, and I wish you success.

Regarding the 2016 results, Russia confidently held the second place in the world in 2016 in terms of military exports, which came to more than $15 billion. I remind you that we had a result of $14.5 billion in 2015. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates that Russia accounts for 23 percent of global arms exports. The United States is substantially ahead, with 33 percent, and after us come China, with 6.2 percent, France, with 6 percent, and Germany, with 5.6 percent.

Thanks to their well-coordinated work, Russia’s defence industry companies not only performed with success on the competitive global market, but surpassed their target objectives. This is the case, above all, for companies such as MiG, NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Almaz-Antey, and Russian Helicopters. Their results are good, even excellent. MiG surpassed its target objectives by 118 percent, Rosoboronexport by 101 percent, NPO Mashinostroyeniya by 155 percent, Almaz-Antey (air defence systems) by 185 percent, and Russian Helicopters by 327 percent.

There is stable demand for Russian military exports and we export to 52 countries around the world. Last year, we signed new contracts for a total of $9.5 billion. Our defence industry’s export portfolio thus remains at the $50-billion level.

We plan to increase Russia’s presence on the global arms and military equipment market, enter new markets, expand our product range, and improve our arms’ quality characteristics. Last year, we signed 18 international contracts in the military technical cooperation area.

Russia’s arms are showing just how reliable and effective they are in the fight against terrorism in the Syrian Arab Republic and throughout the Middle East.

The use of aviation and air defence systems in real combat conditions is giving our flight, engineering and technical crews invaluable experience. The same is true for those enhancing our air defence systems and developing military goods. I want to thank them for their active work and for responding rapidly to feedback coming in when the military goods are in use. Our military goods are being put to use with success not just in combat conditions, in battle, but in humanitarian aims too.

For example, our newest mine clearing systems have been used to clear mines in Aleppo and Palmyra, and our equipment has been used to neutralise terrorists’ chemical weapons. Our mobile field hospitals, field kitchens have proven their effectiveness, as have our engineering systems, which help to restore civilian life and restore electricity and water supply to towns.

Let me note that we must continue to constantly analyse the experience we gain through practical use of our defence technology and improve our military training methods. This approach will help to develop ties within the military technical cooperation system and improve the quality of our defence industry’s goods.

Let’s start work.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54089



About Fyodor Tyutchev - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1099
Putin is on his way out, with his bitch boy Trump.
 
Old March 26th, 2017 #375
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Putin is on his way out, with his bitch boy Trump.
The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.
 
Old April 1st, 2017 #376
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Meeting with Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.



March 27, 2017 - 15:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



Bilateral relations were the main subject on the agenda, in particular, developing trade and investment cooperation.

The two leaders also exchanged views on current international and regional issues.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, Mr Prime Minister. It is a great pleasure to see you in Moscow.

Let me say that our common efforts have succeeded in changing the situation in the trade and economic sector for the better, not by much as yet, but nonetheless.

We saw a slight increase of around 2 percent in bilateral trade last year. Your Government’s efforts meant that this increase was mostly thanks to growing exports from Serbia to Russia. Some sectors were leaders in this, agriculture, for example, with an increase of around 40 percent.

We have good joint projects that are developing actively, especially in the energy sector. I am sure we will discuss all of this today.

Of course, we know that Serbia will soon hold presidential elections. We are sure that in today’s Serbia, in today’s conditions, this election will be of the highest standard, and we wish good luck to the current authorities.

No matter how the political situation develops, we are sure that our bilateral relations will continue to develop just as positively, in the spirit of friendship that has characterised our ties over these last years.

Of course, we very much want to discuss with you the situation in the region today, because various outside signs suggest that a degree of escalation is taking place. We would like to discuss all of this with you today.

Welcome.



Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic:

Mr President, thank you for the warm reception and for your hospitality.

I want to say that we need to thank you personally and the Russian Federation for supporting the Republic of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. As you said, I hope and am sure that we will have plenty of opportunities to increase our bilateral trade and economic ties.

We will discuss the situation in the region. I think that this is important for both countries. It is very important that, as you know, we remain committed to our national independence, freedom and military neutrality. We will discuss together all of this and examine the steps we need to take for the future.

Once again, thank you very much for your friendship. I am absolutely certain that we will take our relations to a very high level. Thank you once again for this very warm reception.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54109






Meeting with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani



Vladimir Putin met with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani in the Kremlin.



March 28, 2017 - 17:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The two leaders discussed prospects for expanding trade, economic and investment ties, including in the context of implementing major joint projects in energy and transport infrastructure. They exchanged views on important current issues on the global and regional agenda.

Following the talks, Mr Putin and Mr Rouhani adopted a Joint Statement of the President of the Russian Federation and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In addition, a package of cooperation agreements in various fields was signed within the framework of the Iranian President’s official visit to Russia, including documents on cooperation in railway transport, oil and gas, information technologies and communications, nuclear energy, construction, sport, tourism and the legal sphere.

Mr Putin and Mr Rouhani also made statements for the press.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues and friends, I am happy to welcome you to Moscow.

Mr President, the last time we met was in Baku last summer. I am glad to have this opportunity to welcome you to the Russian capital.

Russia and Iran have maintained cooperation for many years, if not centuries. We established diplomatic relations over 500 years ago. Iran is a good neighbour and a reliable and stable partner for Russia.

We have been cooperating successfully in nearly all areas, including on the international stage to address acute international problems, as well as in the economy. We attained substantial results in all these areas in the past few years.

Suffice it to say that last year our trade grew 70 percent, which is a unique achievement amid the current economic difficulties. These results have been largely achieved thanks to your contribution, Mr President, and thanks to the efforts of your Government.

We are very glad to see you in Moscow. Welcome.



President of Iran Hassan Rouhani (retranslated):

Mr President, I am happy to be the guest of the Russian Government and people and your personal guest. It is our first foreign visit this year, and we are glad [that we have come to Russia] because this is evidence of the further development of our close ties.

Relations between our countries have been developing consistently over the past three and a half years. This is not our first meeting, and when I look at the achievements we attained after each of our meetings, I see that we have achieved a great deal.

Our interaction has entered a new stage when we can speak about a new quality of our relations. I hope that new steps will be taken during this visit to promote our cooperation still more.

We have accumulated considerable experience in the joint fight against terrorism and the drug threat. Our ultimate goal is to strengthen peace and stability in the region. The development of our relations is not directed against other countries.

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54119






Press statements following talks with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani



Following the Russian-Iranian talks, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani made press statements.



March 28, 2017 - 17:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

The talks with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani, who is in Russia on an official visit, were held in a businesslike and constructive manner. You have seen us sign a comprehensive Joint Statement and a major package of intergovernmental, interdepartmental and corporate documents. Thus, we can state with confidence that relations between Russia and Iran are truly of a friendly and respectful nature.

Our states strive in every way to strengthen our multifaceted, mutually beneficial ties, and aim to bring our cooperation, through joint efforts, to the next level of strategic partnership. Mr Rouhani and I have agreed to continue to maintain an intensive political dialogue between our two countries, and to deepen Russian-Iranian cooperation in various areas, primarily the economy.

We noted with satisfaction that trade between Russia and Iran grew by more than 70 percent in 2016. This is a truly good result, since we managed to achieve it amid an unstable global economy and persisting volatility on the commodity and currency markets.

During a meeting with heads of departments and representatives of major businesses, the participants analysed the opportunities for increasing mutual flows of goods and investments, and expanding contacts in the sphere of innovations and innovative technology. In this regard, specific tasks have been set for the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission and the High Commission of Russian-Iranian Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

In particular, it was deemed necessary to step up the implementation of the Roadmap for Cooperation in Trade and Industry. We noted the importance of creating favourable conditions for reciprocal deliveries of agricultural products and food, as well as developing interbank ties and using national currencies in mutual settlements. Both sides also expressed their support for creating a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran.

Particular attention was paid to bilateral projects in the nuclear power industry. Russia is providing substantial assistance to Iran in this area. Moreover, our cooperation strictly complies with international law, IAEA requirements and all provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme.

The first unit of the Bushehr NPP built by Rosatom has reached its design capacity, is operating stably and generates electricity for the Iranian economy. Documents are being coordinated for building the second and the third NPP units.

Russia is involved in developing other energy sectors in Iran. State loans in the amount of 2.2 billion euros have been set aside for financing the construction of the Sirik thermal power plant on the Persian Gulf shore and the adaptation of railway electric traction in northern Iran.

We see good potential for expanding our cooperation in the oil and gas sector. Leading Russian companies have achieved a number of important agreements for developing major hydrocarbon fields in Iran. Our states cooperate within the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and coordinate their efforts in order to stabilise international oil markets.

We also focused on ways to expand cooperation in engineering and civil aviation. The agenda includes possible deliveries to Iran of modern medium-haul aircraft such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100, as well as helicopters for Iran’s medical aviation.

We agreed with our Iranian partners to do our best to promote the development of direct ties between the regions of our two countries, and to hold a Russian-Iranian Forum of Interregional Cooperation in Astrakhan before the end of this year.

Russia and Iran attach great importance to building up interaction in the sphere of culture and education. Ten Iranian universities now have Russian language and literature departments. This year, Iran received 92 scholarships paid for from the Russian budget; another 82 Iranian students enrolled with Russian universities on a paid basis.

An agreement on simplifying mutual travel terms for the citizens of the two countries helps expand contacts between our peoples. Last year alone, the number of Russian visas issued to Iranians grew by 73 percent. I am confident that the implementation of the agreement on visa-free group tours that was signed today will boost tourist exchanges between our countries.

Of course, Mr Rouhani and I touched upon important regional and international issues. I would note that the positions of our countries are quite close on many issues of international politics.

We consider it important to further strengthen our cooperation in fighting international terrorism. Russia and Iran coordinate their efforts as we try to eliminate ISIS and al-Nusra and to settle the situation in Syria. Largely due to our joint efforts, we have succeeded in achieving the cessation of hostilities and extending this to a significant portion of Syria.

The participation of Russia and Iran, along with Turkey, as guarantor countries in the Astana talks between the representatives of the armed opposition and the Syrian government is an important contribution to advancing a peaceful political settlement in Syria, and facilitating inter-Syrian talks and the corresponding process under the UN auspices in Geneva.

We discussed the situation in Afghanistan, noting the importance of achieving national reconciliation in that country. Russia believes it is quite useful that, in the wake of multilateral talks held in Moscow in February, Iran joined in the international efforts aimed at launching constructive dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Our country also supports Iran's plans to step up cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which, of course, will have a favourable influence on the developments in the region.

In light of the upcoming 5th Caspian Summit in Astana, the parties noted the advisability of completing the work on drafting the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea as soon as possible.

In closing, I would like to emphasise once again that, in general, the talks were thorough and effective. I would like to thank President Rouhani and all our Iranian colleagues. I am confident that the agreements reached today will give further impetus to strengthening our mutually beneficial cooperation across all areas.

I have asked Mr President to convey our very best wishes to the spiritual leader of Iran, who is our great friend.



President of Iran Hassan Rouhani (re-translated):

In the name of God, the most gracious and merciful,

First, I would like to thank the Government of the Russian Federation and the people of Russia for their warm and sincere hospitality. On behalf of the Iranian delegation, I would like to express our gratitude and thank His Excellency, President Putin, for the invitation which was extended to me and my accompanying delegation.

During today's talks in restricted and expanded formats, we discussed relations between our two countries, and reached new agreements to promote and encourage our trade and economic ties.

The relationship between our two countries, from the perspective of expanding economic, trade and tourism relations, show that our bilateral ties have improved over the past year. The decisions that were made in recent months, as well as the ones that were made today, show that we are on a path towards comprehensive development of our economic, cultural, and scientific relations, and that we are moving towards establishing strategic ties.

Earlier decisions to build two new Bushehr NPP units and a thermal power plant in Bandar Abbas, to promote cooperation between our respective railways and to electrify the Garmsar-Inche Burun railway are being implemented. Also, we are acting upon the agreements between our countries to promote trade in food and agricultural products, as well as in industry.

During this visit, decisions were made regarding new areas of cooperation, and all these areas show that we are at a new stage in our economic relations, and our overall links have graduated from ordinary to major long-term projects. We are making the right decisions serving the long-term strategy of our relations.

We discussed developing the North-South transport corridor, privileges and preferences that have emerged along the way in trade between our two countries for our entrepreneurs, as well as the efforts undertaken by Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan. The most recent meeting of this ”triangle“ was held in Baku, and these tripartite relations will continue for the benefit of our peoples.

In the sphere of science, culture and tourism, the decisions that were made on technology, research institutes and our universities will lead to the expansion of our relations.

We also discussed the formation of a Free Trade Zone between Iran and the EAEU member countries. This, too, can promote trade between the EAEU countries and Iran and create conditions in regional trade.

We also discussed regional issues at our meeting today, including peace and security in the region, as well as the establishment of closer relations between the countries and the peoples of the region. We discussed the concerns that exist with regard to Syria and Yemen, and other countries of the region, as well as our cooperation in fighting terrorism. We will continue fighting it until terrorist acts stops in the entire region. The talks in Astana with the participation of Iran, Russia and Turkey will also continue, so that the people of Syria can exercise their national rights.

With regard to the international agenda and the close ties that exist between our countries, in particular, with regard to implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), I would be remiss not to mention the assistance that Russia has provided in order to achieve the agreement and implement the JCPoA, to build the nuclear power plant and to promote fuel production. Our cooperation on international norms and rules within the IAEA and our agreement on the JCPoA will continue, and both our countries stressed that the JCPoA has become stronger and is being implemented, and our interaction on peaceful nuclear issues is being properly coordinated.

We discussed the legal issues related to the Caspian Sea and further steps to be taken in this area in order to sign documents during the summit. This was another topic which we discussed today.

The signing of today's documents shows that we are moving forward along the path of developing our bilateral relations. So, once again I want to thank His Excellency President Putin, as well as the ministers of the Russian Government, for your warm hospitality.

Thank you very much.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54138






Meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto



Within the framework of the international forum Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto



March 30, 2017 - 16:00 - Arkhangelsk





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues, friends, welcome to Arkhangelsk.

I would like to thank you once again for accepting our invitation. Your participation in these discussions on the Arctic’s development is extremely important because we are all Arctic countries and this kind of open and free discussion creates an atmosphere of trust and creates conditions for resolving the region’s development issues.

Of course, we also have the opportunity today to discuss our bilateral relations.

We are very happy to see you.



President of Finland Sauli Niinisto (retranslated):

Thank you very much. It was with pleasure that we have come here. It is very important that you, Vladimir, support discussion and dialogue on the Arctic, which is a focus of attention now. Finland will soon take on the presidency in the Arctic Council, and all that we take away from here, from this forum, will help us in our further work.

There are also many bilateral issues that it would be useful to discuss. As always, I would be keen to know and hear your view of the world.

Thank you very much for the invitation.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54150






Meeting with President of Iceland Gudni Johannesson



Within the framework of the international forum Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of Iceland Gudni Johannesson.



March 30, 2017 - 16:45 - Arkhangelsk





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues, let me welcome you once again at this meeting in a broader format.

I would like to begin this meeting by saying that the presence of the President of Iceland at events of this kind, devoted to the Arctic and its problems, has become an excellent tradition now. We are very grateful to you for this and are very pleased indeed to see you.

