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Old December 5th, 2018 #901
Alex Him
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Congratulations to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping on the Republic’s 69th anniversary.



October 1, 2018 - 09:05



“Under your guidance China has achieved impressive successes. The Chinese economy is growing at high speed, as is the prosperity of your country’s citizens. Plans have been approved for national economic development up to 2035 and to 2050. Beijing’s prestige in the global arena is growing,” the Russian leader stressed in his message.

The President praised the progress in the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership, which is on the upswing: the two nations have stepped up political dialogue, mutually advantageous cooperation in trade and the economy, science and technology, humanitarian and other areas and are coordinating efforts in resolving regional and global problems.

Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his readiness for further joint work with China’s President on the bilateral and international agendas.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58663






Meeting with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic



Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic who arrived in Russia on a working visit.



October 2, 2018 - 14:10 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President,

It is a pleasure to have you here in Moscow.

I remember well your previous visit on May 8–9. Most recently, we celebrated the 180th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

I note with satisfaction a steady increase in bilateral trade, namely, 23 percent last year and another 13.3 percent in the first half of this year. Russia’s investment in the Serbian economy is also growing and now stands at $4 billion.

I know we will need to talk about the situation in the region as well.

I am very pleased to see you. Welcome.







President of the Republic of Serbia Alexandar Vucic (speaks Russian):

Mr President, my friend,

First of all, thank you very much for your kind words and hospitality. It is, as always, a great honour for me.

However, today's meeting is of great importance for my country, Serbia.







I am pleased with the way our relations are unfolding, which is the result of our open, constructive and productive discussions. Russian-Serbian international relations are very good.

I must express my deep gratitude to you personally, Mr President, for your firm position in upholding international law and vital national and state interests of the Republic of Serbia.







As you are well aware, the situation in the Western Balkans is very complicated, and as a state Serbia is faced with numerous daily provocations. Despite this, regardless of our willingness to reach a compromise and to maintain peace and stability, we are still very far from reaching any decision on the matter concerning Kosovo and Metohija.

I would like to emphasise once again that as an independent and free state Serbia will maintain military neutrality, and I believe that Serbia is the only country in the Western Balkans that enjoys such a definition today.







With regard to our economic ties, you were right when you said that our trade is on the rise. I am quite pleased with this and I hope that we can improve our economic relations in the future.

In closing, I would like to thank you once again for everything you are doing for Serbia and to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Belgrade in the near future. This, as I said earlier, will be a great honour for us and our people.







I have prepared for you a book My Fair Serbia written by Russian authors.

Many thanks again for your very warm welcome and hospitality.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58675






Greetings to participants, organisers and guests of the Russian Energy Week International Forum



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the Russian Energy Week International Forum taking place in Moscow on October 3–6.



October 3, 2018 - 09:00



The message reads, in part:

“It is important that representatives of government agencies, major companies, and the business and expert communities from Russia and other countries meet again to discuss the main development trends of the global energy industry and shape the international energy agenda.

Our country is one of the leading energy powers, making a significant contribution to global energy security. The Russian fuel and energy sector is steadily increasing its potential, opening up new opportunities for large investments, widespread introduction of modern innovative technologies, and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects, including those with international participation. Particular attention is paid to environmental issues and nature conservation.

I am confident that the forum participants will appreciate the achievements and prospects of the Russian fuel and energy industry and identify areas for further cooperation and mutually beneficial projects.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58698






Congratulations to German leadership on German Unity Day



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on the Day of German Unity.



October 3, 2018 - 12:00



“The reunification of Germany is a major historical event that marked the end of the Cold War in Europe and the beginning of a new stage in relations between our countries,” the President of Russia wrote in his message.

Vladimir Putin emphasised the importance of preserving the high potential of Russian-German cooperation in the current difficult international situation, of developing mutually beneficial trade and economic ties and maintaining dialogue on the key issues on the bilateral, regional and international agenda.

Vladimir Putin wished Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier excellent health and success, and well-being and prosperity to all Germans.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58697






Meeting with OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo



Prior to the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week forum, Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Secretary General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo.



October 3, 2018 - 14:15 - Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

I am delighted to see you. To begin with, I would like to point out that we have developed very productive contacts and effective interaction over the past several years. I think the joint work was beneficial for all market participants, including energy producers and consumers.

We are being very responsible and are not trying to make the prices skyrocket, but we are instead trying to balance the situation. Thanks to our joint efforts, I think this is the first time all the participants of these agreements almost fully comply with their obligations.

I think we should use the positive experience of our cooperation in the future and expand it; not just balance the market situation, but engage in scientific research and joint market forecasting as well. We share many interests.







Secretary General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Mohammed Barkindo:

Mr President, I want to once again thank you for the great leadership that you have shown, especially in the last two to three years.

It is a global consensus that what we have been able to achieve between the OPEC and non-OPEC producers would not have been possible without your personal leadership.

We have been able to bring 24 producing countries, now 25, on one platform to stabilise the oil market on a sustainable basis. And, as the President mentioned himself, this was not only for our benefit as producers but also for the consuming countries.

Now, going forward, as the President is aware, we are discussing among ourselves how we can make this permanent cooperation institutionalised. All the parties are flexible on the terms and conditions of this partnership. But whatever form and shape it takes we all expect the Russian Federation to continue to take a leadership role in that framework.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58702






Talks with Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz



In St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin had talks with Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz who is in Russia on a working visit.



October 3, 2018 - 21:50 - St Petersburg







The President and the Chancellor discussed the status and development prospects of Russia-Austria relations, topical international and regional problems, and Austria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2018.

After the talks the two heads of state witnessed the signing by Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and OMV CEO Rainer Seele of a basic agreement on assets sales.

Vladimir Putin and Sebastian Kurz gave a joint news conference.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Federal Chancellor, colleagues,

I am delighted to welcome you – this time in Russia, in St Petersburg. The wonderful event, the opening of a joint exhibition by two leading museums in Russia and Austria, gave us a great opportunity to meet once again and to talk not only about art but also about the development of our bilateral ties.

These relations are developing well. Trade is growing. Last year it grew by 40 percent and this year it doubled over the first semester.

The capital investment on both sides is increasing. Russia is actively investing in the Austrian economy. I do not have the exact figures but I think Austria has accumulated over $30 billion in Russian investments.

We are pursuing large projects, but not only in the energy sector but in other spheres as well.

I am glad to have this opportunity to meet with you, Mr Federal Chancellor, and to go over all these subjects, including, of course, international aspects and our relations with the European Union as Austria is now holding the presidency of the EU; to exchange opinions on key matters, most sensitive topics that are drawing our attention in the world.







Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz (retranslated):

Mr President,

I have the honour to thank you for this invitation to St Petersburg with all my heart. It is a great joy for me to be here, at the exhibition opening in St Petersburg.

Cultural exchange is not the only important aspect of our relations. We are pleased to see the positive development of our economic cooperation. I am happy with the fact that we are cooperating very well in the energy industry.







Since Austria is currently presiding in the Council of Europe, we also find it important to talk about Russia-EU relations. As you said, today we will speak about some challenging problems such as the situation in Ukraine and Syria. But we hope that in this dialogue we will be able to find an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation as it must be in our interests that the world lives in peace.

I am really delighted to have this opportunity to discuss these and other topics with you.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58714






News conference following talks with Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz



October 3, 2018 - 22:00 - St Petersburg







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Federal Chancellor, ladies and gentlemen,

We are delighted to have this opportunity to meet with Mr Kurz in St Petersburg. It is already the second visit for the Chancellor, and our fourth meeting this year.

There is no doubt that intensive contacts at the highest political level create the business-like atmosphere we need to promote the relations between our countries in all spheres.

Mr Kurz and I have just held bilateral talks in a business-like and constructive atmosphere. As you have seen, before this meeting we attended the opening of the exhibition titled Imperial Capitals: St Petersburg – Vienna. Masterpieces of Museum Collections here at the Hermitage. Cultural and humanitarian contacts are one of the foundations for our bilateral relations alongside contacts on the inter-parliamentary, inter-regional and civil society tracks.

At the talks, we paid special attention to economic matters. Russia and Austria are reliable trade partners. Despite the current uncertainty in terms of international politics and economy, Russian and Austria have seen positive momentum in their trade and investment ties. Trade was up 40 percent to $4.1 billion in 2017, and almost doubled in the first seven months of 2018.

Austria has become a top importer of Russian goods among EU countries, while Russia ranks second in terms of investment in Austria. The cumulative investment by Russia in the Austrian economy exceeds $31 billion, while Austria’s investment in the Russian economy stands at about $6 billion.







Companies from both countries are engaged in joint projects in various spheres. The Russian-Austrian Business Council is very effective. There is also a mixed commission on economic cooperation that had its regular meeting on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in May 2018. By the way, Austria had one of the most high-profile delegations at the forum.