In this respect, let me recall that the Soviet Union was of the first countries to recognise Iceland’s national independence and actively supported Iceland in the so-called cod wars…



President of Iceland Gudni Johannesson:

Indeed. Thank you.



VladimirPutin:

…Including with respect to the sanctions that some Western countries imposed on Iceland back then.

Our relations are developing positively. I would like very much to discuss our economic ties.

I am pleased to have this chance today, on the sidelines of this forum, to discuss our bilateral relations.

Thank you.



Gudni Johannesson:

(In Russian.) Thank you very much.

(In English.) Vladimir Vladimirovich, it has been a pleasure to be here with you at this conference. And I think it is fitting, in a sense, that we are in Arkhangelsk, because you mentioned history, how the authorities in Moscow were among the first to recognise the independence of Iceland in the old days, and their support in the fishing disputes. During the Second World War, convoys also connected Iceland and Arkhangelsk. The convoys would gather in Hvalfjordur in Iceland, some of them at least, and then sail onwards to Arkhangelsk. So it is a pleasure for me as a historian to come to this historic place, and I actually thoroughly enjoyed going to the nautical museum in Arkhangelsk this morning, and I have enjoyed the conference in its entirety as well.

And let me just add as well that even though I thoroughly enjoy history, and I’m sure we could have many interesting discussions on the past, in my relatively new position as President, I must look forward, and see how we can improve the relations between Iceland and Russia. And looking at the past, I see no reason why we could not go down the road of further improvement.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54152
 
Old April 1st, 2017 #377
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Meeting with leadership of the National Guard



Vladimir Putin met with the heads of the Federal National Guard Service.



March 27, 2017 - 18:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Comrade officers,

I want to congratulate you on your professional holiday [National Guards’ Day] and express the hope that the decisions we have taken at the presidential and legislative levels about establishing this new federal security organisation will prove useful.

Your areas of work are of great importance: maintaining and protecting public law and order, and control over the circulation of weapons. This is very important anywhere in the world today, and important here in Russia too.

The latest terrorist attack in the Republic of Chechnya, where they attacked a national guard unit, causing victims – I ask you to pay attention to supporting the families of your colleagues who were killed – shows that control over the circulation of weapons is a critically important, even one of the most important, areas of work.

The fight against terrorism and against any terrorist manifestations, no matter where they take place, is extremely important, and all of the security and law enforcement agencies give this their utmost attention.

The National Guard’s establishment is going according to plan, and I want to thank you for this. The work is proceeding smoothly and the relevant executive order and federal law are being implemented with the hoped-for pace and quality.

We must monitor this work constantly. I count very much on your professionalism and your ability to work for results in the interests of our people.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54111






Gala evening marking National Guards’ Day



Vladimir Putin attended a gala evening marking National Guards’ Day, which was celebrated for the first time this year.



March 27, 2017 - 19:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, comrade officers,

I congratulate you on your professional holiday. Today, on this special occasion, you are receiving the banner of the National Guard troops.

This military relic embodies the honour and valour of many generations of defenders of our fatherland, symbolises their glorious traditions, and underscores the unbroken historical links.

This new federal service was established only recently, in April last year, and it has already become an important component in ensuring our national and public security.

The National Guard’s personnel act decisively and with result, demonstrating courage and heroism. Of course, we will always remember our comrades who sacrificed their lives to protect our country and our people’s lives and peace.

The National Guard was formed by special operations units from the Interior Ministry, riot police and special rapid response forces. It counts among its ranks units from extra-departmental security forces that have demonstrated their abilities.

You have solid human resources potential and great professional experience, and the needed operations and technical possibilities. Your direct responsibility is to put this enormous potential to best use in protecting Russia’s national interests and our people’s rights and freedoms.

Effective action against extremism, terrorism and organised crime is one of your priority tasks. You must not only consolidate the success already obtained in these areas, but must keep moving forward, revealing the plans of terrorists and extremists, cutting off their contacts with groups abroad, and respond professionally to any attempts to destabilise public order in our country, no matter what the pretext.

You must ensure reliable protection of state sites, particularly strategic facilities, keep strict control over the circulation of weapons, and coordinate the activity of all types of security organisations. Of course, it is important to develop cooperation with civil society and ensure you have our people’s support.

I am sure that you understand well the scale and importance of these tasks and will do everything possible to resolve them rapidly and competently, and stay loyal to your duty and your oath.

I wish the National Guard’s heads and personnel success, and I wish your families and loved ones good health, happiness and all the very best.

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54115
 
Old April 1st, 2017 #378
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Meeting with employees of Russian Arctic National Park



Vladimir Putin met with employees of the Omega field base of the Russian Arctic National Park on Alexandra Land Island of Franz Josef Land.



March 29, 2017 - 19:30 - Arkhangelsk Region







President Vladimir Putin (to acting director of Russian Arctic National Park AlexanderKirillov):

Mr Kirillov, as our host, what have you got to say?



Alexander Kirillov:

We have shown you only a small part of what we have here. The Arctic, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and the entire territory of the park are extremely diverse. I tried to tell you briefly about many different projects, but I did not have time to be thorough.

For me, this is a labour of love. I am a lucky man, in a way, because my job coincides with my favourite pastime, along with research and management functions. So, if possible, I would like to invite you to the Arctic in summer to show you how beautiful it is, not only in the snow, but in summer as well. You will see poppies in bloom, buttercups, rockfoil – all kinds of flowers.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much. Mr Medvedev and I would like to thank you for your interesting account and for the results of your work. We were spellbound listening to you during our trip. We listened with interest and pleasure. You should be writing books. I think you do write. If so, do carry on. You told us about the history, geology and everything else. However, I will remind you again that I made several labour-saving suggestions.



Alexander Kirillov:

I will take them into consideration.



Vladimir Putin:

We determined that some things could be done more quickly, but in fact, all this was said half-jokingly. Speaking seriously, you have done a tremendous job in difficult conditions, under Government guidance, of course –the Ministry in this case. I would like to thank you – and not only you and the Ministry, but also some other agencies are responsible for all this. I think we have managed it all together. We should go on like this, not only in the Year of the Environment.

Indeed, we did not launch the Arctic clean up in the Year of the Environment, but much earlier. It is very good that you are carrying out essential fundamental research and your routine practical duties at the same time. Your achievements are used in Russia and, as far as I know, abroad. You attract your colleagues from abroad here. They come, they observe and they participate. That is excellent. Thank you very much.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54155






Meeting on Arctic region’s comprehensive development



In the course of his trip to Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Archipelago Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the comprehensive development of the Arctic region.



March 29, 2017 - 21:20 - Arkhangelsk Region



Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Sergei Donskoy, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Special Presidential Representative for Nature Protection, the Environment, and Transport Sergei Ivanov also took part in the meeting.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

During the first part of the meeting, we examined what has been done during the Year of the Environment with regard to this particular environmental issue. I would like to thank the Government, the ministries and agencies, the Environment Ministry, the Defence Ministry and other agencies that took part in this work. A tremendous amount of work has been done and tens of thousands of tonnes of waste have been cleared. Metal objects, containers, fuel and lubricant waste, all that was left here after Russia all but withdrew from the region in the early 1990s. Nothing got cleaned up back then. Everything was left as it was, and it was starting to create a serious threat to this region’s highly fragile ecosystem.

We were briefed on what is happening in the military area. I would like now to focus on economic matters. I would like to remind you that this region has tremendous significance for bolstering Russia’s position in the world and guaranteeing our economic interests. Our Arctic zone covers a surface of 3.4 million square kilometres and accounts for nearly 20 percent – 19.9 percent – of our country’s territory.

The Arctic zone is one of the country’s biggest raw materials sources and has practically untouched reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals of global significance. These resources are important not only for Russia but for the entire world. However, the Arctic region cannot function effectively without state regulation and support. The region is home to the main reserves of a number of minerals of decisive significance for Russia’s economic development. The Arctic region holds 80 percent of Russia’s explored economic gas reserves, for example. It holds 90 percent of Russia’s offshore hydrocarbon reserves. The Barents and Kara seas between them hold 70 percent of our offshore reserves.

The Arctic Ocean’s deep-water zones are predicted to hold enormous quantities of hydrocarbons, approximately 15–20 billion tonnes of reference fuel. The Russian Academy of Sciences estimates that the Arctic zone contains the bulk of Russian and global reserves of a number of minerals: 40 percent of the gold reserves, 60 percent of oil reserves, from 60 to 90 percent of gas reserves, and 30 percent of global gas reserves, 90 percent of chrome and manganese, 47 percent of platinum reserves, 100 percent of bedrock diamonds, and more.

The Arctic region’s subsoil resources are estimated to be worth more than $30 trillion, with energy resources accounting for two thirds of this. Our Arctic zone accounts for 100 percent of the diamonds, antimony, apatites and other metals and minerals, rare metals, rare earth elements mined here, 98 percent of the platinoids, 95 percent of gas, 90 percent of nickel and cobalt, and 60 percent of copper and oil. This is all produced here, in the Arctic region.

The total value of known subsoil mineral reserves in the Arctic zone is estimated at around $1.5–2 trillion. However, much of the subsoil reserves in the region have yet to be explored and developed. The current level of development does not match the potential of this region, which currently provides around 11 percent of our national revenue and up to 22 percent of our exports.

Many mineral deposits are truly unique. Russia’s extensive continental shelf in the northern seas, with its rich natural resources, together with the biological resources of Russia’s 200-mile economic zone give us the conditions we need for long-term – let me stress this word – structural transformation to pursue the industrial development of the northern and Arctic seas.

This is supported by our own and international estimates. The World Petroleum Council (WPC) says in a report that by 2030, Russia will be producing 55 percent of all that is extracted in the Arctic zone.

Offshore oil production in the Arctic will increase 3.6-fold to 2.2 million barrels of oil equivalent a day. You know that this work is already actively underway. The biggest and most important international hydrocarbon production projects in the Arctic region are well known. They are the Yamal LNG, Sakhalin 1 and Sakhalin 2, where foreign partners are working actively together with Russian companies.

We are also working together with foreign companies to conduct geophysical studies of the Fedynsky section and other sections of the Barents Sea. In September 2014, exploration conducted by Rosneft and ExxonMobil in the Kara Sea revealed one of the Arctic’s biggest oil fields, which was dubbed Pobeda [Victory]. Forecast hydrocarbon reserves in our seas are estimated at more than 100 billion tonnes in oil equivalent. The subsoil fields in the Barents Sea alone contain 2.8 trillion cubic metres of gas. The Arctic region also has rich coal reserves, and I want to stress the point that total quality forecast reserves are estimated at 780 billion tonnes at the very least, of which energy-producing coal accounts for 599 billion tonnes, and coking coal for more than 80 billion tonnes.

Aside from the hydrocarbon deposits, the Arctic region is home, as I have said, to unique reserves of copper and nickel ore, tin, platinum, diamonds, gold, and more. More than 100 deposits of strategic metals have been discovered in the greater Arctic region and are in various stages of development. Russia is working actively here, and so are our neighbours. We have work underway at 40 sites today, the USA and Canada have 20 sites, Sweden has 10, Greenland 6, and Finland 3.

In this respect, I would like to say that, as I have demonstrated with examples of various projects on which we are working together, we are open to broad partnership with our partners and with other countries in order to carry out major joint mutually advantageous projects, from developing natural resources and global transport corridors to science and the environment.

Russia has been consistently increasing its presence in the Arctic. This is natural for the largest Arctic country. The port of Sabetta is under construction, the Zapolyarye-Purpe oil pipeline has been launched, Norilsk Nickel is modernising its production facilities, and Gazprom, Rosneft, Novatek and several other Russian majors are developing new deposits. I have mentioned some of their projects.

At the same time, social infrastructure is being built in the region, the housing and utility systems are being modernised and investments are being made into the improvement of Arctic cities and towns.

In all, several dozen promising projects are to be implemented in the Arctic. These anchor projects will boost the development of Arctic regions.

The implementation of our plans calls for coordination between the government, business and regional authorities. The coordination of all the projects and decisions is very important. They must be based on a common logic and produce the biggest effect in our efforts to strengthen the economic and tax base of the regions and the country as a whole.

We have a government programme of socioeconomic development of Russia’s Arctic zone through 2020, which we formulated in 2014. It is an analytical document that comprises a list of measures to be taken under other federal industry programmes, and it cannot be used as a financial instrument for the implementation of the Arctic strategy. As far as I know, the Economic Development Ministry is working to update the list of these projects.

I would like the Government to accelerate the revision of the socioeconomic development programme for the Arctic zone. The new wording should include new approaches to promoting public-private partnerships during the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects, including shelf projects, and also measures to enhance the competitiveness of the Northern Sea Route. We must use the potential of international cooperation comprehensively, as I have said twice.

There is considerable interest in working with us, and we should bolster it with joint projects. We all know and are providing support to Novatek’s Yamal LNG project. I would like to remind you that total investment in this project, including in infrastructure, processing facilities and transport, looks impressive: $26 billion.

In conclusion, I would like to stress again that all our steps must not just strengthen Russia’s economic potential but also bring about positive change in the quality of life and demographic development in the Arctic regions. As I have said, all of this largely constitutes an idling reserve. We must use it effectively to the benefit of Russia as a whole. To do this, we need to bring our financial and administrative resources together and accelerate the development of the programme I have mentioned.



Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev:

May I add to that?



Vladimir Putin:

Of course.



Dmitry Medvedev:

You were absolutely right in pointing out that it is imperative to make all our activities in the Arctic follow a single logic, because we are dealing with a vast and rich region.

You listed all the proven reserves located in Russia’s Arctic zone, and we need a tool to develop them. Such a tool was approved by the Government in 2014. However, as you have just mentioned, it is largely of an analytical nature and represents a compilation of a variety of state programmes. I believe it is time to revise this programme, to provide separate financing for it, and to include in it all the tools that can be used to develop the fuel and energy complex, the infrastructure in general, and the social sphere, because without these things there will be no good life here, either.

At the moment, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has submitted to the Government a draft resolution on revising this programme. If the President instructs accordingly, I will return to this issue in person and go over the revised version, as there are, of course, differences between the departments. Then, we will report back to the President with ideas regarding the content of this programme to 2020 and beyond, as working with a horizon of three years in this case makes no sense. We are looking at multibillion investments and major construction projects, so we should approach this endeavour from a long-term perspective. Soon, the Commission for Arctic Development will put together the final version, and I will convene a general meeting, following which we will report to you.



Vladimir Putin:

Good. Thank you.

The Defence Ministry, the Federal Security Service and its border guard division should work to protect our national interests in terms of ensuring our country's defence capability, and also to protect our interests in the Arctic and ensure the steady operation of the Northern Sea Route. Many Defence Ministry’s capabilities could be also used to help civil services do their job.



Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu:

We will definitely consider additional ways to use our capabilities in the Arctic zone as they work to bring aboard economic institutions and other agencies to more effectively develop the Arctic resources, and, most importantly, to ensure the safe operation of the Northern Sea Route and all the economic activity in mainland Arctic and its insular portion.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54147




Visit to Franz Josef Land Archipelago



Vladimir Putin visited Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago, where he inspected the results of work to clean up environmental damage in the Russian Arctic region.



March 29, 2017 - 21:30 - Arkhangelsk Region







The President visited the museum exhibit at the Russian Arctic National Park, examined the technology for studying permafrost, spoke with specialists studying the Arctic region, and took part in the launch of a weather probe that operates using the GLONASS system.

The Head of State was accompanied by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Minister of Environmental Resources and the Environment Sergei Donskoy, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Special Presidential Representative for Nature Protection, the Environment and Transport Sergei Ivanov.

At a meeting on the comprehensive development of the Arctic, which gathered at a Defence Ministry facility the same day, Vladimir Putin, in particular, gave instructions to the Government to speed up the implementation of the regional socio-economic development programme and to the Defence Ministry and the Federal Security Service to protect Russia’s national interests in the Arctic. He stressed that Russia is willing to work together with its foreign partners in many fields of Arctic development.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54145






Videoconference following first docking of gas tanker at Sabetta port



Vladimir Putin took part in a videoconference marking the first docking of a gas tanker at the port of Sabetta.



March 30, 2017 - 13:45



The tanker arrived at the port of Sabetta and made a test docking at the port after going through ice tests in the Kara Sea and the Ob River Bay.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

I would like to congratulate everyone on today’s event. I congratulate the Russian participants and our foreign partners. The arrival of this new tanker, designed for Arctic conditions, is a big event in Arctic development, as is the construction of the port of Sabetta, where the tanker docked today. The port was built entirely from scratch. It involved big investment, and uses advanced technologies that will make it possible to develop the Arctic’s wealth, these rich resources you saw and we discussed yesterday on Alexandra Land, in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. This is undeniably a great event.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in developing the Arctic’s enormous wealth, our basic principle is not to cause any harm. We realise that this region’s ecosystem is very sensitive to any human interference. But I know your work in detail and I know for certain that the port, the ships that will use it, the production methods used, and the transportation system all use the most advanced technology and meet the highest environmental standards. The first of the new ships docked today. Fifteen of these ships will be built in total, with the involvement of Russian shipbuilders.

If we continue working in this way, and at this pace – and I must admit that I am somewhat amazed at the accomplishments and want to congratulate the builders and everyone working on this project – in that case there is no question that Russia can and will become one of the world’s biggest producers of liquefied natural gas. We have everything we need for this and every reason to believe that we can achieve this goal.

I congratulate you sincerely once again. I hope that all the plans for the Yamal LNG project that we are implementing with our numerous foreign partners (when I say ‘numerous’, I mean not only those who are direct shareholders in the company, but also those who in one way or another are taking part in the project’s implementation), will be completed on time. I hope that by the end of this year, or early next year at the latest, as we planned earlier, the plant will start operation and reach its design capacity of 16.5 million tonnes of LNG, and we will continue development from there.

I was briefed just recently on plans to expand projects of this sort. We will help and support you in every way we can.

Congratulations.



Master mariner Sergei Zybko:

Mr President,

On March 28, at 9 pm, the world’s first ice-class LNG tanker Christophe de Margerie of the St Petersburg-based Sovkomflot Company, with a Russian crew of 29, moored successfully at Yamal LNG’s gas terminal.

The vessel went through hard tests in the ice-bound Kara and Laptev seas. It was the first to go through a special sea channel en route to the port of Sabetta, escorted by the 50 Let Pobedy and Vaigach nuclear-powered icebreakers.

There were no emergencies on the Northern Sea Route, or in the Gulf of Ob. The ship is in good repair and has demonstrated high icebreaking capability in various conditions, and the crew is fit. The Christophe de Margerie is ready for all-season navigation and gas shipping from Sabetta as part of the Yamal LNG project.

That concludes my report, Mr President. Master mariner Zybko.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.



Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov:

Mr President,

The Sabetta seaport is being built under a public-private partnership arrangement and is, for today, the largest Arctic infrastructure project in the world. It includes an approach canal in the north of the Gulf of Ob 50 kilometres long, 300 metres wide, and 15 metres deep; the port proper, with a 130-hectare area; and two strong ice protection facilities.

Total investment is 108 billion rubles, of which 72 billion comes from the federal budget under the federal target programme of transport development, and the remaining one third of the amount comes from private investors.

The port is working as good as in design mode. It received and served about 1,200 vessels of many types and three million tonnes of freight last year. The full implementation of this project not only provided for building a gas liquefying plant but also certainly strengthened Russia’s positions in the Arctic, promoted the development of the Northern Sea Route and the formation of new logistic chains. It laid the infrastructural foundation for the implementation of other ambitious projects in our country’s north.

That concludes my report.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.



NOVATEK CEO Leonid Mikhelson:

Mr President,

NOVATEK and its partners – the French Total S.A. and China’s CNPC and Silk Road Fund – are implementing the Yamal LNG project for 16.5 million tonnes. It will reach full capacity in 2019, and the first unit will be launched in 2017. Total capital investment amounts to 27 billion rubles.

We thank you, Mr President, and the Government for your continued support of the project. Money from the National Welfare Fund came in time, and navigation in the Gulf of Ob is guaranteed. The project is entirely financed with the participation of Russian, Chinese, Italian, French and Japanese financial institutions.

This region possesses especially rich gas deposits, and we will be able to produce more than 70 million tonnes. It is possible to create a hub here accounting for more than 15 percent of the world’s LNG. The available infrastructure will help to achieve this goal quite soon.

Thank you.



VladimirPutin:

I would like to thank everyone, our foreign partners as well, above all, of course, our Chinese and French partners, for believing in this project, for taking active part in it and supporting technologically and financially. This is very important. We know that the situation is not the best on the global energy markets right now, but we take the view that demand for energy resources will continue to grow, and we are working for the future.

It is with pleasure that I note that this new ice-class ship, which is one of its kind in the world, bears the name of our late great friend, French businessman and former head of Total, Christophe de Margery, who so tragically left this life. This is very symbolic and it will cement our relations even on a spiritual level, I would say. Let me once again express my hope that this level we have achieved in our work together today will continue to advance our effective cooperation for the benefit of the companies taking part, and for the good of our countries, and will ensure a stable situation on the international energy market and create good conditions for global economic development.

I want to wish you all good luck. Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54148
 
Old April 2nd, 2017 #379
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The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum



Vladimir Putin is taking part in the fourth international forum The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue.



March 30, 2017 - 15:40 - Arkhangelsk



The forum’s theme this year is People and the Arctic. The participants are discussing ways to improve the quality of life in the Arctic, maintain its unique environmental potential, boost sustainable socioeconomic development of the Arctic regions and strengthen international cooperation for these purposes.





CNBC TV anchor Geoff Cutmore, moderator of the plenary session:

Presidents, distinguished guests, friends and those who are joining us on our international television feed, welcome. It is a great pleasure having you here with us today.

My name is Geoff Cutmore, I work for the CNBC network, and I’m delighted to be here to run this plenary panel.

Before I invite the presidents to the stage, I just wanted to make a few observations, and I think they’re obvious to everybody who’s in this room who has any dealings with the Arctic.

The first one is, the Arctic is a pristine wilderness that it is critical for all of us to protect. It is a potential larder, of course, of mineral resources, and economic opportunity. And of course it is also a strategic theatre, with the risk of becoming remilitarised.

Now all of these issues can be managed with cooperation. And of course, cooperation requires communication. Which is why we are all here to participate in this dialogue.

So what I’d like to do now is get started. And I’d like to invite the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, the President of Iceland, Gudni Johannesson, and of course, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to come on stage and kick off this event.



President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Niinistö, Mr Johannesson,

I wholeheartedly welcome all of you to Russia, to Arkhangelsk.

It is the second time that Arkhangelsk is hosting The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum. This is symbolic, because Arkhangelsk is closely connected with the events and individuals that have opened the polar latitudes to the world.

We will mark one of such “polar” events this year. I am referring to the 85th anniversary of the famous Otto Schmidt expedition, which for the first time covered the route from the port of Arkhangelsk to the Pacific Ocean within one navigation season, launching regular navigation along the coast of Siberia, the legendary Northern Sea Route.

The importance of the Arctic has increased manifold. The attention of many nations is focused on the Arctic as a region whose wellbeing determines the global climate, a treasure trove of unique nature and, of course, a region with a huge economic potential and opportunities.

Preserving the Arctic as a territory of constructive dialogue, development and equal cooperation is a matter of fundamental importance. This forum, whose theme this year is People and the Arctic, has a great role to play in this.

The forum has brought together respected academics, business leaders and politicians and has become a venue for serious professional discussions of the current situation and the future of the Arctic, as we hoped it would. The forum is important for promoting different forms of Arctic partnership. Your expert views and initiatives are also taken into account at the Arctic Council, which has over the past 20 years served as an example of effective international cooperation that continues unabated by external change.

Russia, which accounts for approximately a third of the Arctic zone, is aware of its special responsibility for this territory. We aim to ensure its sustainable development, create a modern infrastructure, develop natural resources, strengthen the industrial potential, improve the quality of life for the indigenous Northern people, maintain their unique culture and traditions and provide government assistance towards these goals.

However, these goals must not be viewed separately from the task of preserving the biological diversity and the fragile ecosystems of the Arctic. It is gratifying that the protection of the Arctic environment is a key priority of international cooperation in this region, including research cooperation. I would like to remind you of one more important date in Arctic history: the 80th anniversary of the Soviet drifting ice station North Pole. Its traditions have been taken up by the Russian drift station Barneo, which is home to researchers from around the world.

Academic cooperation and the exchange of experience and programmes are extremely important, considering the large-scale plans for the development of this region, particularly within large international projects. A recent positive example is the Yamal LNG project, which is being implemented by seven countries.

Russia believes that there is no potential for conflict in the Arctic. International law clearly specifies the rights of littoral and other states and provides a firm foundation for cooperation in addressing various issues, including such sensitive ones as the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and the prevention of unregulated high seas fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, which is surrounded by the exclusive economic zones of the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia.

I would like to reiterate that Russia is open to constructive cooperation and does its utmost to create a proper environment for its effective development. We have drafted a fairly extensive economic programme for the Arctic designed for many years to come. It already includes over 150 projects with investments estimated at trillions of rubles. First, we will support the initiatives that have a multiplier effect for the Arctic regions and our country in general, including public-private partnerships and what is known as core development areas, which we treat not just as territories, but primarily as a set of coordinated and complementary projects, as well as state support tools.

These and many other activities will be included in the revised state programme for the development of the Russian Arctic. In particular, it deals with forming a block of modern research and technological solutions designed specifically for the harsh Arctic conditions, improving the environmental monitoring system and developing offshore deposits. We pay special attention to the Northern Sea Route, which I mentioned earlier in my remarks.

Changes in the ice situation and the availability of new up-to-date vessels makes it an almost year-round artery, at least, it will become one in the near future. It will be an effective and reliable transport corridor with great potential for the Russian and global economies. I have already instructed the Government to work through the issues of creating a separate entity, which will be in charge of the integrated development of the Northern Sea Route and contiguous core areas, including infrastructure, hydrography, security, management, and all associated services.

We invite our foreign colleagues to make active use of the opportunities offered by the Northern Sea Route, which will cut transportation costs and delivery time for goods between Europe and Asia. However, we are well aware that for that corridor to be competitive, all-purpose, and usable by carriers of all types of goods ranging from bulk cargo to containerised freight, transport companies must enjoy the most favourable terms that meet the latest international standards.

In closing, I would like to thank all the participants for their participation in the constructive discussion of the Arctic issues, and their passion with regard to its future.

Special thanks go to my colleagues – the President of Finland and the President of Iceland – who took the time out of their busy schedules and attended today's forum in person. Such a broad and authoritative international representation is a good sign of the political will of the Arctic and other states to preserve the Arctic as a territory of peace, stability and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Thank you.



Geoff Cutmore:

Let’s invite now the President of Finland to take the stage.



President of Finland Sauli Niinistö:

Thank you. President Putin, President Johannesson, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to attend this distinguished forum again. I want to thank the Russian Government and the Russian Geographical Society for convening this forum. It is very fitting that we meet here in Arkhangelsk, the historical meeting place between East and West. I approach the event in this spirit, promoting a meeting of minds with a firm belief that the Arctic will indeed remain a territory of dialogue.

My starting point today is the growing threat of climate change. Tackling this challenge is crucial if we want to ensure that the Arctic remains the place it is today. But the issue is of global significance. If we lose the Arctic, we lose the whole world.

Global warming is a well-documented fact. Last year was the warmest year ever in the history of monitoring the Earth’s temperature and already the third record warm year in a row. No one can escape the effects of global warming. At the moment, the problem is most acute in the North. The former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the Arctic “ground zero” for climate change. The average temperature has risen twice as fast in the Arctic as in most other regions. The summer ice cover reached an all-time low in 2016 and recent reports indicate that this winter has not fully rectified the situation.

A further concern is the recent report made by Russian scientists that in Siberia there are some 7,000 methane-filled pockets waiting to release their content. This will create danger and disruption to infrastructure and humans in the area. What is worse, once released, methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Eventually, a warming climate will cause major challenges to everyone on this planet. In the Arctic, residents are facing immediate consequences that will fundamentally impact their communities and traditional livelihoods. Food security is threatened and new health concerns are emerging.

Make no mistake, this catastrophe will not be limited to the Arctic. There will be enormous consequences worldwide. As the ice melts, sea levels will rise. As the ice melts, solar radiation will not be reflected back. Instead, its energy will further warm the water and accelerate global warming.

Climate change is also a major security issue. It is a threat multiplier that aggravates many issues behind conflicts. Famine, water scarcity, flooding, forced displacement and so forth.

So, what needs to be done?

Firstly, a major step in the right direction was the conclusion and early ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change. But the most important part, effective implementation, lies still ahead of us.

Secondly, we need intensified cooperation across borders to combat the challenges and to strengthen the resilience of Arctic residents.

Thirdly, in order to be effective, Arctic cooperation must have a global dimension. A case in point is the impact of black carbon on climate, the environment and human health. The sources of black carbon are known, technology and know-how to deal with the issues exist. It is time we dealt effectively with it. One source of black carbon is flaring, that is, burning excess gas at a production site. For a layman, that is almost impossible to understand. In 2015, flaring amounted to almost 150 billion cubic metres of wasted gas. To put this in a perspective, this is almost forty times more than how much natural gas Finland uses annually. This amounts to burning money. On top of this, flaring accounts for a quarter of the climate warming in the Arctic.

Fourthly, we must ensure that the Arctic remains an area of cooperation. The strategic importance of the Arctic is growing. The geopolitical tensions in other parts of the world should not be allowed to spill over the Arctic. Cool heads are now needed to keep the Arctic an area of low tensions also in the future. The good news is that the Arctic has remained peaceful and Arctic cooperation works very well. There is a strong culture of cooperation and a vibrant system of Arctic governance.

The Arctic is also a place where international law is pre-eminent. The maritime boundaries and ownership of underwater minerals, oil and gas will be determined by international law. The Arctic coastal countries have jointly declared that they will follow the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The maritime delimitation agreement between Norway and Russia in 2010 set an encouraging example that everybody should follow.