I would like to highlight the long-standing fruitful cooperation between Russia and Austria in the energy sector. Our country is continuously supplying Austria with energy resources; we also supply other European countries via transit through Austria’s territory. Without a doubt, it is one of the key aspects of our cooperation.

As a result of the talks held this July in Vienna, Gazprom and the Austrian oil and gas company OMV signed an agreement on extending the long-term gas supply contracts with Austria to 2040. Another agreement on involving OMV in the development of the Urengoy gas and condensate field, which was signed just now, showcases the strategic nature of this company’s partnership with Gazprom. OMV is also participating in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction project. The Russian side welcomes the Austrian Government’s position on supporting this project, which is of great importance to the entire European continent.

We also discussed expanding our trade and industrial cooperation, and commended the progress made in implementing the 2011 Declaration on Partnership for Modernisation. Within the framework of this declaration, a total of 28 joint innovation projects worth 2.8 billion euros are underway.

I would also like to point out one large infrastructure project: the construction of the broad gauge railway between Vienna and Kosice, Slovakia. When this project is completed, volumes of cargo transportation between Europe and Asia via the Trans-Siberian Railway will grow significantly, while the costs for end-users will decrease.

Of course, we also exchanged opinions on a range of issues on the international and regional agenda. We informed our Austrian colleagues of our approaches to resolving Ukraine’s internal crisis – this time, we only exchanged our ideas.







We also discussed the issue of resolving the Syrian crisis. We can see the prospects for revitalising the political process on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the agreements reached within the framework of the Astana Process. This will secure the progress made in the country and create the environment necessary for the restoration of civilian life and the refugees’ returning to their homes.

We would like to point out Austria’s readiness to participate in humanitarian campaigns to support the Syrian people. It is important for the aid to be provided via the channels approved by the legitimate authorities, and for it to extend to all Syrian regions affected by the terrorist aggression and the civil war.

On November 12, Austria will celebrate 100 years since the proclamation of the Republic of Austria. Tomorrow, together with the Federal President of the Republic of Austria and heads of state governments, Mr Kurz will host a ceremony to launch a series of celebrations marking this important date. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest greetings to the people of Austria, wishing them happiness, well-being and prosperity.

I would also like to thank Mr Kurz for the meaningful talks that we had today.

Thank you for your attention.


<…>







Question (retranslated):

My question is about Syria. First, to the President of Russia. You and President Erdogan spoke about an agreement on Idlib. Is this agreement working? Will it be implemented? Can we expect that there will indeed be no major military activity?

Also, a Syria question for the Federal Chancellor of Austria. For several months now, Russia has been encouraging European countries to finance the recovery efforts in Syria. Is Europe ready for this? Under what conditions would Europe be ready to take these steps?







Vladimir Putin:

Speaking about the Idlib de-escalation zone, militants from all across Syria were brought there. Unfortunately, there were too many representatives of radical groups, ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and the like.

By the way, we have been witnessing clashes between these groups inside the Idlib zone as well. But we are not concerned about that. We are concerned about the fact that Syrian residential areas, including the second largest city, Aleppo, have recently been subject to more frequent shelling from that zone.

It is even more troubling to us that this zone is a source of attempted attacks on our military facilities, Russian military facilities, including the Khmeimim Airbase, using makeshift but no less dangerous unmanned aircraft. We had to respond and strike the sources of those threats. It was the main issue during the talks with President Erdogan only recently in Sochi during his short working visit to Russia.

During the talks, we had an idea to create a demilitarised zone 15 to 20 km deep in order to heighten the security of the Syrian civil facilities, cities, residential areas and our military base in Khmeimim.

We agreed to create that demilitarised zone 15–20 km deep, which must not include any representatives of any radical groups, including Jabhat al-Nusra, and no heavy weaponry, regardless of its ownership.

I want to inform you – and I have already said this today in Moscow – that we are working in solidarity with our Turkish partners and see that they are taking these agreements very seriously and carrying out their part of the obligations. They are removing or at least facilitating the removal of any radical militants and heavy weaponry from the area. We are doing our part.

We will continue to take joint measures as planned, including joint patrols by the Turkish troops and the Russian military police.







All this would have been impossible without the coordination of such agreements with the Syrian official authorities and without the support of Iran. We are working cooperatively. The work is basically moving in the right direction. I have every reason to believe that we will achieve our goals. And this means that no large-scale hostilities are expected there, so fighting for the sake of fighting is not what we need. We need to achieve certain goals. The tools that we have chosen to achieve these goals are currently working effectively.

The second part of the question was addressed to the Chancellor, but I will allow myself to take two minutes of your time and express my point of view.

I do not know how united Europe will act in relation to rendering assistance to the Syrian population, but, in my opinion, it is necessary to depoliticise this work. You cannot divide the people of Syria depending on where they live. What's the difference anyway in humanitarian approaches when people need help, whether they live in the area controlled by official authorities headed by President Assad, or controlled by some non-systemic opposition, militants or whoever.

You have to agree with me: what difference does it make for us? Do people have to suffer because they live in a particular area controlled by a particular political force? This is the first purely humanitarian consideration.

And now the second point. Europe is extremely interested in refugees returning back home. According to our estimates, in less than a year, around 150,000 have returned home. Now what if we provided assistance, some elementary help together? Such as repairing the sewage system, water supply and drainage, electricity, the infrastructure that would help deliver food, medical products, medicine, I mean creating the conditions so that people can return home and live normal lives. Isn't Europe interested in this?

Yes, I heard my colleagues say: probably those who have fled to Germany and live there on social benefits, they would probably not want to return. It's your business if you want to pay high social benefits to refugees from the Middle East or from Africa. Why should they go home? What they would normally earn is one third of your social benefits.

Ok. Now those people living in camps – there are millions of them in refugee camps in Turkey, in Lebanon, in Jordan – they certainly could have returned home rather than create an additional burden as potential migrants to European countries. In my opinion, this is the simplest consideration. It is plain to see. Let's work together to resolve these not-so-complicated and, by the way, not-so-expensive, but very important problems for specific people.


<…>







Question:

Today turns out to be a big energy day: you have just signed important agreements and you have discussed this topic at the Russian Energy Week. In both cases – speaking about Russian-Austrian cooperation and today in Moscow – you mentioned Nord Stream 2. Mr President, you have said that in any case Russia will implement this project alone, but nevertheless you have added that there may be some problems. The threat of primary and secondary sanctions on the project participants – our European partners – is becoming ever more real. Would you say please how big is the risk that the threat of sanctions can slow down this project or even freeze it?







Vladimir Putin:

You know, everybody, or at least those who are interested in global energy and international relations, are aware of the sad aftermath of another project: South Stream, when our pipeline should have been built right to the European Union, to Bulgaria.

Let me remind you that our Bulgarian colleagues assured us that they will fight for South Stream until the end, because it complied with their national interests and improved Bulgaria’s geopolitical status as a gas transit country to Europe. The income they would have received would have accounted for about 400–500 million euros per year just because there is a pipeline on their territory.

This will provide them with an opportunity to create several thousand jobs. But in the end Bulgaria, being under external pressure, refused to implement this project. Now they regret this and say that they would like to use TurkStream to get gas. It would be sad if the whole of Europe was like Bulgaria, showing its weakness and inability to defend its national interests. I have spoken about this in detail at the Moscow energy forum today; I do not think there is any need to repeat this here.

But let me assure you that Russia – we have already spoken about this today – has always been, is and, of course, will always be the most reliable provider, because the pipeline system goes reliably right from the primary source on Yamal, in Siberia, and there are no transit risks, and so on, among other reasons.







I have already said that the volume of sales is growing and the exploration in Europe is decreasing. This is inevitable; in fact, there are no other options. Well, there are some, but they are more expensive and they will decrease the general competitiveness of the European economy, if they back out of such a project.

This is why I believe that we all – and we all are interested in implementing such projects – will fight to implement them. Even today, now, this year, we will sell 200 billion to Europe. All pipelines we have are working and the load is almost 100 percent.

But the demand is growing, and will continue to grow. So what, if Europe gets gas from other regions, including the US, paying 30 percent more? Of course, it is possible, but this is stupid, you see, this is a waste of money and decreases their global competitiveness. The final user, citizens and economies, will get a more expensive product, so I hope that common sense will give all of us a boost to implement such projects. We will fight for it. We will see how it will be in practice. I stick to the idea that such projects should be implemented in the interests of the global economy and, first of all, people who live in our countries.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58715






Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi



Vladimir Putin arrived in India on an official visit.



October 4, 2018 - 16:40 - New Delhi







The visit’s main part is scheduled for October 5, when President of Russia will hold talks with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. The Russian-Indian consultations will focus on key aspects of the further development of the bilateral and especially privileged strategic partnership, as well as topical international and regional issues. Following the talks, a number of cooperation documents will be signed.







In addition, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi will attend the Russian-Indian Business Forum and meet with a group of students from the Sirius Russian Educational Centre and talented Indian children.







Vladimir Putin will also hold a meeting with President of India Ram Nath Kovind.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58721






Meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi.



October 4, 2018 - 20:30 - New Delhi







The one-on-one meeting was closed to the press.



















The President of Russia arrived in India on an official visit. Full-fledged talks with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi are scheduled for October 5.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58722






Russian-Indian talks



Talks between Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi have been held in New Delhi.



October 5, 2018 - 12:15 - New Delhi







Following a conversation held in a restricted format, delegation members joined the talks to discuss key aspects of further developing the special privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India, as well as current international and regional matters.

Following the talks, the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of India adopted the Joint Statement Russia – India: Reliable Partnership in a Changing World. In addition, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi attended a ceremony held to exchange documents signed during the Russian President’s official visit to India.

The signed documents are related to the consultations held by the Russian and Indian foreign ministries, joint operations in the framework of a manned space programme, cooperation in nuclear energy, joint projects in mineral fertilisers, cooperation in transport training and interaction in the economy, railway transport and small businesses.

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi also made statements for the press.








Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (retranslated):

Your Excellency, once again I welcome you and your high-level delegation that accompanies you to India.

India is proud of its historical friendship with Russia. Last year, we marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. That said, relations between our civilisations and cultures date back centuries.







The special privileged partnership between India and Russia is important not only for our two countries, but for the entire multipolar world. The relations between India and Russia span culture, security and prosperity. We cooperate in a number of spheres, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to host the 19th annual summit meeting between our countries.







We had very useful talks on security, as well as other strategic matters, so now we can discuss cooperation in the economy and other spheres. Once again, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your delegation.

Your Excellency, I am also pleased to note that following up on our meeting in Johannesburg we will hold today the first business summit with business leaders. I think that this is a very worthy undertaking.







I am also pleased to note that India’s cumulative investment in Russia reached $18 billion by 2017, while Russia invested more than 30 billion euros in India. Indian companies shared their experience and expertise with Russian companies, and vice versa, in energy, healthcare and other areas.

Russia started LNG supplies to India, and a deal has been signed for 23 years of deliveries. This agreement creates new opportunities for the future and will benefit both countries, helping meet the demand for energy in a new India.







I would also like to note that Moscow hosted a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on September 14, during which delegations reviewed our cooperation and adopted a protocol, laying the foundation for creating a strategic partnership forum. Our economic development ministries will sign a memorandum of understanding today, and the first meeting of this kind is to take place in Russia this year.







We believe in the importance of this platform, since it will bring together prominent business leaders, which could help expand bilateral trade. In addition, this will also be an opportunity to explore new avenues for cooperation.

We are already running a bit late, but let me tell you that the time we spent on these talks was not wasted. We had a very meaningful conversation, so now we can have lunch, during which we can discuss matters of mutual interest for our countries.

Thank you once again for the honour to receive you and your delegation here. Thank you very much for coming to India.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, friends, colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to be here in India with our friends. India is our good friend, and we share a special relationship with this country. We call it a special privileged strategic partnership, marked by mutual respect, trust and a constructive dialogue.







A number of joint projects are underway in industrial cooperation, space, aviation, the nuclear and oil and gas industries, and military technical cooperation.







This visit was preceded by serious preparations by our ministries, agencies and businesses, and a solid package of bilateral documents was approved. This includes the energy, nuclear and space sectors, as well as investment and banking. We will also adopt a comprehensive joint statement.







Political dialogue has been gaining momentum. In fact, this is our third meeting over the past six months, and we will meet again with you, Mr Prime Minister, at the East-Asia Summit and the Group of Twenty before the end of 2018. I would like to once again invite you to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, in September 2019 as its main guest.







Our two countries play a major role on the international arena in terms of sustaining global world order. We work in close coordination within the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS and the G20. Russia and India also work together on building a new architecture of security and equal cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region.







We attach great importance to inter-regional and humanitarian cooperation between our countries. We have already discussed all these topics, and this conversation will continue as part of our current agenda.

Thank you very much for your invitation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58727






Press statements following Russian-Indian talks



October 5, 2018 - 12:20 - New Delhi







Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (retranslated):

Your Excellency, President of the Russian Federation and my dear friend Mr Putin, delegates and representatives of our countries, good afternoon.

It is a great honour and privilege for me to welcome President Putin and his delegation to India as part of the 19th annual summit meeting. We welcome the President of a country with which we share unmatched and solid ties.

In addition, the President’s personal contribution to these relations can hardly be underestimated. Everyone who was at our meeting in Sochi, and its outcomes are all still fresh in my memory. This meeting was truly special, offering both of us an opportunity to hold frank and meaningful talks.







Mr President, India attaches special importance to our relations with Russia. Our relations still matter a great deal in this rapidly changing world. This 19th summit meeting provided a new impetus and a new direction to our special privileged strategic partnership. In addition, our meeting gave new meaning and purpose to our cooperation on the global agenda. Your visit has helped us outline the strategic path for our cooperation.

The landmark decisions that were adopted today will breathe new life into our relations that will last for a long time to come. In addition, these decisions will strengthen the pillars on which our relations rest by promoting cooperation in trade, investment, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as in solar energy, technology and economic cooperation. We are set to further strengthen, develop and diversify our relations on land, at sea and in space.







In fact, we have taken our relations beyond their traditional framework. Moreover, we have consolidated the foundation for our relations. Russia has always stood hand in hand with India in its effort to develop the energy sector. We have now set a new goal in space exploration: we have a programme to send an Indian cosmonaut to space. We hope that Russia will support us in this undertaking. We have already discussed a number of innovative ideas during the afternoon session. These ideas were developed by having talented children from India and Russia work together.

India and Russia have a track record of close cooperation in a number of areas. I am delighted to have this opportunity to take part in the Russian-Indian Business Summit that will bring together some 200 business leaders from both countries.







India and Russia also cooperate closely in all areas of mutual interest. President Putin and I talked about this at length today.

India and Russia believe in strengthening the multipolar world order and multilateralism in this rapidly changing world. This meets the interests of both our countries. Together, we can fight terrorism and seek a solution to the situation in Afghanistan and climate change, as well as promote cooperation within the regional frameworks, for example, the SCO, as well as multilateral organisations such as ASEAN and the G20.

As for international organisations, we must continue our mutually beneficial cooperation and further coordinate our initiatives.







We were truly impressed by the steps undertaken by President Putin to develop Russia’s Far East. India stands ready to work with Russia to develop this region. The decisions we adopted today will enable us to step up our cooperation, making a contribution to restoring peace and stability across the world with all its challenges.

Friends,

Goodwill and positive people-to-people contacts are the driving force behind Indian-Russian relations. Today, we discussed various measures that will pave the way to further expanding people-to-people exchanges, as well as raise awareness among our people about their friends abroad. This will lay the foundation for friendly relations between Russia and India in the future.







Friends, I can say with full confidence that the friendship that Russia and India share is truly unique. I strongly believe that through President Putin’s commitment to further advancing these relations we will add new momentum to our relations in the spirit of trust and friendship between our countries. Our relations will become only stronger moving forward, elevating our special privileged strategic partnership to new heights.

Thank you.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Dear friend, Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

We always come to India with great pleasure and even excitement because we know that here we will find an atmosphere of very sincere friendship and business cooperation.

Our nations have enjoyed long and close relations of friendship, mutual respect and sympathy. Yesterday, during my working dinner with the Prime Minister – by the way, I am very grateful for this sign of friendship – we were able to talk face-to-face without any rush about the critical problems in the world, discuss issues of principle in the development of Russian-Indian cooperation and lay out new horizons. And today, first in a restricted format and later with the participation of our delegations, we discussed key areas of cooperation, held substantive talks on the entire range of issues related to bilateral cooperation and examined topical matters on the global and regional agenda in detail.







Following the talks, we adopted a joint statement that reflects almost all aspects of Russian-Indian cooperation and drafts large-scale and long-term plans. An impressive package of interdepartmental and corporate documents that was signed just now was specially prepared for the visit and aims at further promoting bilateral times in various spheres.

Of course, during the talks, we had a detailed discussion of trade and investment cooperation, to the expansion of which Mr Prime Minister and I both devote great attention.







Some time ago, we set the goal of increasing trade to $30 billion by 2025, and the volume of mutual investment to $15 billion. In this context, we were satisfied to note that last year mutual trade grew by 21 percent to over 9 billion, and increased by another 20 percent during the first seven months of this year. If we continue at this rate, we will not only reach the goal we have set, but we will do so earlier and move further.

Business communities in Russia and India maintain close contacts and implement large joint investment projects. An Indian delegation took part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum and the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. I am pleased to repeat my invitation for the Prime Minister to attend the economic forum in Vladivostok as the main guest next September.