Finally, we must ensure that the mechanism we already have reaches its full potential. Beginning in May, Finland will chair the Arctic Council for two years. Our chairmanship slogan will be “Exploring common solutions.” We want to highlight the need for constructive cooperation between the Arctic stakeholders. Also, we believe it is time to take Arctic cooperation to a new level. Finland proposes the convening of an Arctic summit to discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the region and beyond. This would provide an opportunity to ensure that the Arctic, indeed, remains a territory of dialogue. It is our common responsibility to see that this promise and tradition is upheld here, in the North.

Thank you.



Geoff Cutmore:

Before I invite the President of Iceland, I just wanted to pick up on that last point. Would you be keen to invite both President Putin and President Trump to a leaders’ meeting immediately you take up the chair of the Arctic Council?



Sauli Niinistö:

Surely, we would be very pleased to have the possibility of hosting such a summit. But to host a summit, you have to have also something to say out of that summit. And we want to, surely, see how the situation is going on, how the discussions are going on, whether we find some new common points of view, and then, surely, we would be very proud to have such a summit.



Geoff Cutmore:

And President Putin, if Finland did set up such a summit, which would come obviously several months ahead of the potential July G20 meeting with the US President, would you be very happy to meet with President Trump at the Arctic Council?



Vladimir Putin:

Finland is our very good neighbour and it has very good experience in organising such important events. The Helsinki process, as you know, began in Helsinki, where very important documents were signed. In this respect, I believe Finland is a very appropriate country and Helsinki is a very appropriate venue for such events.

However, the President of Finland has just said that such events should be well prepared, and prepared by both sides. If this happens, we will be pleased to participate and I will be pleased to take part in such an event. If not, then such a meeting can take place within the framework of our usual meetings of this kind, like the G-20, I think.



Geoff Cutmore:

Thank you very much for the answer.

And let me invite now President Johannesson to take the floor and give his presentation. Thank you.



President of Iceland Gudni Johannesson:

President Vladimir Putin, President Sauli Niinistö, excellencies, dear guests,

I thank the organisers for the opportunity to speak at this important conference. I also thank you, President Putin, for your interest in Arctic issues, and for showing continued commitment in promoting international cooperation in the region.

For Iceland, the Arctic plays an important role. We have worked with other Arctic nations in the Arctic council, and other forums. In recent years, we have also drawn attention to the region through the annual Arctic Circle Conference in Reykjavik, under the leadership of my predecessor, Olafur Ragnur Grimsson.

Allow me also to add my appreciation for being here in Arkhangelsk. When I studied history in my youth, I became fascinated by Russian and Soviet history, and the Russian language. Unfortunately, I was only able to study Russian for one year. But the admiration remains to this day. Back home in Iceland, I gained the friendship of Russians living there. Hospitality and honesty – these are the words I would use to describe those friends. And as the Russian saying goes: nothing is as precious as true friendship. (In Russian.) Нет ничего дороже на этой земле, чем настоящая дружба. (Applause.) Спасибо.

We Icelanders share parts of our history and heritage with the peoples of Russia and other countries in this part of Europe. Our old sagas contain tales of Viking travel to eastern lands, to Novgorod and Kiev, and other sites. In our more recent past, development in this part of the world have of course influenced our society. In Iceland, people fondly remember how the rulers in Moscow sided with us in disputes about fishing limits in the mid-20th century. Later, when we extended the line even further, there were objections from the Soviet side, it is true. But the general history of fishing disputes, and the development of the Law of the Sea demonstrates how international disagreements and conflicts can and should be solved through dialogue and negotiations.

Thus, the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention has already proven its worth. Yet there is still work to be done. Throughout the 20th century, fisheries were the backbone of Iceland’s economy. Although we have diversified our economy, and enjoy a boom in the tourist industry, we still depend on marine resources. The ocean is vitally important to us. In fact, it is vitally important to all humankind. Therefore, I want to draw your attention to some risks and opportunities in this field.

For centuries, humans have used the ocean as a rubbish dump. A few weeks ago, a man who used to work at the president’s residence in Iceland told me how they used to clean the garbage there in the old days. We would put it all in a container, which we then took to the shore and emptied it into the sea. Problem solved. Fortunately, such methods are no longer used in Iceland. But bigger issues confront us.

Today, more than 8 million tonnes of plastics are dumped into the ocean each year, and volume is fast increasing. Unless we act, by 2050, there might be more plastic waste than fish in the sea. And, dear friends, we will not survive on plastic fish, no matter how we will advance and progress in the future.

The plastic threat is clear and present. Ocean acidification is another problem facing us. It is invisible, but equally worrying. The most immediate harm is done to animals such as snails and crabs. Other animals, including marine mammals, will also be hard hit.

In the Kiruna Declaration of 2013, the Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council highlighted this concern. Since then, the situation has only deteriorated. Maybe we need another declaration. But let us also recall another Russian proverb (in Russian.): Дела звучат громче слов. Actions speak louder than words.

The third issue we need to address concern increased sea traffic in the Arctic Ocean. Oil- and nuclear energy-driven vessels always carry with them the risk of serious pollution. Cruisers carry tourists, who will need search and rescue facilities if danger strikes. Yes, we do have the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution, Preparedness and Response. But we must continue to be on our guard, be prepared for all eventualities.

Finally, let me mention the changing behaviour of pelagic fish stocks, such as mackerel and herring. They swim where they want to. They do not respect borders. Therefore, we believe that it is of fundamental importance for the Arctic nations to reach agreements on how to share these migratory fish stocks. And such agreements need to be based on scientific foundations regarding the stock sizes and yield of each species.

In this regard, we welcome the ongoing discussions on how to manage future fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. Never before have international negotiations on fisheries taken place before the fish were actually there. We are proud to participate in this undertaking. A good example of how to conduct business in the Arctic.

Dear friends, I now move from the ocean to dry land. This conference has highlighted the many opportunities and challenges that confront people in the Arctic region. It is easy to be spellbound by the stunning beauty in the north, and the ways of life that have changed relatively little throughout the centuries.

Still, nature is not only beautiful here, it is also harsh. We need to work together to improve the living conditions of people in the countries of the high north. President Putin actually touched upon this in his opening speech here, and last week, His Excellency also addressed the International Forum and 8th Congress of Small Indigenous Peoples of Siberia and the Russian Far East, making the following observation: “It is essential to develop a constructive and mutually beneficial dialogue with the local authorities and influential public organisations, take into account people’s opinions and act in their interests.” Let this be the guiding light in our mutual efforts.

Economic activities must not only be sustainable and harmless to the ecosystem; they should also benefit the local populations, with improved infrastructure, healthcare, school system, communications and other aspects of modern society. And actually, I believe this was also a subject touched upon by President Niinistö.

And here, in the north, as elsewhere, social problems should be faced, not ignored. We need to combat such ills as substance misuse. Here as elsewhere, young and old, male and female should have the right to security in their homes be free from all kinds of violence.

Dear conference guests, Iceland’s Arctic policy is based on a parliamentary resolution approved unanimously in March 2011, six years ago. Its aim is to secure Icelandic interests with regard to the effects of climate change, environmental issues, natural resources, navigation and social development, as well as strengthening relations and cooperation with other states and stakeholders on the issues facing the region. The resolution refers to the importance of international law, especially the need to resolve any differences on Arctic issues on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Dear listeners, President Putin and President Niinistö. In a few weeks, Finland will take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council. In two years’ time, Iceland assumes that role, and then Russia will follow, from 2021–2023. We should work closely together, ensure good continuity and common long-term objectives in the Council’s work.

The Arctic region is changing fast. We face environmental changes, and changes in people’s living conditions. Let our impact be positive. Let our Arctic dialogue deliver results. Thank you very much.



Geoff Cutmore:

Thank you so much.

So what I’d like to do now is have a meaningful conversation about how we make progress on a number of these issues. And I’d like to start, President Putin – if I could just pick up where your speech focused on the 150 projects and the trillions of rubles. One of the challenges, it seems to me at the moment, is the relatively low cost of oil and other minerals. The projects in this part of the world appear to be economically unviable. Does that mean that the pace at which these projects are embarked upon will be relatively slow, and do you see any change in the near-term price outlook for many of these commodities that would make your priorities different?



Vladimir Putin:

No, nothing is likely to change our priorities in this region. There are several factors here. First, even now, companies operating in this region account for 10 percent of Russia’s GDP and their share is constantly growing.

Among the essential circumstances are the growing changes and greater efficiency of new technologies. Today we received the first tanker in the newly built port of Sabetta. It is an absolutely new port that was built from scratch in the Arctic zone, in an empty space, so to speak. Until very recently, it would have been impossible to do this with such quality. The ship that entered this port today is all about modern technology. It breaks through ice up to two metres thick like an icebreaker. This is all about new technologies.

The second essential factor that bolsters optimism on our part is climate change. Now President Niinistö spoke about this, and he spoke very convincingly. The period of navigation along the Northern Sean Route has been significantly expanding recently. This goes to show that transport capabilities are improving.

As you may know, yesterday, I visited an extreme northern region, Franz Josef Land, 900 kilometres from the North Pole. Our specialists, our scientists there told me that they are observing the constant melting of the ice and glaciers, and the President of Finland also spoke about this.

This shows that climate change provides more favourable conditions for economic activity in this region. If these trends continue, we can see what will happen. Today, 1.4 million tonnes of goods are shipped along the Northern Sea Route. By 2035, this will be 30 million tonnes. This is growth for you.

As part of Yamal SPG, one of our major projects (which is further evidence that such programmes can be carried out in these latitudes), an absolutely unique new plant has been built. It is nearing completion. In the old days, it was even hard to imagine such things, but it will be up and running by the end of the year. It is as good as finished. It will produce 16.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas. The volume of shipments via the Northern Sea Route will immediately quadruple. Importantly, it can work in two directions: towards both Europe and Asia.

All of this goes to show that our plans to develop this region are absolutely viable.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Niinistö, to bring you in on that issue, I think what we hear is that there’s going to be more shipping, more fishing, all of that potentially with environmental consequences. Be specific for me: how do we prevent the downside, but get the upside?



Sauli Niinistö:

Well, that is a complicated question. But first of all, it’s very evident that the warming of the Arctic area will continue, in spite of the fact even if we meet all the Paris agreement criteria. That’s a fact.

Now, we tend to think very easily that environment and business are against each other. We should find a way of combining that. And I tried to tell that we have even paradoxical phenomena, like black carbon, like flaring. If we could get rid of those which have nothing to do with business, we will not harm any businesses. That would already help quite a lot.

So, to find a thinking where we can, in a reasonable way, have all the possibilities that the Arctic area gives, through resources, and also through fishing, and at the same time, try to at least cut down all such behaviours which are useless and only cause damages. I think that is the first step we should take going forward.



Geoff Cutmore:

Can I bring you in, President Johannesson? Iceland in particular, I think, has been very focused on marine conservation. Again, just to repeat the question and give the opportunity to answer, how do we achieve the economic benefits that President Putin has described, and the rolling out of significant projects, without damaging the biodiversity?



Gudni Johannesson:

Again, you ask wide-ranging questions, and that is all the better.

In my speech, I did mention that we used to treat the oceans as a dump, a rubbish dump. We also thought that there was always enough fish in the sea, that we could just continue fishing endlessly, and would not have to worry about the consequences. The last century told us that this is no longer the case. Increased catch efforts will lead to the delimitation of stocks, and ultimately, their total downfall. So everybody agrees that we need to cooperate for our common benefit. Then, as history shows, we disagree on who gets what and how we delimit this wealth of ours. And that’s why it is so important to take part in a dialogue like this, in Arctic dialogue. And the way forward there is through negotiations, and ultimately, compromises.

All of us have mentioned global warming and its effects on the Arctic. And one visible effect is, of course, that the ice is melting, thus changing the behaviour of fish stocks. The increased temperature in the sea also means that fish species that used to go southwards instead of northwards are moving up here. And this leads to the question: should we just take it as it comes, or should we try to be proactive? And that is why it is so important what we have been doing to negotiate and discuss and find ways to delimit or divide the stocks before they are actually there. And I think that should be our guiding light.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Putin, does it then seem odd or challenging at this stage that we now have an American administration that has appointed as the head of the EPA apparently somebody who doesn’t believe in the scientific judgement of how climate change happens. There is no American on the stage here. But how do we address this difficulty when the current US administration appears to be embracing policies that will only increase the ice melt and probably heat up the north even faster?



Vladimir Putin:

First of all, thank God, there are Americans here. I can see Ambassador Tefft. Welcome.

Second, you know, what I am going to say now may not be very popular, but I believe President Niinistö said they will comply with all the Paris agreements. Russia is also determined to do so, just as we complied with the Kyoto Protocol.

However, as Sauli [Niinistö] said, [global] warming will continue all the same, and this is definitely the case.

What is the question? Look, as I already said, yesterday I visited Franz Josef Land. There was an Austrian researcher working there, Mr Pyer. Then he left. He described the glaciers there, among other things. About 20 years later, the future king of Italy went there and took some photos and showed them to Mr Pyer. The latter had a photographic memory. In addition, he had drawn maps, the maps of glaciers, and he discovered that during those 20 years the number of glaciers had declined.

In other words, warming had already begun. There were no such man-made factors, such emissions, at that time, but warming had already begun. The question is not how to prevent it. I agree with those who believe that the question is not how to prevent it, because this is impossible. This may have to do with some global cycles on earth or even some planetary cycles.

The question is how to adapt to it. Mr Johannesson spoke about the distribution of fish, where they go, where they appear. Research is necessary. The question is how do mankind and people who live in this region adapt to it.

So the proposals and positions of those who disagree with their opponents, including – I do not even know the name of the gentleman that you referred to… they are not so silly after all. What did he lead in America? May God give him wellbeing and success, but we should all listen to and hear each other, and only then can optimal solutions to these problems be found, and of course they exist.



Geoff Cutmore:

Well, Mr President, his name is Scott Pruitt, and he is getting a lot of media coverage at the moment. And you have said that Russia will abide by the Paris accords, but does it not concern you that we don’t hear the same commitment from Washington?



Vladimir Putin:

I do not think we should talk about concerns but rather about the need for compromises. I remember that Mr George Bush Jr and I used to have a very good personal relationship. I knew about his position. When he came to power, he was against these actions, including within the framework of the Kyoto Protocols. We eventually reached compromises. I believe that the same will happen now. I would not dramatize anything and would not use these factors, which are of global importance, for political infighting in the United States.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Niinistö, given the comments you’ve made, maybe I could ask you the same question. Are you disappointed at this stage that we don’t have a very clear commitment from Washington on the Paris accords?



Sauli Niinistö:

Actually, I do agree a lot with what Vladimir said. It’s now very important that we continue discussions and try to, first, understand each other, and then, try to find compromises or solutions. I wouldn’t describe the situation yet as a disaster, with the Paris Agreement.

I’ll take one example, and I’ll come back once again to black carbon. It is due to incomplete burning of fossil materials. How could we get rid of that? It needs investments to renew those plants. And that might very well be a common task: first, to make very close studies, and then, try to build up together. It’s a problem – it’s a problem in Russia, but it’s a problem in the United States and Canada, wherever, probably also in Finland. And if we could find some common means how to invest to renew those plants, that would be a route forward with no damage – it doesn’t hurt anybody’s economic thinking, but it benefits us all.

Something like this, I think, might be a good start to find the common points of view, and maybe, going forward, even with the Paris Agreement.