New Delhi is hosting the Russian-Indian business forum, and Mr Modi and I will address its participants and support useful business initiatives to develop cooperation in key economic and financial sectors.

Promoting cooperation in energy was a topic the Prime Minister and I focused on. We praised the implementation of the interdepartmental cooperation programme in this area, which is strategic for our countries.







Russia is a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons to India. Rosneft and Gazprom have long-term contracts to provide Indian economy with fuel, which are being successfully implemented. India imports Russian liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin 1 field, where our Indian partners own 20 percent. This June the first LNG delivery was made to the Indian market as part of the contract between Gazprom and India’s Gail.

In turn, we welcome Indian energy companies’ interest in expanding their operations in Russia. We are ready to examine the opportunity to cooperate in the framework of such programmes as Far Eastern LNG, Arctic LNG and other projects aimed at exploring the natural resources of Siberia, Yamal and the Russian continental shelf.







We had a detailed discussion on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, a flagship project in the peaceful use of the atom. The first two units are gradually reaching their full capacity, and the third and fourth units are under construction. They are soon to be followed by the fifth and the sixth.

According to our agreements, it is planned to build 12 nuclear power plant units in India over 20 years using advanced Russian technologies.

We discussed matters of deepening industrial and investment cooperation, specifically in machine-building, metals, agriculture, medicine, pharmaceuticals and bio-chemical technology. We believe there are good prospects for cooperation on major infrastructure projects. In particular, Russian Railways is ready to join the project to build modern railways in India.







The participants agreed that Russia would help Indian partners in space exploration. Roscosmos is planning to take part in elaborating the Indian national programme to launch a manned spaceship.

Naturally, we discussed in detail the prospects for military-technical cooperation (MTC). Russia and India have cooperated successfully in this area for many decades. Our countries have developed genuinely close and mutually beneficial relations that are part and parcel of the Russian-Indian strategic partnership.

MTC cooperation is not limited to Russian arms’ supplies. Our countries have organised the joint development and production of modern military products. Our defence ministries and general staffs maintain regular contacts and work to enhance the combat readiness of our armed forces. In August, Indian units were involved for the first time in the Peace Mission 2018 counter-terrorist exercises on Russian territory. Indian service members take an active part in the International Army Games, the tank biathlon and competitions of the alpine special troops.







By tradition, the talks focused on humanitarian cooperation. Russia and India have always been interested in each other’s culture and spiritual heritage. This is confirmed by the great success of the Indian Festival in Russia, which will last until March 22 and will span 22 cities. India will host a festival of Russian culture. I am sure these events will bring our nations even closer together.

Nearly 10,000 Indian students are studying in Russia. Every year Indian citizens receive about 100 scholarships. India is a popular destination for Russian tourists. About 220,000 Russians visited India in 2017 and we received 94,000 Indians in Russia.

Discussing international issues, we reaffirmed that Russia and India have identical or similar positions on key global problems. In this context, we agreed to enhance our cooperation at international venues, in particular, the UN, BRICS, the SCO and the G20.

We will be also closely working to enhance security and cooperation in Asia and countering together such modern challenges and threats as international terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border crime. In this context, we discussed the economic recovery and stable political development of Afghanistan, and exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East. I told the Prime Minister about the developments in Syria. We also discussed the situation that was triggered by the US unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Prime Minister and all our Indian friends and colleagues for meaningful and constructive talks. I am convinced that their results will facilitate the further development of the Russian-Indian strategic partnership and consolidation of friendship between our nations.

As I have already said, Mr Prime Minster and I will meet with representatives of the business community and talented Indian children and their peers from the Russian educational centre Sirius, who are visiting India at the invitation of Mr Modi. I will also meet with the President of the Republic of India.

The Prime Minister suggested several other humanitarian initiatives: resuming the publication of Russian and Indian books and establishing new areas of humanitarian cooperation. I consider this very important. Naturally, we will support this because humanitarian cooperation and direct human contacts are bound to promote friendship between the peoples of India and the Russian Federation.

Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58732






Meeting with Sirius educational centre students and gifted Indian children



Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi met with students from the Russian educational centre Sirius and talented Indian children.



October 5, 2018 - 13:30 - New Delhi







The two leaders took questions from the young participants of the meeting and examined the projects designed jointly by students of the educational centre Sirius and students of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an Indian government organisation that supports talented youth.



















In particular, as part of the Russian-Indian workshop held in New Delhi on October 1–4, children worked on such projects as designing equipment for blood tests, straw processing, innovations for motorcycle safety, including for beginners, and equipment that could produce energy using fitness machines.



















Following the meeting, a ceremony took place to sign an agreement between the educational centre Sirius and the AIM on a student exchange programme.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58733






Russian-Indian Business Forum



During his official visit to India, Vladimir Putin, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended the closing ceremony of the Russian-Indian Business Forum.



October 5, 2018 - 14:00 - New Delhi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Modi, friends,

I am happy to welcome the leading entrepreneurs of Russia and India. More than 100 heads of major companies from our countries are present in this room. This emphasises the seriousness of the business community’s intention to build up Russian-Indian cooperation in trade and investment.

We listened with great interest to reports about the discussions that were held during the forum. Some practical issues of business interaction were discussed, and the last speaker was referring to specific things: a number of important commercial agreements were signed and new projects and initiatives were coordinated.







My dear friend, the Prime Minister, and I prioritise the development of trade and investment ties between Russia and India. This topic has traditionally been central to our talks and of course, this was also the case yesterday evening and earlier today.

I agree with the Prime Minister that lasting, elaborate economic cooperation and economic contacts are a reliable basis for intensifying the relations of special privileged strategic partnership between our two countries.







We noted with satisfaction the steady growth of bilateral trade. In 2017, it increased by 21 percent, or $9.3 billion, and was up by another 20 percent, this time $6 billion, in January-July. At this rate, it will get to $10 billion and above. The growth rates are not bad.

Meanwhile, the impressive technological, resource and human potential of our countries makes it possible to strive for even greater volumes of trade and investment. We have a target of increasing bilateral trade to $30 billion and mutual investment to $15 billion in each country by 2025.







I think we should strive for more. However, to get there we will need Russian and Indian businesses to join efforts. Without that, ladies and gentlemen, without improving industrial cooperation, or creating new technological and investment alliances primarily in advanced and high-tech industries, we will not be able to achieve that goal.

All these issues were reviewed in detail today during separate forum panels and roundtable discussions, where participants outlined new prospects for diversifying and expanding mutual trade and making effective investments in key sectors such as energy, digital economy and infrastructure. We have just discussed this here and now, and you went over this during your panel discussions.







I believe that all useful business initiatives will get support from Russian and Indian ministries and departments. The companies of the two countries will be actively involved in national industrial development programmes and major infrastructure projects.

We agreed that the governments of Russia and India will continue to work together to remove the remaining customs and administrative barriers to mutual flows of goods and capital. As far as I am aware, this topic was discussed today at the ministerial level, and work is underway in five areas. I hope it will be completed successfully with the help of an agreement on a free trade area between the Eurasian Economic Union and India that is currently being developed.







Energy has traditionally been the key sphere of economic cooperation between Russia and India. The Forum hosted a special roundtable discussion on this topic as well. Our country has been and will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy for the Indian economy. Joint projects in the area of liquefied natural gas deliveries are acquiring a strategic nature.

Gazprom and India’s Gail are promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in this sphere. The first shipment of liquefied natural gas was delivered to India in June. The Indian state-run company ONGC is involved in the project to produce and liquefy gas at the Sakhalin-1 field; it has also joined geological exploration on Russia’s Arctic shelf, and has spent years working in the Vankorsky oil and gas condensate field.







Rosneft has been successful in implementing its long-term contracts. Last year, the Russian company bought India’s Essar Oil refining corporation. This is the biggest foreign investment in the Indian economy, $12.6 billion.

As I have already said, the Prime Minister and I discussed this earlier today; we welcome our Indian partners to join the work in the Arctic as well. This is a very promising, long-term and very serious project that looks decades ahead, one with good investment and good return. As the climate continues to change – in some places, this is good, and elsewhere perhaps not so good – the Northern Sea Route offers growing opportunities. We are building a nuclear-powered fleet, eight nuclear-powered ships, which will be steadily put into operation. This work is in progress. This will ensure reliable LNG supplies to the Indian and world markets. So this could be, will certainly be very interesting joint work.







Russia is helping India to develop its nuclear power industry. It is well known that Rosatom is building the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. An opportunity is being considered to build yet another nuclear power plant based on Russian technologies.

We consider the development of transport infrastructure a promising area of Russian-Indian cooperation. Russian experts are working on a project to upgrade over 500 km of Indian railways. We are interested in stepping up systematic work on the building of the North-South corridor – this route will considerably reduce the time for the delivery of cargoes from India to Europe.







There are also other very interesting and promising high-tech areas where we can cooperate: aviation, space and a number of other spheres, such as medicine and pharmaceuticals.

Speaking to this representative audience, I would like to lay special emphasis on our interest in the expansion of Indian business in Russia. We are trying to create the most comfortable environment for attracting technology and investment. Investors are granted significant incentives; administrative regulations are simplified and modern infrastructure is being developed.







Russia has a powerful trade and industrial potential. Our economy has shown its ability to cope with the most complicated and acute challenges. We are setting forth new ambitious tasks to achieve a breakthrough in development and long-term growth and modernisation of industry, infrastructure, and the social sphere.

Russia’s macro-economic performance is demonstrating positive dynamics, which has certainly been one of our achievements over the past few years. We have ensured the stability of government finances, the country’s gold and currency reserves are increasing and we currently have a federal budget surplus.







Let me add that the situation in the labour market is also improving and this is creating favourable conditions for work. Unemployment stands at 4.7 percent and the growth of real salaries is 8.7 percent (the highest figure since 2012).

We hope Indian business circles will make full use of the opportunities that are opening up in the Russian market. In turn, we support Russian companies in their aspiration to work more actively in India. We know of the Prime Minister’s plans under the Make in India programme and will of course do everything to support their implementation. We spoke about this today as regards different industries, including military-technical cooperation. I am certain that such close cooperation between our business communities and the further deepening of bilateral trade and investment ties meets the vital interests of our countries.

I would like to wish you success and thank you for your attention. Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58734






Meeting with President of India Ram Nath Kovind



Vladimir Putin met with President of India Ram Nath Kovind.



October 5, 2018 - 15:30 - New Delhi








President of India Ram Nath Kovind (in Russian):

Welcome to India.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin (in English):

Thank you so much.







Ram Nath Kovind (retranslated):

It is a great honour for us to have you here.

Your Excellency,

Warm and friendly Russian-Indian relations are making steady headway. I am glad that the 19th annual bilateral summit was a success.

Your Excellency,

The past year was productive for our bilateral ties and we have achieved tangible progress.







Your Excellency,

We highly value your personal contribution to the development of a specially privileged strategic partnership. For our part, we are also committed to the consolidation of our bilateral ties.

Your Excellency,

I would like to congratulate you on the organisation of the FIFA World Cup. Your team played very well. Many Indians visited Russia to watch the football matches.







Vladimir Putin:

Mr President,

First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation and extend my belated greetings on your birthday, October 1, as far as I remember. I would like to wish you success in the high government position and good health.

Our specially privileged strategic partnership is indeed rooted in our historical friendship and the firm foundation of relations between our nations over many decades. Owing to bilateral efforts, these relations are steadily developing today, too. This applies to the economy, to political cooperation, defence relations, to efforts to enhance defence capability, humanitarian issues and human interaction.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58737






Telephone conversation with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and extended his birthday greetings.



October 5, 2018 - 16:15



Earlier Vladimir Putin sent the President of Tajikistan a message of greetings.

The message reads, in part:

“You enjoy well-earned respect among your compatriots and high regard abroad as an experienced and astute politician and a true leader of your country.

Russia praises your personal contribution to developing relations of strategic partnership and alliance between our states. I would like to reaffirm our readiness to continue the constructive dialogue and close joint work on the bilateral and international agenda for the benefit of our friendly peoples and in order to strengthen regional stability and security.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58736






Greetings to participants of the 17th session of Petersburg Dialogue Russian-German Public Forum



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to participants and guests of the 17th session of Petersburg Dialogue Russian-German Public Forum.



October 7, 2018 - 17:30



The message reads, in part:

”Throughout the years of its existence, the Petersburg Dialogue forum has proved its efficiency and relevance in full. The participation of members, who represent a wide array of both Russian and German civil society, presents a good opportunity to address comprehensively many different issues of the bilateral agenda.

This year, the Forum is dedicated to a rather topical theme, the strengthening of trust and the spirit of partnership in relations between our nations and peoples. It is obvious that preserving and boosting the invaluable potential for mutual understanding, which Russians and Germans have developed for decades, serves as a major guarantee of the successful advancement of interstate dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

I am certain that you will have a comprehensive and efficient exchange of opinions, one that will result in many interesting proposals and initiatives.“

The Petersburg Dialogue Russian-German Public Forum was established in 2001 at the initiative and under the patronage of Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58745
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Russian Energy Week International Forum



Vladimir Putin addressed the plenary session of the second Russian Energy Week Energy Efficiency and Energy Development International Forum.



October 3, 2018 - 15:45 - Moscow






The forum is taking place in Moscow on October 3–6. Its main theme is Sustainable Energy for the Changing World.

The forum will be attended by representatives of the largest international companies and organisations, and leading experts. About 60 business events will be held within the framework of the official programme.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues.

I am very happy to welcome the participants and guests of the Russian Energy Week. This time, we have a record number of participating experts, people interested in power engineering – nearly 10,000, or more precisely 9,500 participants. You came here to hold an open and trust based discussion on the issues of the global energy agenda.

Russia is one of the most powerful players on the global energy market. We are among the leaders in oil and gas production and export, as well as in terms of power generation and coal mining. It is highly important for us to keep track of global energy trends in order to use our competitive advantages efficiently and, together with other countries, create a common energy space and a common energy future.

We believe that progress in global energy, as well as the stable energy security of our entire planet, can only be achieved through global partnership, working in accordance with general rules that are the same for everyone, and, of course, through conducting transparent and constructive dialogue among market players which is not politically motivated but is based on pragmatic considerations and an understanding of shared responsibilities and mutual interests.

The balance of supply and demand in the oil market reached owing to the agreement with OPEC reaffirms the correctness of this approach.

Russia will continue promoting dialogue of oil-producing countries to ensure the stability of the oil market and create conditions for the sustainable development of the sector and implementation of long-term investment plans. Indicatively, the demand for oil will be growing in the foreseeable future, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also growing in Europe and of course, in America.

I think Russia’s responsible partnership approach stands out and is understandable to everyone. Russia is implementing it in the gas market as well, providing an example of reliability and predictability. Our advantage is not limited to the tremendous deposits of natural gas. We also have delivery systems and the pipeline infrastructure, which together with low cost ensures the stable positions of pipeline gas in the market.

At the same time, as we know, trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also increasing. In the past decade its consumption almost doubled.

Russia is an active participant in the LNG market. We are putting into operation new producing and processing capacities, carrying our strategic plans for the development of transport infrastructure, including the Northern Sea Route, and building an ice-breaker fleet that will allow us to organise year-round transit of ships, including gas carriers, in the Russian Arctic.

One more major area of the world’s energy sector is the coal industry, which has been demonstrating positive dynamics again. Just a decade ago few people believed in the prospects of this energy carrier but now we are seeing a steady growth in the demand for coal, first and foremost in the Asia-Pacific region. It is very important for Russia to consolidate and enhance its presence on this dynamic market.

We have already made a number of strategic decisions in this area. We are expanding the capacity of the Baikal system and the Trans-Siberian Railway, building up seaport infrastructure and working to make coal mining more effective and safe. And, of course we will pay special attention to eco-friendly technology of its transportation and consumption, including in electricity generation and other areas.

We will continue upgrading heat generation in Russia on a large scale and introduce digital solutions in the national power grid. We see these measures as a response to global challenges that are facing the electricity generation industry as a whole.

Accelerated demand for electricity in the world is forecasted for the next 20 years. Experts believe its consumption will double by 2040 while the demand for primary energy – oil, coal, gas and other sources – will grow by about 30 percent. Such trends are opening up opportunities for increasing both the exports of electricity and its production technology.

We have one more priority: to preserve the lead in such high-tech sector as the nuclear power industry. Today, Russia is actively building 25 energy units at nuclear power plants in 12 countries. In all we have 36 such energy units in our portfolio. We will be consistently working to increase the number of export orders in the nuclear power industry, complying with the highest requirements of environmental and industrial security.

A separate ambitious task for the future is the development of renewable energy sources, especially in remote, difficult-to-access areas of this country, such as Eastern Siberia, and the Far East. This is opening a great opportunity for our vast country, the world’s largest country with its diverse natural and climatic conditions.

Friends, in conclusion I would like to tell you the following: sustainable and steady development of the energy industry is a key condition for dynamic growth of the world economy, enhancing living standards and improving the wellbeing of all people on our planet.

Russia is open to cooperation in the energy industry in the interests of global energy security and for the benefit of the future generations. And we certainly rely on active dialogue on these subjects and cooperation.

Thank you for your attention.







Plenary session moderator Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, thank you very much. While you were making your way here, I informed everyone in the room that you were meeting with the OPEC Secretary General. I’m not sure if that was a secret or not, but it’s no longer a secret.