Vladimir Putin:

I think I will permit myself to respond to what Mr Niinistö has said about soot emissions. It will be the third time I will be referring to my yesterday’s trip to the islands, where we inspected glacier ice. This glacier formed hundreds or even thousands or millions of years ago. In one of its layers, we saw soot sediments – you will see it, too, if you go there. This sediment is thousands of years old, it was deposited at a time when there were no plants emitting soot into the atmosphere.

I would like to tell you that several Etna eruptions do more damage than the humankind’s current emissions. We need to carefully analyse this information.



Geoff Cutmore:

So let me just follow up and come back to you. How do you make sure that the economic projects that you’ve talked about that will be rolled out over the coming years – how do you ensure that those have minimal environmental impact?



Vladimir Putin:

I would like to comment on what my colleague, the President of Iceland, has said about working with the researchers. What guarantees can there be? Only an insurance policy can provide a guarantee, while we must work to find a technological solution and take responsible decisions at the government level.

Russia has a targeted government programme on Arctic development that is focused on preserving biological diversity and protecting the environment, nature and the interests of the indigenous people. We simply need to use modern technology not just to produce mineral resources but also to protect the environment.

I have spoken here about a project we are implementing jointly with seven other countries, Yamal LNG. It aims to produce 16.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year. Of these seven countries, two are shareholders of the company that is implementing the project, and several other countries are helping us with project management, technology and equipment. Their technology allows us to implement the project without any emissions or wastes, because everything is put to use or removed to the mainland and eliminated in an eco-friendly manner. If we use only such technologies, nothing will threaten the world.



Geoff Cutmore:

Clearly what is coming through very obviously is that there needs to be dialogue, and there needs to be continued communication with all parties who are on the Arctic Council. But we know that we are actually at a very low point in relations between Russia and many Western countries, and part of that is to do with Ukraine and Crimea. But I don’t want to go over that territory here. What I do want to say, though, or I’d rather like to ask the question, President Putin, is: how do we build confidence from here when we are at such a low ebb in international relations? Because it seems to me that it’s difficult to get cooperation on issues like the Arctic if in America today, even as we’re speaking, there is a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing as to whether Russia has used disinformation to affect the outcome of the last presidential election.



Vladimir Putin:

I knew it would end this way. (Laughter in the hall, applause) Seeing the positive spirit of this discussion on Arctic issues, I really would not like to see this platform taken over by Russian-American bilateral issues, but out of respect for you, Geoff, and out of respect for your company, CNBC, which no doubt gave you this instruction, I’ve simply no choice but to go along.

First of all, thank you for the fact that in raising this issue, when you spoke of the problem with Ukraine and Crimea, you made a distinction between Ukraine and Crimea. This is right.

Now, as for the substance of your question, we have said before, and I stress again now, that we know and are certain that, as public opinion surveys show, Russia has many friends in the United States.

I want to say first of all that we consider and treat the United States as a great power, with which we want to develop good partnership relations. Everything else is lies, fabrications and provocation in Russia’s regard.

This is all being put to use in the domestic US agenda. What do I mean by this? Particular political forces inside the USA are playing the anti-Russian card in their own interests, in order to bolster and cement their own positions at home.

I mentioned before that the US Ambassador is present here today. He has come to this forum and can meet here with all participants, with Government members, and with representatives of Russia’s big companies. We do not hinder these contacts, but on the contrary, facilitate and encourage them.

But our ambassador in the United States finds his contacts restricted. Any meeting he has is met with criticism and seen as an act of espionage of some kind. What kind of absurdity is this? What is an ambassador’s job if not to meet and maintain contacts with members of the political elite, businesspeople, members of Congress and the Senate, members of the Government and Administration? Why else do we have ambassadors? This is normal diplomatic practice around the world.

People are raising questions about the meetings our businesspeople and bankers have. But US businesspeople come here and meet with people here, including Russian Government members. How else are they supposed to go about their work? Of course there are contacts.

I do not think it is in the American people’s interests to take to absurd levels this situation in our bilateral relations just for the sake of the internal political agenda of the moment. Do we want to break off our relations completely? They are practically at zero as it is, with bilateral trade down to around only $20 billion. Our trade was at $27 billion, which is pitifully low for two countries such as ours, and now it is down to $20 billion. Do we want to break off our diplomatic relations entirely and go back to the 1960s, to the time of the Cuban missile crisis? And where do we go from there?

These people who take this irresponsible line, where are they leading us all, including the American people? I think this is a big mistake, and I certainly hope that at some point, and the sooner the better, this situation will return to normal.

Now, regarding Ukraine, we know that in the USA and some other places, some hold the view that the worse the relations between Russia and Ukraine, the better it is for them, because it weakens Russia and hampers whichever integration processes that would strengthen Russia, including economically. They would rather see Russia too busy with issues on its borders with its neighbours to be able to stick its nose into international issues such as Syria, the Middle East and others. They think this is to their benefit.

This is a mistake. No one benefits from this because if we attempt to restrain whichever country through whatever means, including such dangerous means as regional conflicts, this could lead to disasters on a global scale, even to global conflict. On the contrary, we must strive to resolve all conflicts, and I hope that our American partners will take this road of cooperation. Let me say again that the sooner we resolve these problems, the better.

Regarding the Arctic region, we work together with our American partners in the Arctic Council. As you know, the USA currently heads the council. We worked together with the USA at the expert level to draft a decision that will be adopted soon, in Alaska, I think this is planned. This decision concerns use of joint scientific research in the Arctic region, and I think this is very important.

Strange as it might sound in today’s climate, but we continue our bilateral cooperation on border matters. For example, Russian and US citizens living along the Bering Strait coasts can travel back and forth without visas. Our visa-free regime in this region continues, fortunately. This is a great help to the people living in these areas and means they can maintain contact with the friends and relatives on both sides. This is an excellent base for developing such cooperation in the future.

Finally, there are concrete regional issues in which the USA and Russia both have an interest and want to see resolved. In the Bering Strait region again, for example, shipping has increased rapidly and the USA and Russia therefore both have an interest in ensuring safe shipping in this region. We also need to take action to preserve polar bear populations, for example, and, as the President of Iceland said, organise fishing, catch and use of bio-resources, and so on. This is all in our common interests.

This is not to mention the tremendous opportunities we have in developing production of hydrocarbons and other minerals in the Arctic. We have excellent examples here and are working together with ExxonMobil, as you know, and with other partners on developing this region. This offers huge opportunities for Russia, for the United States, and for the entire world.

I hope very much that we will arrive at this two-way street and will improve our bilateral relations for the good of both peoples and of the entire world.



Geoff Cutmore:

So, Mr President, I just want to be very clear about this. You, and the Russian Government never tried to influence the outcome of the US presidential election, and there will be no evidence found.



Vladimir Putin:

I think it was [Ronald] Reagan who once said, on the subject of tax, “Read my lips: No”. (Applause)



Geoff Cutmore:

So I know President Niinistö is very keen to get in, and I’ll let him come in, but I just want to ask one more question before I move on from this, and please forgive me for this, but I think it’s very important for the international audience to see you answer these questions. So let me just follow up here.

We have seen a very prominent businessman, Oleg Deripaska, offer himself up to the committee, because he feels that things have been said about him that are wrong and inappropriate. I know it would be unprecedented, but would there be any way in which the Russian Government would be prepared to make available people to appear on that committee, or those committees, just to clear up this business?



Vladimir Putin:

Look, we hear all these endless and groundless accusations of whatever intervention, and talk about cybersecurity. You know that we long since proposed to draft, together with the Americans, a joint agreement, a joint document – an intergovernmental agreement on cybersecurity. We proposed this, but the Americans refused. Why? Perhaps because it is more convenient for them to be able to accuse us depending on the needs of their domestic political agenda?

As for speeches, whether in the [US] Congress or in the Russian Duma, I know for a fact that we have simply informed our deputies and have repeatedly appealed to Congress and the Senate, inviting them to come to Moscow, or offering to come to Washington, in order to meet, explain, and discuss openly the key issues in our bilateral relations and on the international agenda. But we have had no response.

We made two or three such proposals. Just recently, we made another such proposal, but still no answer. If some Russian businessperson goes there and speaks in Congress, fine, it is his right to speak where he pleases, and we have nothing against this. We had a businessman planning to go, and, as far as I know, he was blocked from entering the United States, on what grounds, I do not know. No one has given any explanation. Let them tell us why. Let him go to the USA and address Congress.

If the law enforcement and intelligence services have genuine grounds for refusing him entry, based on evidence, we would at least understand the motivations for the decision. Anything can happen. Business is a complicated thing and all kinds of violations are possible, but we do not know the situation in this case. If there are charges against him, let them make them known.

I think this would be a good signal and good practice. Let me repeat that we are ready to welcome members of Congress or the Senate here in Moscow, and we would certainly be happy to see our many American friends from the business world too, who want to work and continue to work in Russia. Welcome. We will help them.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Niinistö.



Sauli Niinistö:

Yes, I’ll go back to a couple of minutes ago, when you described that tensions are growing worldwide. I do not actually agree with you totally. Because what we have seen, specifically in Europe, is that the need for dialogue has been widely confessed. And I see now very many of my European Union colleagues visiting Moscow, even our neighbour, the Foreign Minister of Sweden, met her counterpart in Moscow. The dialogue is increasing, and that’s not tension, that’s getting rid of tensions. We have this kind of very positive development going on in Warsaw. The NATO countries had a meeting last summer, and every member underlined the importance of dialogue with Russia.

But there is a question, and that is the question dealing with relations between the United States and Russia. We don’t know, actually, at the moment, how it will develop. And surely, it’s a matter for Russia and the United States going forward. But it is of huge interest also in countries like Finland what is going to happen.

I remember even the years of the Cold War. We are not close to those, but nevertheless, we understood then that Washington and Moscow somehow knew each other. They didn’t agree, but they had quite a clear picture of what the other one is thinking. And this is even a positive thing, even if you don’t agree. And now we are waiting [to see] how this relationship is going to develop. And we wish for the best.

But back again to the Arctic and the Arctic Summit…



Geoff Cutmore:

Well I think, personally, that these things are all connected to the Arctic, to be quite honest with you.



Sauli Niinistö:

If we are really feeling that there are tensions, what would be a better surrounding than a cool Arctic to solve those tensions? Everybody stays cool.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Johannesson, you want to come in.



Vladimir Putin:

We should better listen to what the ‘hot-headed Finnish guys’ have to say. (Laughter, applause)



Gudni Johannesson:

Iceland is also very cool. And Finland, for that matter.

I think it would be hard to find seated next to each other presidents of countries more dissimilar in size and power. Russia, the greatest landmass on Earth; Iceland, a small island in the North Atlantic – we don’t even have a military – we have a better soccer team though. Sorry.



Vladimir Putin:

Need help? (Laughter, applause)



Gudni Johannesson:

Sometimes being small can help you. I do not want to belittle the seriousness of the issue, the accusations. We had a presidential election in Iceland as well, and nobody has ever asked us about outside interference of any kind. We, however, survive as an independent, sovereign state, because respect for international law has grown in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. We need to hold onto that. We need to hold onto the respect for international law, international treaties. And we were talking about the Paris Agreement, and if I’m not mistaken, even a company like ExxonMobil actually would encourage the US administration to maintain adherence to the Paris Agreement.

So, respect for international law, respect for international treaties, and also, like the President of Finland mentioned: trust. You knew where the other player was as during the Cold War. And President Putin mentioned a favourite remark of Reagan, but do you remember another remark of Ronald Reagan during the Cold War years? It was a Russian saying: “Trust, but verify.” Доверяй, но проверяй. And that was his favourite saying. We need to build that trust again. We, the smaller nations of the world, cannot influence the world stage, but we can possibly assist, and ultimately, it is in our own interests that the greater powers at least get along. So a symposium like this, where we meet and discuss, is all the better for us, and therefore, we participate.



Geoff Cutmore:

Thank you very much. The warmth coming off you three is going to melt the ice outside, I think. But I’m not going to let you get off the hook quite so easily, and let me come back to this. You are a NATO member, your security, in a sense, is ensured by NATO, and America is a key participant in that organisation, and Finland of course has been a high-profile attendee at NATO events for many years. When US Defence Secretary James Mattis took up his position, he described what he saw as Russian moves in the Arctic as “aggressive steps.” Now how is this helpful in deescalating the tension, President Putin?



Vladimir Putin:

What do you mean? Our aggressive behaviour?



Geoff Cutmore:

It’s a quote from James Mattis, the US Defence Secretary, as he took up his position. And he pointed to what he saw as an upgrading of bases in Russia’s Arctic North, and of course, the introduction of new military technology in the region. And I think that’s why he made those comments. But I’m quoting verbatim from what he said. So this is not me making this up.It’s a quote from James Mattis, the US Defence Secretary, as he took up his position. And he pointed to what he saw as an upgrading of bases in Russia’s Arctic North, and of course, the introduction of new military technology in the region. And I think that’s why he made those comments. But I’m quoting verbatim from what he said. So this is not me making this up.



Vladimir Putin:

Look, this border and military activity we are developing is taking place on Russia’s own territory. We take the view that we are acting no differently to any other country here. The United States, which is our neighbour in the Arctic, is also developing its military activity. We think its military activity does represent a threat to us, because what we are doing is local in nature, but what they are doing in Alaska is global in scale. They are developing this whole missile defence system. This system is one of the biggest security problems in the world today. It is not a purely defensive system, but is a part of nuclear capability, established at the periphery. It is not about preventing missile and nuclear strikes, but is about minimising a possible counterstrike. These are the things that are postulates today, and the experts understand this perfectly well.

The United States is developing its infrastructure, developing new technology, and has withdrawn unilaterally from the ABM Treaty, which I think was the cornerstone guaranteeing strategic stability. The USA withdrew from this treaty and is now actively developing this infrastructure.

What we are doing on the islands and the coast, for example, is local in nature, and, as I said, is about rebuilding infrastructure that was also used to ensure safe shipping in this region. We must work together to prevent any illegal economic use of the Arctic’s mineral and biological resources. Together, we need to combat all kinds of smuggling and piracy. We all know about piracy in southern seas, but this kind of thing happens in other parts of the world too, and we must act to prevent any negative development of events.

We are not developing a military infrastructure alone, but, as I said yesterday, we are building an infrastructure that is dual and even triple purpose in nature. Our Emergency Situations Ministry will use this infrastructure, for example, along with the services responsible for preventing or minimising the consequences of possible oil spills in this environmentally fragile region. This infrastructure will also be used by our scientists studying the Arctic, and the meteorological services will use it too.

We are developing a comprehensive infrastructure, including the military component. I think that this is the right direction to take. Furthermore, we are completely open in this respect and we invite others to join us in this work, including our American partners.



Geoff Cutmore:

Unfortunately, the shared military exercises that used to take place in the Arctic have now stopped. Again, to get back cooperation, how do we get to that point? Given the difficult relationship and the sanctions.



Vladimir Putin:

During my visit to Finland last year, President Niinistö expressed his country’s concern over Russian aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea with their transponders off. Transponder is a device that informs the air traffic controller that there is a plane in the air, just a plane, or, in this case, a military aircraft. I promised the Finnish President that Russia would urge all countries that are engaged in military activity in the Baltic region to make it obligatory for their pilots to use transponders.