I want to start with the price of oil in the oil market. The question everyone wanted to know from you and from the OPEC Secretary General and Saudi Arabia last year at this gathering was how long you were prepared to maintain the cuts in production. A lot has changed over the last year. The question now is how much more oil is Russia prepared to add to the market. If you think about this time last year and now, the price of oil, a barrel of oil is more than 50 percent what it was last year, from about $55 a barrel to $85 a barrel today. A lot of people would argue that shows the success of Russia’s partnership with OPEC. That said, there is one other head of state, President Trump, who says that the price of oil is too high. Is Russia going to pump more oil to lower prices?



President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

You asked in the first part whether Russia is ready to keep production at the same level.



Ryan Chilcote:

Last year the question was how long is Russia prepared to maintain cuts. Now the question is how much oil is Russia going to give to the market.



Vladimir Putin:

As for reducing the production and keeping it at a low level, and so on, these are all instruments. They are not a goal in itself. The goal is to balance the market. When we agreed, with our friends and colleagues from OPEC, to reduce production, this is exactly what we had in mind. The goal was to reduce excessive reserves and balance the market. After all, this matter is not about the income of oil companies or an opportunity to pocket money, it is to do with the health of the industry.

It is necessary to provide resources for investment goals, investment projects. This was the bottom line. If the market is unbalanced this will inevitably lead to a reduction in investment, and eventually create a shortage in the market and trigger a sharp price hike.

Our position has been very responsible. The market had to be balanced and we achieved this goal in cooperation with our OPEC colleagues.

Indeed, we have now met with the Secretary General and spoke about our cooperation in detail. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that probably for the first time in history all participants in the agreements honoured their commitments in full. I believe Russia made a commitment to reduce production by 30,000 barrels, and we did this, just like all other participants in this agreement.

The market is now balanced. The current growth of oil prices is by and large not a result of our efforts but triggered by attendant circumstances, expectations of decisions on Iran – incidentally these decisions are absolutely illegal and harmful to the world economy. The fall in oil production in North Africa is also linked with political circumstances – a civil war and so on. The reduction in Venezuela is also taking place for domestic political reasons and in connection with the restrictions it has introduced. This is what it is all about.

As you said, President Trump considers this price high. I think he is right to some extent but this suits us very well – $65–$70–$75 per barrel. This is quite enough to ensure the effective performance of energy companies and the investment process. But let us be straight – such prices have largely been produced by the activities of the US administration. I am referring to expectations of sanctions against Iran and political problems in Venezuela. Look what is happening in Libya – the state is destroyed. This is the result of irresponsible policy that is directly affecting the world economy. Therefore, we must work closer with each other, not only in the energy industry but also in the political area so as to prevent such setbacks.

As for increasing production – we have already increased it by 400,000 barrels as we agreed with our partners. We can raise it by another 200,000–300,000 barrels per day if need be.


<…>


Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, is it right for the President of the United States to be so actively trying to manage the price of oil? We’re coming up on elections in the United States, he’s concerned about the price of gas. A gallon of gas in the United States costs almost $3. Traditionally, voters punish the party in power when prices rise ahead of elections. Is he doing the right thing, or actually should he step out of the oil market and let the market dictate what happens?



Vladimir Putin:

I have already said this and want to repeat it again: we had a very good meeting with the President of the United States in Helsinki. But if we had talked about the issue we are discussing now, I would have told him: Donald, if you want to find out who is guilty for the increase in prices, you should look in the mirror. That’s the truth.

We have just spoken about the geopolitical factors behind the price hikes. They exist and really play a role in the market. It is better not to interfere in these market processes, not to try and get some competitive advantage by using political instruments and not to try to regulate prices as the Soviet Union did. This does not end well. After all, when talking about our negotiated actions with OPEC we do not use non-market instruments. We are merely matching supply and demand in the market, no more than that. Everything else today has to do with geopolitical factors that influence prices.

As for gas prices, they are calculated on the basis of oil prices. Oil prices are produced by the market whereas gas prices are linked to oil prices. Gas prices fluctuate depending on oil prices with a small time lag of five to six months. That is all.

What is happening in the United States? The United States is one of the world’s biggest producers of both oil and gas. We know everything about new technology that is being countered by environmentalists. I agree with them, this production is often carried out using barbarous methods we do not use.

Who is trying to exert pressure on the administration? I do not know. Let us talk about the energy industry. Please do not involve me in domestic political processes and squabbles in the United States. It is for you to figure out or else we will be accused again of meddling in the domestic political life of the US.







Ryan Chilcote:

When I spoke about the price of gasoline in the United States, a gallon of gasoline, I meant the price of petrol, of “benzin,” not “gaz.”



Vladimir Putin:

As you understand, this is the price of the end product and this applies to oil products. This price is not simply formed from the primary price of oil or gas if we are talking about gas fuel. State policy also exerts an influence on the final price for consumers.

And what about taxes? Why do some European countries double prices on our gas before it reaches the final consumers? This is all state policy.

So it would be best not to point your finger at energy producers all the time. You should figure out what economic policy is being pursued in a country and what is being done to make sure the product reaches the customers at affordable prices. That is all.


<…>


Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, let me ask you about this EU initiative. What do you make of it?



Vladimir Putin (commenting on the EU initiative to protect European companies in connection with US sanctions against Iran):

It is a bit delayed but better late than never. It is delayed because quite recently the President of France speaking, I believe, in New York directly announced the need to enhance the economic sovereignty of the European Union and reduce its dependence on the United States. This is certainly right.

And how can it be otherwise if, as I have already said, someone is trying to gain competitive advantages in business by using political instruments? I think nobody will like this but this is happening and we are seeing this today.

This is why Europe is thinking about some new opportunities in connection with these circumstances, for instance about dollar-free settlements that incidentally will undermine the dollar. In this context – I have said this many times but would like to repeat it again – I believe that our American partners are committing a huge strategic mistake and undermining confidence in the dollar as today’s only reserve currency. They are undermining confidence in it as a universal instrument and are really biting the hand that feeds.

This is strange, even surprising, but I think this is a typical mistake made by any empire when people believe nothing will happen, that everything is so powerful, so strong and stable that there will be no negative consequences. But no, they will come sooner or later. This is the first point.

And the second point, Europe wants to fulfil its international commitments – this is how we understand our European partners – in this case, as regards Iran’s nuclear deal, and sees in it, as we do, an element of stability in global affairs, in global politics, which, in one way or another, is reflected in the global economy, as we have already noted.


<…>


Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, I’d like to go back to Iran for a second. One of the things that the United States would like to see Iran do is to obviously withdraw from Syria. The US national security advisor just last week said that the United States is going to now stay in Syria as long as Iran and its proxies are there. Russia has been very clear. Russia says that the US military’s presence in Iran is illegal. What can you do about the US being in Syria?



Vladimir Putin:

There are two options available to remedy the situation.

The first is that the United States must obtain the mandate of the UN Security Council to have its armed forces on the territory of another country, in this case Syria, or receive an invitation from the legitimate Syrian government to deploy its troops there for whatever reason. International law does not allow the presence of any country on the territory of another country for other reasons.



Ryan Chilcote:

What can Russia do to change the US’ position? The US says it’s going to stay, that Iran has to leave, and the US will stay until Iran pulls out of Syria. So what can Russia do?



Vladimir Putin:

As we are all well aware, in this particular case the United States (just read the UN Charter to see that my point is correct, and this is not news to anyone) is violating the UN Charter and international law by its presence on the territory of another country without the authorisation of the UN Security Council, without a corresponding resolution and without the invitation of the government of that country. There is nothing good about it.

We have been operating on the premise that we nonetheless cooperate with our US partners in fighting terrorism and ISIS in Syria. But as ISIS gradually ceases to exist in Syria, there is just no other rationale, even outside the framework of international law.

What, in my opinion, can be done and what should we all strive to achieve? We must strive to ensure that there are no foreign troops from other countries in Syria at all. This is what we need to achieve.



Ryan Chilcote:

Including Russian forces, of course.



Vladimir Putin:

Yes, including Russian, if the Syrian government so decides.







Ryan Chilcote:

You just struck a deal with President Erdogan on Syria. Do you think that that’s going to hold?



Vladimir Putin:

How is that related to oil?



Ryan Chilcote:

It’s in a very sensitive geopolitical area.



Vladimir Putin:

Maybe it is related, since Syria also produces energy resources and influences the market situation one way or another.

In this sense, yes, we need a stable Syria, no question about it. I am not even talking about other aspects related to international security and fighting terrorism.

This is a very good deal (between Russia and Turkey in this particular case), because it prevented more bloodshed. As you may recall, it includes our agreement to create a demilitarised zone 15–20 kilometres deep, a de-escalation zone near the city of Idlib, known as the Idlib zone. I would like to note that along with our Turkish partners we are now working to implement these agreements. We can see it and are grateful to them for their efforts, and we will continue to work with them on this matter with the support of Iran.