Technically, this is not a simple task, because Russia and the NATO countries use different types of transponders. Hence, additional steps must be taken for these devices to work effectively and for their signals to be received by air traffic radars. We said that we were willing to do this and held a meeting on this issue in Brussels. But the reply was: “No, the NATO countries won’t do this.” Why not? Ask them. The problem is the same in this case too.

I cannot understand why this happens. First, NATO’s air activity is much higher, several times higher than ours. If we look at the number of aircraft – Russian and NATO ones – flying over the Baltic Sea, we will see that their activity is several times higher. And yet some people claim that we are behaving aggressively. This is hypocrisy, a tall tale for the media. But experts take not of this; they are aware of the problem.

The same is true about the Arctic. We are not going to fight or compete with the United States in the Arctic. Everyone knows that US defence spending is higher than the defence budgets of all other countries in the world taken together. If you pile up together the defence budgets of all countries in the world, the United States’ spending will still make a bigger pile. This year again, it has decided to increase US defence spending by $40 or $60 billion.

Despite this, Russia and the United States are the world’s largest nuclear powers. They have a special responsibility for global security to the planet and the international community. And the sooner we develop military cooperation, the better it will be. By the way, our cooperation on some sensitive issues, such as cooperation in Syria, is improving and growing deeper and broader, despite any public statements. We feel our American partners’ interest in developing our interaction, which is a good sign. We hope that it will also spread to other parts of the world, including the Arctic.



Geoff Cutmore:

Did you want to come in, President Niinistö?



Sauli Niinistö:

Why not? First of all, I will go to Baltic Sea air space and transponders.

First of all, Vladimir, I did not say that only Russians are flying without transponders. I said to you last summer that there are planes flying without transponders. How I saw that question is – it’s a minor step surely: one piece of globe, just the Baltic Sea air space, just a question of transponders, technical equipment. But it might be a small step to build up co-understanding. And I thank you, Vladimir, for supporting and pushing forward. I know that you have done a great job in Russia in developing technically your place.

But I don’t see that we have actually missed the case because I remember in Munich, that was a couple of months ago at the Security Conference, both Foreign Minister Lavrov whom I see there and Secretary-General Stoltenberg were very positive on that initiative. And now this group of experts, civil experts inside the ICAO that are studying the case and they have promised to take up also transponders in their discussion, and that is a military question.

So we have not closed the case but I think that the most important, like I said, it is a small step. But if you can take a small step that is an indication that you can make even bigger step someday. And that is the whole idea.



Geoff Cutmore:

And I think, to President Putin’s point about the cooperation that is taking place in Syria, with forces very close to each other. It is clear that there is operationally a requirement for both American and Russian forces to talk to each other. And President Trump believes he is going to launch a new campaign against ISIS. He talks about wiping them off the face of the Earth. Would this be something that you would, if President Trump reaches out to you, is this something where you could find common ground and work together early on?



Vladimir Putin:

We certainly have a shared priority. That is the fight against international terrorism. President Trump is quite right to set this task. We will certainly support this work. In my address to the United Nations on its 70th anniversary in New York, I said that we cannot combat terrorism effectively unless we join efforts. This is not a problem that exists in some isolated place – it is a global problem. As the King of Saudi Arabia said to me one day, Islamic countries are the first victims of terrorism. That is true. Terrorism emerged long ago, many hundreds of years ago. It has upsurges now and then, and now we are seeing one of such upsurges. That is extremely dangerous. We see it in the tragic events the world over: Europe is affected by it and the United States has suffered global disasters – I mean September 11. Russia is also an object of continuous terrorist attacks.

However, if we at least try to use these forces to achieve some political ends, we will never be able to strangle it. I don’t say “vanquish” but at least to minimise, choke it. The fact that President Trump has set this goal certainly inspires us to team efforts. We firmly count on eventual transition to such constructive cooperation.



Geoff Cutmore:

And could I ask, is this something that you will reflect to Mr Tillerson when he goes to Moscow? I believe he will be in Moscow sometime before you meet with President Trump?



Vladimir Putin:

Yes, the fight against terrorism is certainly among the key items on our agenda. If Mr Tillerson visits us – I have met him on several occasions, two or three times – we will certainly discuss this issue among others. However, I must tell you, and you know it better than I do, that to make this job efficient we need interaction not only with the Department of State but also with the CIA and the Pentagon. We will not achieve any positive results without constructive teamwork with our colleagues in these fields.



Geoff Cutmore:

So I want to wrap up this area of sovereignty and security just by addressing Russia’s claims in the Arctic because, as we know, there are some competing claims for the same area. Russia’s claim to territory in the Arctic Ocean beyond 200 marine miles continues, it seems, to be a source of low-level conflict and discussion. How do we resolve that, President Putin, to everybody’s satisfaction?



Vladimir Putin:

First, you cannot please everyone. A compromise entails mutual concessions, when the parties defer to each other. Here is a good example: after years of talks with Norway, we came to an agreement on the division of the Barents Sea in 2008 or 2010, if memory serves, and we marked the state border in a way that suited both Russia and Norway.

My colleague on my left, Mr Johannesson, has said that his country does not have an army, that it is a small country. Norway is not a big country either, compared to Russia, and their armies cannot be compared to each other, but we never did and never will build our relations on the might is right principle. We believe that the settlement of disputes must be based on justice and international law. We have done this in our relations with Norway. I am confident that if we respect this principle we will also come to an agreement with Denmark and the other Arctic nations.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Johannesson, please come in on that because it seems that this is still a thorny issue. And, as President Putin says, maybe not everybody will be satisfied. Are you ready to be dissatisfied?



Gudni Johannesson:

No. But we live in a world of options and you do not always get what you want. And we have done well in the Arctic region within the Arctic Council. We have had satisfactory methods to resolve disputes. True, we disagree, especially when it comes to catches. And there are issues. Not as we speak, but there have been in the past two weeks meetings between Russian and Icelandic officials where there are disagreements. But if we approach the problem in a non-provocative manner and respect the opponent’s view and, furthermore, believe in scientific evidence. We have discussed many things today here. Global warming. We’ve come from the Arctic to Syria, to the US, even stopped by in Iceland and Finland.

One thing that should concern us is, I dare say, the decreased respect for scientific results. People will just say: this is your view, this is my view. Whereas if we lose the respect for obvious facts then we are in trouble. And we have done okay when it comes to fisheries’ research and fishing delimitation. We have heard scientists on both sides of the table who will say, yes, these are the undeniable facts. And if we do not agree on how to divide the catch then both of us will lose. So in this spirit, I am confident that we can move on forward. So this is the guiding principle for us. And, as President Putin pointed out so correctly, we would be in deep trouble if the size of armies mattered at the negotiating table.



Geoff Cutmore:

Let us move on and talk about how we see the Arctic developing from here. And I am aware as I look out into the audience in this venue, there are people from many countries that are not involved in the Arctic Council. There is a large representation here from China. China has talked about its own near-Arctic position and its interests in the Arctic.

President Putin, how would you see some of these non-Arctic countries being involved in some of the projects that you have talked about here? Is it purely about putting in investment or do you see them having a larger role?



Vladimir Putin:

We have the Law of the Sea, an agreement on the Arctic and the Arctic Council of the eight Arctic countries, and we also coordinate common approaches with non-Arctic states.

We believe that all countries have the right to work in this region. We only need to coordinate our work there and reach agreements on this. I have mentioned the Yamal LNG project. In addition to its shareholders, which include Russian, French and Chinese companies (there are two Chinese companies involved), equipment for this project is being supplied by Korean, Japanese and several other companies from seven countries. The two Chinese companies will be involved in production. US ExxonMobil, working together with Russia’s Rosneft, has discovered one of the largest Arctic deposits, Pobeda (Victory). Indian companies are involved in hydrocarbons production in the Extreme North, which is also an Arctic region. We are using their services.

Our Chinese partners want to take part and are discussing their contribution to building railway lines towards deep-sea ports in Russia’s northern regions. You know, we will not prevent non-Arctic countries from helping us develop the Arctic. Moreover, we are interested in using their resources and capability for this provided they respect the standards and rules of environmental safety, the safety of biological resources and the interests of the indigenous people living in this region. This is something we can and will coordinate. In fact, we are already working to coordinate this cooperation.



Geoff Cutmore:

Can I bring you in on this? Because it raises some other questions about, again, what we were discussing earlier, that you bring in many nations in on a commercial basis. Does it come more difficult to control the development?



Sauli Niinistö:

Well, today I already said that the Arctic issue is a global issue from the environmental point of view. So I would say that there is or at least there should be a huge interest worldwide in how the Arctic is going forward. What is the environmental impact? We are all sitting in the same boat in that question globally.

But surely there are specific interests. Vladimir talked about those. Let us take the Northeast Passage which, by the way, was found originally by a Finn. But nevertheless, surely, that would shorten up the way from Asia to Europe a lot. Then, there is an idea of an information cable. Maybe that goes forward. That is of interest to everybody. But somehow I see the Finnish position a bit similar to some of those countries you described outside the Arctic. Because unfortunately, we have no possibilities to be disappointed with the sharing of the resources in the Barents Sea because we have no demands. We have no right to demand. So in that position we are a bit similar to those co-operators than many others. Surely, we are a member but nevertheless, I very well understand the global interest in the Arctic.



Geoff Cutmore:

But as you take over the chair of the Arctic Council, is the Arctic Council the correct forum for adjudicating between the non-Arctic member states’ claims? Because it cannot be a free-for-all, can it? There has to be some restriction.



Sauli Niinistö:

But non-Arctic countries do not have such claims as those countries which have a border with the Barents Sea. So the position is different. But there are a lot of observers and I think that we hear their opinion very well through that channel too.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Johannesson.



Gudni Johannesson:

Well, of course, increased cooperation is in general for the better. We have here, as was mentioned, representatives from China, Singapore, from various countries who have an interest, naturally, in the Arctic as a region and as a potential for utilisation and sustainable development.

We, nations of the Arctic, also benefit from a meeting like this. Myself and the delegation from Iceland, we have had discussions with people at this nice university here in Arkhangelsk, have fought out loud about ways to exchange students, academics, having summer courses, winter courses, etc. We also met with the Governor of this region and spoke about potential business opportunities, also with the Governor of Murmansk where we already have a footing. We already have Icelandic companies operating there.

Now, I am not going to mention sanctions, but, you know, this is the way forward to foster ties because it is a common interest to work together, which is a benefit to both sides or even all sides. So that is the benefit of a meeting like this and I think the description The Arctic: The Territory of Dialogue says it all. We will have our differences, serious differences. The larger the nations of the Earth, the bigger the differences, I should think. But if we do not meet up and if we do not have a constructive dialogue, the situation will not improve.

So therefore, it is a pleasure and honour for somebody representing a small country like Iceland and Finland, I should think as well, to be able to participate. Because if we just stayed home and ignored the whole thing then we would at least not move forward.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Putin, you can now blame President Johannesson for my question on sanctions since he brought it up.



Gudni Johannesson:

It was bound to happen. But you’ve never asked me about the Reykjavik summit though. You asked my colleague, President Niinistö about a summit in Helsinki, but not Reykjavik.



Geoff Cutmore:

Well, you know Slovenia is also bidding to host the first meeting between President Trump and President Putin, so why notReykjavik? I am sure President Putin would be happy to travel there as well. It seems to me you are reaching out on this platform actually to President Trump and his office to organise a meeting soon.



Vladimir Putin:

What can I say? I have already said that we are ready for meetings; we need to discuss the parameters, the content of these meetings. This largely depends on the American side. We can see what's happening there. I just do not want to go into this. You see, you keep dragging me into your squabbles. We can see what is happening. The newly elected President is being hampered and prevented from implementing most issues on his election agenda such as healthcare, other issues, international affairs and relations with Russia.

We are simply waiting for the situation to recover and stabilise, without interfering in any way. And it seems to me, by the way, that this is the best evidence that we never ever did so. I hope it will end sometime. We will decide where we will meet, what we will discuss, these are mere technicalities.

There are many questions that are long overdue, including the economy, security and regional conflicts. We are ready for this discussion. But it is necessary for the other side to show goodwill and readiness to work constructively.



Geoff Cutmore:

You have said on many occasions at many platforms that I have been involved in that non-interference is your principle. But this week we have heard not only Washington but also the EU in Brussels saying that you should release protesters, you should release the leader of the opposition. They have been making calls upon you. The fact that there is an apparent interference from them, will that have consequences?



Vladimir Putin:

All these calls come amid police crackdowns such as for example on Paris protesters against the murder of one of the citizens directly in his home, a Frenchman of Chinese descent. Therefore, this kind of appeals to Russia – we believe these are politicised moves aimed at influencing the domestic political life in our country.

As for our internal political developments, we consistently support anti-corruption efforts, since corruption is indeed a serious problem for us (although declining somewhat in recent years, judging by opinion polls, among other things), and for other countries. This is relevant, and we are working on it, and people can see it. I personally support keeping anti-corruption issues constantly in the focus of public attention, and always take a positive view when people take note of these issues. The only thing that I think is wrong is for certain political forces to try to use this in their own interests, for self-promotion in the political arena ahead of political events such as elections rather than to improve the situation.

We know perfectly well, and I would like to draw your attention to this: this tool was also used at the beginning of the so-called Arab spring. We also know that this led to the bloody events in the region. We know that this was one of the motivations and reasons for the coup d'état in Ukraine, our neighbour. We also know that these events have plunged Ukraine into chaos.

Therefore, we say yes to the fight against corruption – and no to using this tool for narrow and selfish political purposes. Everyone involved in political processes should act within the framework of the law. Anyone who breaks the law must be punished in accordance with Russian legislation.



Geoff Cutmore:

One of my viewers actually sent a question in for this discussion. An American. And he said, if you take further consequences against the Americans over sanctions, would you stop giving them rockets so that they can get to the space station?



Vladimir Putin:

We never use the “get a ticket and off you go” principle. And why should we? We never take any steps that can harm us. Americans have long been buying our rocket engines. It is advantageous to them as it saves money, including taxpayers’ money that should have gone to build their own facilities, but it is also advantageous for us because it keeps our factories working.

We never make steps that damage business, damage our international relations. And we are not going to do anything of the kind here. What the previous US administration did, I think, hurts the US economy, the American people. And as the Obama administration urged the Europeans to take the same measures, it hurts the European economy, bringing down the competitiveness of the European economy, leading to hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, and it has already led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

It violates the principles of the World Trade Organisation and international rules in this area, and these are crude violations both in the economy and in human rights protection.

We keep talking about human rights, incessantly, including with regard to the rallies in Moscow and other Russian cities. Yet they just imposed sanctions in connection with the Crimean events on individuals who had nothing to do with the events, they never even had the slightest idea of what was being planned, and they learnt of what was happening from the media. Yet sanctions were just imposed on them. Where are the human rights here? Their bank accounts were closed, they cannot even use funds for making transactions for their family members and so on. Well, what are we talking about? What human rights are we talking about?

It means they should be observed in one place, and shouldn’t in another. There is no logic, no equal approach to these issues in the modern world. Unfortunately, we have arrived at such a degradation of international law and international relations. It should be rectified. Can this be done or not? It can, and let us strive to do it together. But this can only be done from both the sides.



Geoff Cutmore:

Mr President, I think at the beginning you said what we need is an open and constructive cooperation. And I think we have had a plenty of open and constructive dialogue here.

And I want to finish on a positive note because I think the conversation has had many positive notes, and very quickly because I am being told that we need to wrap up now.

Maybe if I could just ask each of you to give me one perhaps thing that you hope we can achieve before we meet again at this event. One thing that would take us forward in terms of that cooperative dialogue on the Arctic.

President Johannesson.



Gudni Johannesson:

An agreement to continue in the vein that the Arctic Council has worked so far for twenty years or so, that we base our agreements and conclusions on the Arctic, on scientific evidence with full respect for the opinions, wishes and needs of all those concerned, leading to constructive, reliable and viable compromises.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Niinistö.



Sauli Niinistö:

Well, I would like to see all of us and other members of the Arctic Council sitting at the table to at least understand profoundly what the other one is saying. That is the minimum and I already got that we do not know at the moment exactly what kind of relations, for example, the biggest members or participants of the Arctic Council have. That would be a way forward. First you have to know what each of us thinks. And then you have a possibility maybe of finding solutions.



Geoff Cutmore:

President Putin.



Vladimir Putin:

I can only join in with what my colleagues, President Johannesson and President Niinistö, have said. This is the right approach because the aspiration to build positive relations is the motto of the Arctic Council and of this forum. As we say, the Arctic is a space for cooperation and dialogue, and I would like very much the example of positive teamwork in this part of the world to spread elsewhere where we could address our problems using the experience of our cooperation in the Arctic.

As for the Arctic, we certainly see Russia’s future in it, as well as the future of the global economy. It possesses huge untouched reserves of natural resources, and it is at the crossroads of many international interests. If we find the tools of tackling our problems here, it will inspire us to address problems in other parts of the world by similar means.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my colleagues, as I said in the beginning, for having found the time in their schedule to come to Russia. I would also like to thank you as moderator. You have moved us, so to say, to discuss problems outside the Arctic region. As a matter of fact, this is what makes such discussions topical and very interesting.

Thank you very much.



Geoff Cutmore:

Let us thank our presidents. Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54149



About Otto Schmidt - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1102

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Greetings to participants in celebratory events on Russia-Belarus Unity Day



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to participants in celebratory events to mark the Day of Unity between the Peoples of Russia and Belarus.



March 31, 2017 - 19:00



The message reads, in part:

“I warmly congratulate you on the Day of Unity between the Peoples of Russia and Belarus.

For more than two decades, Russians and Belarusians have been confidently moving along the path of integration. Much has been done in this time. We have significantly strengthened our trade, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian and security ties, and consistent work is underway to harmonise national laws in key areas.

A meaningful dialogue has been established between all branches of power; there are active contacts between regions and cities, and direct links between Russian and Belarusian business communities. The two countries’ citizens are guaranteed equal rights in employment, education, healthcare and social security.

One of the most important areas of allied relations is the coordination of our foreign policy activities. Russia and Belarus cooperate in resolving important current issues on the regional and global agenda, working closely together within the framework of the UN, OSCE and other international organisations.

I am confident that the further expansion of the entire range of mutually beneficial ties in the Union State format meets the fundamental interests of our peoples, and is progressing towards greater stability and security in the Eurasian space.”





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54162






Greetings on Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day



Vladimir Putin congratulated President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on The Day of Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus.



April 2, 2017 - 10:00



In his message, the President stressed the importance of the Union State for Russians and Belarusians and gave a high assessment to the results of the two countries’ integration cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, and other areas achieved in the period of over twenty years.

The President also underscored that the tried-and-tested experience of their joint work allows the countries to find optimal solutions even for the most complicated issues, and contributes to the furthering of Russia-Belarus relations





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54164






Meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko



Vladimir Putin met with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in St Petersburg to discuss current issues of bilateral relations.



April 3, 2017 - 20:30 - St Petersburg



After a one-on-one meeting, the talks continued with the involvement of the delegations. Later, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko made statements for the press.

The President of Belarus has come to Russia on a working visit.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Lukashenko, I am very glad to welcome you to St Petersburg. Yesterday we marked a common holiday, the Day of Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus.

However, I must begin our meeting on a different note. As you know, there has been an explosion on the St Petersburg metro. People have been killed and injured. I would like to begin our meeting by expressing condolences and sympathy to the families of those killed and injured.

I have spoken with representatives of our security agencies and the FSB Director. Our law enforcement and security agencies are working to establish the causes of the explosion and to provide their assessment of the situation. The city authorities, and if needed, the federal authorities, will take the necessary measures to help the families of those affected by the blast.

Regrettably, we are compelled to begin our meeting by speaking about this tragic event. The reasons behind it are not clear yet, and so it would be premature to speak about them. The investigation is ongoing. Of course, we always consider all scenarios, including accidental or criminal action, and above all, those of a terrorist nature. The ongoing investigation will soon provide answers regarding the causes of this tragedy.

As for our meeting, I would like to say that this year we will mark yet another important event, 25 years of diplomatic relations. Today we have an opportunity to speak about what has been done over this period to promote bilateral cooperation, what we need to do and the unresolved issues we need to address.

I am very glad to see you in Russia. I am grateful to you for accepting our invitation to come to St Petersburg to talk about these issues.



President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:

Thank you, Mr Putin.

You know my attitude towards St Petersburg, a city that is not foreign to me and that is your home city. It is always with great pleasure that I come here.

It is deeply, deeply regrettable that this has taken place. In times like these, you always pray to God that things will not get worse. Unfortunately, we have confronted similar problems in Minsk. I hope things will not get worse.

I would like to express my condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, to the residents of St Petersburg, who react with such poignant sensitivity to such things, the way all Slavic people do.

I have just said to you that we will not be allowed to live in peace, and that we must be prepared for anything. There are very many challenges in the world. We do not live in an isolated world, as you and I know only too well, because we have held our offices for many years. This is why we need to speak very seriously, considering that security is a top item on our agenda today, the security of our Fatherland, if I may call it that, which I think is perfectly appropriate. We will talk about how to live in this world and how to protect the interests of our people.

As for problems in relations, they will always be there. However, in the face of events such as this, these problems pale in significance. We can deal with all our problems quickly and effectively. May God grant us peace, and allow us to continue to protect the security of our people.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54176






Press statements following meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko



Following Russian-Belarusian talks, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko made statements for the press.



April 3, 2017 - 20:50 - St Petersburg





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good evening, colleagues,

We would like to brief you on the results of our work. And there are results. We have agreed that we shall settle all our contentious issues on oil and gas, actually, we did not agree, we settled them. We agreed on how and when we are going to do that. We shall do it within ten days.

We have found an arrangement whereby we maintain our approaches, harmonise our stances on prices. We have found an opportunity for mutual trade-offs, agreed on how we will operate in this area not just in 2017 but also in 2018 and 2019. We have reiterated our commitment to set up by July 2019 the necessary rules, foundational rules and conditions on creating a united market of electric power, general conditions and rules. We gave reiterated our readiness to do our best to draft joint rules for the united gas market by January 1, 2018, and by 2024 to draft and sign an intergovernmental agreement within the Eurasian Economic Union on a single gas market.

We spent a lot of time discussing cooperation in finance, in some particular areas of the economy, in high-tech areas, and finished with the possibility of expanding our joint work in space.

We spoke at length on cooperation in agriculture. I asked the Government of the Russian Federation for our specialists to go to Belarus this week and work with their colleagues at the enterprises that aroused suspicion regarding compliance with our phytosanitary standards.

I believe these are the issues that are being resolved in the course of our joint practical work in the spirit that has evolved between our countries over the many years since the signing of the agreement on the formation of the Union State.

Let me remind you that yesterday we marked the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus, and this year we also mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. So there are no outstanding issues as of today. We will move on, we will keep enhancing allied relations within the Union State and work on the legal framework, and on the development of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Thank you.



President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:

Mr Putin, friends,

Regrettably, I must begin with what we discussed at the beginning of our meeting, even if on a different note. I am truly grateful to you for agreeing to hold our talks despite this tragedy and for conducting them in a positive and orderly manner. As you have said, there are no unsettled matters between us now.

Of course, it is bad when presidents have to deal with issues they are not expected to address. Well, it comes with the job. Indeed, Mr Putin and I have settled all outstanding issues in the oil and gas sector, and so I will not speak about them now. We spent a long time discussing agrarian issues and have agreed that they will be tackled by the Union State Supreme State Council along with the issue of our industrial policy. We have agreed to coordinate the timeframe and to adopt decisions on these and other issues at a Supreme State Council meeting.

To tell the truth, we spent considerable time discussing international issues, especially those that concern us, our neighbours, and EU policy. We exchanged opinions on relations with the United States and ways to develop them. Of course, I asked Mr Putin not to forget about Belarus when building up relations with major powers. He will be meeting with the G20 leaders soon. He assured me of Russia’s support and promised to continue to support Belarus at all forums, just as he always did.

We also discussed security issues, and not only in connection with the tragedy in St Petersburg. We had planned to discuss them; these issues were on our agenda. We did not begin our discussion with oil and gas issues. As we had planned, we focused on our countries’ security. I will not provide any details, because you can see what is going on. We want to maintain stability in Russia and Belarus. There are too few peaceful regions in the world. We have agreed to work collectively to protect our security, the security of our countries.

Mr Putin, I am grateful to you for meeting us halfway on refinancing our debts to Russia this year. Mr President has promised to issue corresponding orders on this issue today or tomorrow.

I would like to reiterate that we have no unsettled issues now. Moreover, we looked into the future of our economies. We have settled these issues. I believe that in a matter of ten days, as Mr President said, our Governments will formalise our decisions to normalise work in our economies.

Once again, thank you, Mr Putin. I deeply regret that we have met in this difficult situation. But we must stand together, and our people must see this, as we have shown them today.

Thank you.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54178






Congratulations to Aleksandar Vucic on winning Serbia’s presidential election



Vladimir Putin sent a message of congratulations to Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic on his election to the post of President of Serbia.



April 3, 2017 - 12:20



“This convincing victory in the election reflects broad support for your efforts to resolve Serbia’s current economic and social issues and to pursue a constructive and balanced foreign policy course”, the message reads.

Vladimir Putin stressed that Mr Vucic is known in Russia as a principled supporter of stronger friendly relations between Russia and Serbia and expressed confidence that his work as head of state would contribute to further developing the Russian-Serbian strategic partnership for the benefit of both fraternal peoples.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54170






Telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.



April 4, 2017 - 02:15



US President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the heinous terrorist attack in the St Petersburg metro and asked Vladimir Putin to convey his words of support to the Russian people. President Putin thanked his American colleague for the expression of solidarity.

The Presidents noted that terrorism is an evil that must be fought jointly and agreed to continue their contacts.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54181






Telephone conversation with Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande.



April 4, 2017 - 14:35



Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande expressed their deep condolences over the heinous terrorist attack in the St Petersburg metro and asked Vladimir Putin to convey their words of sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes of early recovery to the injured.

The European leaders have pointed out the importance of strengthening cooperation against the common terrorist threat and have agreed to build up the exchange of information between their security agencies.

The discussion of the situation in southeast Ukraine focused on the need to ensure the stability of the ceasefire along the entire length of the contact line. The leaders stressed that the parties to the internal Ukrainian conflict must comply with the Easter ceasefire agreed by the Trilateral Contact Group starting from April 1 and with other de-escalation arrangements. These concern above all the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the disengagement of the parties’ forces and weapons, particularly in Luganskaya.

Vladimir Putin has called for launching efforts to implement the political provisions of the Minsk Agreements as soon as possible. He pointed out the importance of coordinating moves in the sphere of security and political settlement, which should be reflected in the roadmap that is being drafted by the leaders’ aides in keeping with the decisions taken at the Normandy format summit in Berlin on October 19, 2016.

The conversation focused on the humanitarian situation in southeast Ukraine. President Putin pointed out again that Kiev should lift the blockade of the region as soon as possible and take emergency measures to settle the socioeconomic issues in Donbass in accordance with the Minsk Package.

The leaders also discussed the operation of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

They have agreed to continue their contacts within the Normandy format, including in light of the upcoming consultations of their aides on April 6.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54202






Telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the Turkish side’s initiative.



April 4, 2017 - 14:45



The President of Turkey offered his deep condolences over the terrorist attack in the St Petersburg metro and passed on words of support and sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. The presidents reaffirmed their mutual intention to further develop bilateral counterterrorism cooperation.

The presidents spoke about the Syrian settlement. It was agreed, in particular, to continue supporting the cessation of hostilities in Syria and promoting the negotiation processes in Astana and Geneva.

Current issues of Russian-Turkish relations were also discussed, taking into account the agreements reached at the meeting of the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council on March 10 this year in Moscow.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54203






Telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe



At the initiative of the Japanese side, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.



April 4, 2017 - 15:45



Shinzo Abe expressed his sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the terrorist attack in St Petersburg and passed his wishes for soonest recovery to the injured. The Prime Minister noted that he had made a special public announcement in which he stressed solidarity with the Russian people, and pointed out that the world community must take more active measures against terrorism and extremism.

The leaders also discussed a range of issues on the bilateral agenda, including their meeting schedule.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54207






Telephone conversation with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia



At Saudi Arabia’s initiative, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.



April 4, 2017 - 15:55



The King of Saudi Arabia condemned the barbaric terrorist attack in St Petersburg and expressed his sincere condolences to the President of Russia and the entire nation. The heads of state confirmed the significance of intensifying international efforts against terrorism.

Both parties stressed their interest in increasing Russian-Saudi Arabian cooperation in politics, trade and the economy. They discussed upcoming contacts at various levels. Vladimir Putin confirmed his invitation for King Salman to visit Russia.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54208






Russian-Uzbekistani talks



Talks were held at the Kremlin between Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who came to Russia on a state visit.



April 5, 2017 - 17:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow



The two presidents discussed development of bilateral relations and exchanged views on a number of current international and regional issues at the talks in narrow format. The talks continued with the two countries’ delegations taking part.

Following the talks, the two presidents signed the Joint Statement by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. A package of intergovernmental, inter-agency and corporate agreements were also signed during the visit.

The visit saw the signing of intergovernmental agreements on facilitating interregional cooperation, organised recruitment and employment of Uzbekistani citizens for temporary work in Russia, mutual establishment of offices of the relevant bodies working in the migration sector, and cooperation on healthcare, medical education, science and tourism.

Other agreements signed concern development, production and export of high-tech industrial goods, implementing industrial construction and modernisation projects, investment projects in the petrochemicals, mining and metals sectors in Uzbekistan, with participation of Russian companies, purchase and sale of natural gas, oil supplies, joint geological exploration, and organising engineering and innovation work.

Agreements were signed too on cooperation between various agencies in agriculture, medicine, customs, finance and other areas.

Mr Putin and Mr Mirziyoyev made press statements following the talks.

Mr Putin later hosted a state dinner in the Kremlin’s Palace of Facets in honour of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Mirziyoyev, friends, colleagues,

Let me wish you a warm welcome to the Kremlin.

We are very pleased that you have found this opportunity to visit Russia. This is your first visit, a state visit, the highest level visit according to diplomatic protocol. Of course, this involves many formal and protocol aspects, but more important are the results we prepared the ground for in our preparations for your visit.