Ryan Chilcote:

Let’s return to energy, or at least more directly to energy, President Putin, and talk about Nord Stream 2. That’s the pipeline that Gazprom wants to build between Russia and Germany. Again, the President of the United States has said his opinion about this. He says that Germany is effectively a hostage already of Russia, because it depends on Russia for so much of its energy and gas supplies, and that it’s vulnerable to “extortion and intimidation” from Russia. What do you make of that?



Vladimir Putin:

My response is very simple. Donald and I talked about this very briefly in Helsinki. In any sale, including the sale of our gas to Europe, we are traditionally the supplier, of pipeline gas I mean. We have been doing this since the 1960s. We are known for doing it in a highly responsible and professional manner, and at competitive prices for the European market. In general, if you look at the characteristics of the entire gas market, the price depends on the quantity and on sales volumes. The distance between Russia and Europe is such that pipeline gas is optimal. And the price will always be competitive, always. This is something all experts understand.

We have a lot of people here in this room, in the first row, who could easily be seated next to me, and I would gladly listen to them, because each one is an expert, so each of them can tell you that. And so Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial project, I want to emphasise this, warranted by rising energy consumption, including in Europe, and falling domestic production in European countries. They have to get it from somewhere.

Russian gas accounts for around 34 percent of the European market. Is this a lot or a little? It is not insubstantial, but not a monopoly either. Europe certainly can and does actually buy gas from other suppliers, but American liquefied gas is about 30 percent more expensive than our pipeline gas on the European market. If you were buying products of the same quality and you were offered the same product for 30 percent more , what would you choose? So, what are we talking about?

If Europe starts buying American gas for 30 percent more than ours, the entire economy of Germany, in this case, would quickly become dramatically less competitive. Everyone understands this; it is an obvious fact.

But business is business, and we are ready to work with all partners. As you know, our German partners have already begun offshore construction. We are ready to begin as well. We have no problems with obtaining any permits. Finland agreed, and so did Sweden, Germany, and the Russian Federation. This is quite enough for us. The project will be implemented.


<…>


Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, did you want to jump in here?



Vladimir Putin (following up on the remarks by CEO of Royal Dutch Shell Ben van Beurden):

We understand the realities and treat all our partners with respect. We have very good, amiable long-term relations with all our partners, including the company represented by my neighbour on the left. This company is working in the Russian market and working with great success, but we understand everything very well and understand the realities. We are carrying out the project ourselves. We do not and will not have any problems here. That is to say, they may arise, of course, but we will resolve them.

Some things are beyond the realm of political intrigue. Take supplies to the Federal Republic of Germany. Not everyone knows that the decision was made there to shut down the nuclear power industry. But that is 34 percent of its total energy balance. We are proud of the development of the nuclear power industry in the Russian Federation, although the figure for us is just 16 percent. We are still thinking about how to raise it to 25 percent and are making plans. Theirs is 34 percent and everything will be closed down. What will this vacuum be filled with? What?

Look at LNG [liquefied natural gas ] which is sold by our various competitors and partners. Yes, LNG can and should be in the common basket of Europe and Germany. Do you know how many ports built in Europe are used for LNG transfer? Just 25 percent. Why? Because it is unprofitable.

There are companies and regions for which it is profitable to supply LNG and this is being done. The LNG market is growing very fast. But as for Europe, it is not very profitable, or unprofitable altogether.

Therefore, in one way or another we have already seen Nord Stream 1 through and its performance is excellent. Incidentally, our gas supplies to Europe are continuously growing. Last year, I believe, they amounted to 194 billion cubic metres and this year they will add up to 200 billion cubic metres or maybe even more.

We have loaded practically all our infrastructure facilities: Blue Stream to Turkey, Nord Stream 1 is fully loaded. Yamal-Europe is fully loaded – it is almost approaching 100 percent, while the demand is going up. Life itself dictates that we carry out such projects.



Ryan Chilcote:

President Trump’s position on American LNG exports is perhaps a little bit more nuanced. His point is that instead of buying Russian gas, even perhaps if it’s a bit more expensive, the Germans and other European allies of the United States, because the United States is paying for their defence, should be buying American gas even if there is, I guess the argument suggests, a little bit of a higher price for that.



Vladimir Putin:

You know, this argument doesn’t really work, in my opinion. I understand Donald. He is fighting for the interests of his country and his business. He is doing the right thing and I would do the same in his place.

As for LNG, as I have already said, it is not just a little more expensive in the European market but 30 percent more. This is not a little bit more, it is a lot more, beyond all reason, and is basically unworkable.

But there are markets where LNG will be adopted, where it is efficient, for instance in the Asia-Pacific region. By the way, where did the first shipment of LNG from our new company Yamal-LNG go? Where did the first tanker go? To the United States, because it was profitable. The United States fought this project but ended up buying the first tanker. It was profitable to buy it in this market, at this place and time, and it was purchased.

LNG is still being shipped to the American continent. It’s profitable.

It makes no sense to fight against what life brings. We simply need to look for common approaches in order to create favourable market conditions, including, for example, conditions conducive to the production and consumption of LNG in the United States itself and securing the best prices for producers and consumers. This could be achieved by coordinating policy, rather than just imposing decisions on partners.

As for the argument, “We defend you, so buy this from us even if it makes you worse off”, I don’t think it is very convincing either. Where does it lead? It has led to the Europeans starting to talk about the need to have a more independent defence capability, as well as the need to create a defence alliance of their own that allegedly will not undermine NATO while allowing the Europeans to pursue a real defence policy. This is what, in my view, such steps are leading to.

This is why I am sure that a great many things will be revised. Life will see to that.


<…>







Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, let’s get back to geopolitics. When you were talking about oil – and when everyone talks about oil and disruptions on the market, they don’t just talk about Iran, they talk about Venezuela – you mentioned Venezuela at the beginning of our conversation. Last year, I interviewed President Maduro, the President of Venezuela, here. Venezuela is an ally of Russia. Russia has a lot of oil interests in Venezuela. Oil production in Venezuela is not going well, and politically, things are going very poorly, as you know. Millions of people are leaving the country. There’s hunger. There is a lot of talk in the United States, and not only in the United States, in Central and South America, that perhaps it’s time for President Maduro to go. Do you agree with that?



Vladimir Putin:

This is up to the people of Venezuela, not anyone else in the world.

As for various means of influencing the situation in Venezuela, there should be no such thing … All of us influence each other in one way or another, but it should not be done in a way that makes the civilian population even worse off. This is a matter of principle.

Should we rejoice that life is extremely difficult for people there and want to make things even worse with a view to overthrowing President Maduro? He was recently targeted in a terrorist attack, an assassination attempt. Shall we condone such methods of political resistance too?

I think this is absolutely unacceptable. This and anything like it. The people of the country should be given a chance to shape their destiny themselves. Nothing should be imposed from the outside.

This is what has emerged historically in Venezuela. What has emerged historically in the Persian Gulf has emerged there, and the same in Europe, America and Southeast Asia. Nobody should go in there like a bull in a china shop without understanding what is taking place there, instead thinking only that the bull is one of the largest and smartest animals. It is necessary to take a look and give people a chance to figure it out. I have a very simple outlook on this.

I would like to return to the previous question. After all, we are dealing with energy. I would like to confirm what my colleagues said here about Russia’s energy resources and potential. They are indeed enormous. Truly enormous. We are in first place in gas reserves. I believe we have 73.3 trillion cubic metres of gas. The Yamal peninsula was mentioned here but NOVATEK will carry out one more project, Arctic 2, on a neighbouring peninsula. It is about the same size and with the same investment. The first tranche in this project is $27 billion, and the second tranche is about $25 billion. I believe all this will be carried out.

We have the world’s largest coal reserves – 275 billion tonnes. We are third in oil reserves. Third in the world in oil reserves. We are the world’s largest country by territory. If we take a deeper look we are bound to find many other things. So, we are indeed lucky.

But we were given this not by the Lord alone. Past generations of ours developed these lands. We should never forget what was done by our predecessors, and we will continue to build on it. We will work with our partners. Incidentally, almost all major energy companies work in Russia.



Ryan Chilcote:

When we were talking about the EU initiative to try and allow trade between EU countries and Iran, I couldn’t help but remember that Russia itself, faced with sanctions, is thinking about a plan to wean itself off of the dollar. This is something that many countries have tried and failed. Why does Russia think that it can succeed in this?



Vladimir Putin:

You used the past tense or is the translation inaccurate? Faced. Have the sanctions been lifted? Did I miss something?



Ryan Chilcote:

Russia is facing with sanctions.



Vladimir Putin:

Okay then. You know, sometimes I think that it would be good for us if those who want to impose sanctions would go ahead and impose all the sanctions they can think of as soon as possible. (Applause.) This would free our hands to defend our national interests however we deem most effective for us.