We discussed this on the way here just before, discussed how our colleagues have been working very hard and have prepared a whole package of documents. More important than the documents we will sign today, though, is their content. They represent a genuinely serious step forward in developing our bilateral relations.

We can say already that over the short time since you became president, our trade and economic ties, to which we have always given particular attention, have become considerably more active.

Overall, our trade turnover remains at a high level, and in some areas it is showing quite astonishing growth.



President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

We have figures of up to 260 percent.



Vladimir Putin:

Yes, quite amazing results. This is particularly true of light industry and agriculture. Agriculture has grown more than two-fold and Uzbekistan’s exports to Russia have more than doubled.

We have ongoing dialogue at the political level and our foreign ministers work very closely with each other. We are developing our relations in the security and defence areas too.

Of course, Uzbekistan’s position in the region has great importance for us, given the tensions that affect us in one way or another, the tensions coming from neighbouring countries, above all Afghanistan, of course.

We are very happy to see you. It is a sincere pleasure. I wish you welcome.

I not only hope but am certain that your visit today and our work together will constitute a big step forward in strengthening our bilateral ties.



Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Thank you very much, Mr Putin.

I would like to begin by conveying my condolences to the victims’ families. What happened in St Petersburg pains us all. Terror has no borders or ethnic background. I reiterate, we must join our efforts in this regard and take tough measures. I extend my condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and to you personally.

Of course, first of all I want to express my gratitude that you invited me to come to Russia on a state visit. I think that this is a landmark visit, as you have already mentioned.

During our meeting in Samarkand, we had a candid and trust-based conversation covering all areas. However, much has changed over that short time. I want to express my gratitude to you: everything that we agreed upon with you is being carried out. The package of documents which we will sign today shows that.

I want to express special gratitude with regard to the fact that when you paid tribute to first President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov in Samarkand, you designated a park in the centre of Moscow to erect a monument to Islam Karimov. The location is good. Thank you again. I think this monument and this park will unite our peoples and serve as a bridge strengthening our friendship.

Of course, as you said, our state agencies are coordinating our positions on political issues. We have achieved major successes in trade and economic cooperation. Many of our partners and colleagues have already met, and there are good results.

Much has been done as well in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. We have brought an exhibition of our remarkable ethnographer Igor Savitsky to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. It means a lot. Nothing binds our peoples as much as culture. I think the fact that we will also visit this exhibition means a great deal.

Speaking about other areas of cooperation and security, our law enforcement agencies and our special bodies meet to discuss serious matters and to compare notes.

You correctly noted that peace in Afghanistan is important especially for us in Uzbekistan. Peace and prosperity in Afghanistan matter to us. We will assist in every possible way and support everything that Russia is currently promoting with regard to Afghanistan. There will be a meeting on April 14, and our departments will certainly participate. We are impressed by everything that Russia is doing with regard to Afghanistan, and we will take an active part in it.

With regard to other issues, I think, a lot has been accomplished in a short time. We will strive to take our strategic partnership and allied relations to the next level.

Today, we had a meeting between our governments. We have very good mutual understanding between our respective governments, their ministries and departments. They already know each other better, have made some headway, and there are actual results.

Thank you once again. Thank you very much for your hospitality and such a nice reception.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54219






Visit to Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts



Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Treasures of Nukus exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.



April 5, 2017 - 18:00 - Moscow







The exhibition features over 250 Soviet avant-garde and post-avant-garde paintings and graphics, as well as archaeological and decorative art objects from the collection of one of Uzbekistan’s largest museums, the Savitsky State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54225






Press statements following Russian-Uzbekistani talks



Mr Putin and Mr Mirziyoyev made press statements following the talks.



April 5, 2017 - 16:20





President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by saying that these talks today took place in very friendly and constructive spirit.

It is a genuine pleasure to welcome Mr Mirziyoyev, who is in Russia on a state visit, and is visiting our country for the first time as President of Uzbekistan. We value his desire to strengthen our strategic partnership and alliance relation in every area.

Our bilateral cooperation is based on solid traditions of friendship and mutual support that have stood the test of time. On March 20, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Over these years, we have achieved substantial success in developing our multifaceted and mutually advantageous cooperation.

At today’s meeting, first in narrow format and then with the participation of the deputy prime ministers, key ministers and heads of our biggest companies, we had made a detailed examination of the current state of bilateral cooperation, discussed in depth the prospects for developing our ties, and outlined the priority areas and concrete tasks for our work together in various areas.

This is reflected in the documents signed today, in the Joint Statement and in the solid package of intergovernmental, inter-agency and corporate documents.

Of course, one of the main focuses of these very substantive talks was how to deepen our trade and economic cooperation. I stress that our countries are actively developing these important ties, taking into account the high degree of mutual complementarity between our respective economies. We seek more effective integration on the basis of mutual advantage and consideration for each other’s interests.

Russia is Uzbekistan’s biggest trade partner. Our bilateral intergovernmental commission has drafted and is implementing with success a large-scale economic cooperation development programme through to 2019. Last year, our bilateral trade came to $2.7 billion, which represents more than 17 percent of Uzbekistan’s foreign trade balance. Russian investment in Uzbekistan’s economy came to more than $6 billion.

We are happy to see the high level of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. Russia is buying more than 5 billion cubic metres of gas from Uzbekistan. Our companies Gazprom and LUKOIL are carrying out large joint hydrocarbon projects in Uzbekistan. Our company Siloviye Mashiny is helping to modernise important electricity system infrastructure facilities in Uzbekistan – the Syr Darya Power Station and the Charvak Hydroelectric Power Station.

Mr Mirziyoyev and I agreed to give additional instructions to our governments to develop industrial cooperation and expand joint production of goods with high added value. We support the plans by Rostec, Rostselmash, GAZ Group and their Uzbekistani partners to launch new projects in the automotive industry, machine-building, civil aviation and pharmaceuticals.

We agreed to continue efforts to encourage increased Uzbekistani exports of agricultural goods and foodstuffs to Russia. These exports more than doubled over the last year alone and come to 142,800 tonnes, so as to have an idea what this means in practical terms.

This is in large part the result of joint efforts to implement the President of Uzbekistan’s initiative to establish a so-called ‘green corridor’ for quicker and unhindered supplies of agricultural goods across our borders. Russia’s decision to lower transport costs for transport of a number of goods of importance for the country has also been of help in this area.

We expressed our support for more active efforts to develop interregional cooperation and deepen our humanitarian ties. We have some practical decisions. I think the President of Uzbekistan will say more about this now. We have organisational decisions that I also think important, decisions on establishing new mechanisms that Russia has been using with success in its relations with other countries.

As you know, the Days of Russian Culture were successfully held in Uzbekistan last November. This year, we plan to hold Uzbekistan Culture Days in Russia.

This evening, Mr Mirziyoyev and I will visit the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts for the opening of The Treasures of Nukus exhibition. It includes works of art and archaeological items from Uzbek museums, including from the collection of the famed Russian painter and ethnographer Igor Savitsky, who has done a great deal to promote Russian culture in the East.

It is gratifying that people in Uzbekistan want to study in Russia. There are some 22,000 students from Uzbekistan at Russian universities, and this is one of the largest groups, compared to students from other CIS countries. We are ready to continue to provide comprehensive assistance in training skilled professionals, including Russian language teachers, for Uzbekistan. By the way, a big thank you to the President and all our Uzbek partners and friends for maintaining the high status of the Russian language in their republic. Russian is taught at many schools, at hundreds of schools, and over 60 universities offer tuition in the Russian language.

Of course, during our talks today we held a deep discussion of current regional and global issues. I would like to say that Russia and Uzbekistan have similar or identical positions on many of these issues.

Our countries are working together to strengthen stability and security in Central Asia and assist national reconciliation in Afghanistan. They call on the international community to join forces against terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and organised cross-border crime, coordinate their actions at the UN and successfully cooperate within the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the President and all our Uzbek friends for the meaningful and productive talks and for the thorough preparation of your President’s first state visit to Russia. Mr President, I am convinced that your visit will help strengthen the truly friendly and allied relations between the people of Russia and Uzbekistan. Thank you for your attention.



President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Mr Putin, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims who died in the explosion in the St Petersburg metro. We strongly condemn this act committed by terrorists and their accomplices, and affirm that we are ready to actively cooperate in fighting challenges and threats for the security of our countries and the entire region.

I would like to once again express my sincere gratitude to President Putin for the invitation to come to the Russian Federation on a state visit, as well as the warm welcome and hospitality extended to our delegation. We, in Uzbekistan, greatly value the strategic partnership and alliance of our countries, and will do our best to take them to the next level.

This state visit by the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Russian Federation serves as clear confirmation of this. It is of great importance for me, our entire delegation, and our entire country. Our meeting once again showed that Uzbekistan and Russia share long-term interests.

Mutual aspirations will fill our strategic partnership and allied relations with new practical content, targets, concrete programmes, and projects.

This visit is even more important in view of the rapidly changing international situation, the growing number of conflicts and acts of violence, the rapid spread of various transnational risks and security challenges. During our substantive talks, Mr Putin and I, as usual, had an open and confidential exchange views on key issues of regional security and the international situation.

I want the media to understand that today's atmosphere is one of trust and candour, which provides a solid ground for our relationship.

We have also comprehensively analysed the state of our relations and agreed on concrete measures to further expand our multifaceted practical cooperation.

I am pleased to note that we have shared views and approaches on the majority of issues under consideration. Special attention was given to the situation in Afghanistan. We are convinced that there is no military solution to the Afghan problem. The only way is through peaceful political talks under the aegis of the United Nations. Uzbekistan supports Russia’s efforts to find ways of resolving the Afghan conflict and will attend an extended meeting in Moscow on April 14.

We have also agreed to work together more closely to prevent growing regional security threats and challenges. An important condition for the maintenance of stability is to promote an atmosphere rejecting the ideology of extremism in any forms and manifestations and to identify and eliminate the causes of radicalisation.

We intend to continue our close cooperation in the international arena, including at the UN, the SCO, the CIS and other influential international organisations.

It should be noted with satisfaction that our talks have resulted in the signing of an unprecedented package of documents, including a Joint Statement by the Presidents of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Russia, as well as over 50 economic, investment, energy, military-technical, cultural, humanitarian and other agreements and contracts. The total portfolio of joint trade and investment projects exceeds $15 billion.

We have agreed to ensure comprehensive development and to move ahead with the implementation of major projects in various economic sectors, and to foster trade ties and long-term partnership.

Our partners include such well-known Russian companies and corporations as Gazprom, LUKOIL and Rostec, among others. On the whole, today there are almost 1,000 enterprises with the participation of our Russian partners in Uzbekistan and about 600 enterprises with Uzbek capital in Russia.

Needless to say, interregional cooperation is a very promising area. I would like to say something about this. Mr Putin, thank you very much for your assistance. You know, when regions meet they decide a lot directly and there are tangible results. This speaks to the fact that regions want to meet. They want to trade and visit each other. Very good results have been achieved. I have talked to our governors. They will be happy to continue.

Today, Mr Putin and I agreed to hold business forums in Russia and Uzbekistan in alternate years. I invited Mr Putin to attend a major business forum which we will hold in Bukhara, Khorezm or Samarkand next year. Both presidents attending this forum will be a good follow-up to the intergovernmental agreement on regional cooperation which we signed today. You know, we have things to discuss during our meetings at the interregional level.

I am confident that a vibrant dialogue between our countries’ regions based on the intergovernmental agreement signed today will, already in the near future, produce concrete results in the form of finished targeted projects, joint enterprises making popular products, and active cultural exchanges.

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation is an important component of our relations. About one million of our citizens are of Russian ethnicity, and they do their fair share to develop our country. The Republican Russian Cultural Centre, which has branches in all regions of our country, actively participates in organising many important public events. Education in Russian is provided at 836 schools and almost all universities of Uzbekistan. Mr Putin noted this fact in particular, and the Russian language is indeed an asset which we will always cherish and preserve, because it means a lot to us. Numerous mass media outlets, institutions of culture and art operate in Russian. In addition, branches of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, and the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas do good work in Uzbekistan as well.

I would also like to note the success of the current exhibition of masterpieces from our Savitsky Musem of Arts collection at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. It is my pleasure to invite all members of the media present here to visit it. In fact, it is, without exaggeration, a Louvre in the Steppe. You see, I could talk a lot about this but it is very good when we enrich ourselves culturally. There is a very good, solid foundation to this.

In addition, today we have signed a separate intergovernmental agreement to foster full-scale cooperation in healthcare, medical education and science. I am convinced that this visit, its constructive results, will further strengthen our strategic partnership and alliance and will serve our countries’ interests.

I would also like to tell you about my invitation to Mr Putin to visit Uzbekistan. We have agreed to hold a business forum next year and I, our delegation and I, personally invite you, Mr Putin.

Finally, I would like to say sincerely that the atmosphere, openness and trust of our today’s meeting is of fundamental importance. We found something useful for each other and we found mutual understanding on many sensitive issues. Mr Putin has already addressed all questions that we had and issued instructions. Instructions were issued with regard to all questions. In the economic sphere, the finance ministries, the Tax Service of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federal Taxation Service received instructions.

I would like to say that we, our entire delegation, are leaving with a sense of satisfaction and encouragement. I believe that today’s visit will be a major result, the embodiment of the goals that we have been moving toward. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation to Mr Putin for promoting this atmosphere.

Thank you very much.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54223






Telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu



At Israel’s initiative, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.



April 6, 2017 - 16:45



Mr Netanyahu expressed his profound condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the barbaric terrorist attack in the St Petersburg metro and wished the injured a swift recovery. Both leaders said it is important to intensify the international community’s efforts to fight terrorism.

They discussed key aspects of bilateral cooperation in the antiterrorism area and declared their readiness to step up this cooperation in interests of ensuring stability and security in the Middle East, particularly in Syria.

Mr Putin and Mr Netanyahu exchanged views on the incident involving chemical weapons on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib. Mr Putin underscored, in particular, that it is unacceptable to make groundless accusations against any party until a thorough and objective international investigation has been conducted.

The two leaders agreed to continue their contacts.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54239






Telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi



At India’s initiative, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.



April 6, 2017 - 17:30



Mr Modi expressed his profound condolences over the terrorist attack in the St Petersburg metro and said that India resolutely condemns this crime.

The two leaders called for more active efforts on the part of the international community to fight terrorism and extremism.

They also discussed a number of current bilateral cooperation matters in the context of Mr Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia in June 2017.





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54240






Condolences to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden



The President expressed his condolences to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in connection with the tragic aftermath of the terrorist act in Stockholm.



April 7, 2017 - 18:00



The message reads, in part:

”People in our country know firsthand about the atrocities of international terrorism. At this difficult hour, the Russian people mourn together with the people of Sweden.

Please convey my words of support to the families of the deceased, and my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who were injured as a result of this crime.“





The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54248



About Igor Savitsky - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1109

About Aleksandr Pushkin - https://vnnforum.com/showpost.php?p=...6&postcount=21

About Mikhail Lomonosov - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1063

About Georgi Plekhanov - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1107

About Ivan Gubkin - https://vnnforum.com/blog.php?b=1108

Last edited by Alex Him; April 12th, 2017 at 10:10 AM.
 
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