It is very harmful, in general. It hurts the ones doing it. We all figured this out long ago. That is why we have never supported and will never support illegal sanctions that circumvent the United Nations.



Ryan Chilcote:

Since you brought up the subject of sanctions, as you know after the Skripal poisoning, Russia is facing even more of them, perhaps as soon as November. What is Russia prepared to do to change the trajectory of relations with the United States and the West?



Vladimir Putin:

We are not the ones introducing these sanctions against the United States or the West. We are just responding to their actions, and we do this in very restrained, careful steps so as not to cause harm, primarily to ourselves. And we will continue to do so.

As regards the Skripals and all that, this latest spy scandal is being artificially inflated. I have seen some media outlets and your colleagues push the idea that Skripal is almost a human rights activist. But he is just a spy, a traitor to the motherland. There is such a term, a 'traitor to the motherland,' and that’s what he is.

Imagine you are a citizen of a country, and suddenly somebody comes along who betrays your country. How would you, or anybody present here, a representative of any country, feel about such a person? He is scum, that's all. But a whole information campaign has been deployed around it.

I think it will come to an end, I hope it will, and the sooner the better. We have repeatedly told our colleagues to show us the documents. We will see what can be done and conduct an investigation.

We probably have an agreement with the UK on assistance in criminal cases that outlines the procedure. Well, submit the documents to the Prosecutor General’s Office as required. We will see what actually happened there.

The fuss between security services did not start yesterday. As you know, espionage, just like prostitution, is one of the most ‘important’ jobs in the world. So what? Nobody shut it down and nobody can shut it down yet.



Ryan Chilcote:

Espionage aside, I think there are two other issues. One is the use of chemical weapons, and let’s not forget that in addition to the Skripal family being affected in that attack, there was also a homeless person who was killed when they came in contact with the nerve agent Novichok.



Vladimir Putin:

Listen, since we are talking about poisoning Skripal, are you saying that we also poisoned a homeless person there? Sometimes I look at what is happening around this case and it amazes me. Some guys came to England and started poisoning homeless people. Such nonsense. What is this all about? Are they working for cleaning services? Nobody wanted to poison… This Skripal is a traitor, as I said. He was caught and punished. He spent a total of five years in prison. We released him. That’s it. He left. He continued to cooperate with and consult some security services. So what? What are we talking about right now? Oil, gas or espionage? What is your question?

Let’s move on to the other oldest profession and discuss the latest developments in that business. (Laughter.)



Ryan Chilcote:

A lot of what we’ve discussed today goes back to Russia’s relationship with the United States, and so I’ll ask you just a couple of questions about that and we can move on. The US says you personally ordered the 2016 interference in the elections – I know you deny that. You have said you wanted Trump elected. What do you want to see in 2018 from these midterm election.



Vladimir Putin:

In Russia or the United States? What are you asking me about?



Ryan Chilcote:

What would you like to see happen in the 2018 midterm elections in the United States.



Vladimir Putin:

What I want – and I am completely serious – is that this nightmare about Russia’s alleged interference with some election campaign in the United States ends. I want the United States, the American elite, the US elite to calm down and clear up their own mess and restore a certain balance of common sense and national interests, just like in the oil market. I want the domestic political squabbles in the United States to stop ruining Russia-US relations and adversely affecting the situation in the world.



Ryan Chilcote:

I’ll ask this final question on the political front. In Helsinki, you said that you wanted President Trump to win because he favours better relations with Russia. But in fact, as Russia itself says all of the time, relations between Russia and the United States seem to get worse every day. Wouldn’t it be better for Russia to have a president in the United States that is not politically compromised by the widely held perception that this country helped him get into the White House?



Vladimir Putin:

Firstly, I do not believe President Trump was compromised. The people elected him, the people voted for him. There are those who do not like this; those who do not want to respect the opinion of the American voters. But this is not our business – this is an internal matter of the United States.

Would we be better off or worse? I cannot say either. As is known, there are no ifs in politics. Maybe it would have been even worse, how are we to know? We must derive from what is, and work with that. Good or bad, there is no other President of the United States; there is no other United States either.

We will work. The US is the largest world power, a leader in many spheres, our natural partner in a variety of projects, including global security, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, climate change, as well as the environment. We have a lot of common problems which overlap that we have to work on together.

We presume that sooner or later the moment will come when we will be able to restore full-fledged relations.


<…>


Ryan Chilcote:

President Putin, I know you need to get a meeting with the Austrian Chancellor, so I’m going to wrap this session up with you, sir. The title of our conversation today is Sustainable Energy for a Changing World. You’ve been driving Russian energy policy for nearly 20 years now. What changes in the world, or what change in the world, would you identify as the biggest concern for you, and what gives you the most optimism when it comes to what we’re seeing.



Vladimir Putin:

If you allow me, I would stick to the subject. The questions that you asked concern me as well.

Indeed, we are apparently witnessing global warming, but the reasons for this are not entirely clear, because there is still no answer. The so-called anthropogenic emissions are most likely not the main cause of this warming. It could be caused by global changes, cosmic changes, some changes in the galaxy that are invisible to us – and that’s that, we don’t even understand what is actually happening. Probably, anthropogenic emissions influence the situation somehow, but many experts believe they have an insignificant effect. This is my first point.

Secondly, I already said this, and I can remind you once again. Everyone blames the United States now. As you see, we have many problems and unresolved matters with the United States, and the US President and I approach many international affairs differently and evaluate our bilateral relations differently. But we still have to be objective. There was a time I saw President Bush refuse to sign the Kyoto agreements. But we still found a solution. I think the same will happen in this case. Well, Trump believes that the Paris Agreement is unprofitable for his country for a variety of reasons. I will not go into details now, he must have talked about this many times, and we know his position.

But I think, we should not antagonise the relationship with the US, because without them it would be impossible to reduce the influence of anthropogenic air pollution on the global climate even a little bit. Therefore, one way or another we need to involve the US in this discussion and this joint work. As I understand, President Trump does not object. He says that he dislikes some provisions of the Paris agreement, but he is not opposed to working with the global community on this matter.

Now, as regards the pollution and the future of the global energy, in order to fight the heat, we need no less energy resources than to fight the cold. Secondly, my colleagues were right, millions of people do not have access to energy resources, and we will never prohibit the use of the contemporary blessings of civilization, it is just unreal. The economy and the industry will keep developing.

Of course, in Russia we also join the best international practices, so-called energy efficient technology that has a little bit of influence on the environment, and we, of course, will continue this.

But I also agree with our Saudi colleague. These alternative sources are very important, but we will not be able to go without hydrocarbons in the next decades. People will have to use them for many decades to come. We mostly speak about oil, but coal is what is used most.

We are speaking about the need to use electric cars, but where will the electricity come from? From the socket? Okay, from the socket, but how did it get there? First we need to burn coal to produce electricity, while gas remains the most environmentally friendly energy resource. So we need to take a comprehensive approach to all such matters.



Ryan Chilcote:

Patrick Pouyané posed a challenge to you. He said it would be good if Russia used less coal. Are you prepared to accept that challenge and reduce consumption of coal here in Russia and production?



Vladimir Putin:

We have signed the relevant Paris agreements and taken up our responsibilities. We have implemented the first stage of the Kyoto Protocol, and now the Paris Agreement will replace it. We have taken up all necessary responsibilities and will adhere to them. The question is not about reducing the usage of coal for domestic needs, we are not the largest emitter, the US and Asian countries emit much more. Here, we are not the leaders. We sell a lot of coal, but also not more than anyone else and we only help cover the demand. The question is not about us, but about modern technology that uses primary energy resources.

Let us go back to the last question, could you please repeat it?



Ryan Chilcote:

Well, the title of the panel is Sustainable Energy for a Changing World. You’ve been driving Russia’s energy policy for nearly 20 years now. What changes, or what is the change that gives you the most hope and what do you think the biggest challenge that you see amongst the changes is for energy?



Vladimir Putin:

Concern is caused by uncertainty. In politics, in security, and in the economy. Volatility, in other words. This is it. And the number of uncertainties is growing. This is what causes concern – the unpredictability of the situation.



Ryan Chilcote:

Are you talking about your colleague, the President of the United States?



Vladimir Putin:

Not exactly. He certainly makes a significant contribution to this unpredictability by virtue of being the President of the largest world power, but not only him. I am talking about the situation in general.

Look at the rise of extremism – where did it come from? Why is this problem so acute today? Why is this extremism turning into terrorism? Doesn't that concern us? This is what we need to understand – where it all came from.

I will not go into details because we have a limited amount of time. But this is happening in many spheres. In the economy – the same thing. This growing uncertainty in all fields is what causes concern.

Now, what causes optimism? Common sense, I think. No matter how hard it is, people, humankind have always found ways out of the most difficult situations, guided by the interests of their countries, their peoples, and it is the goal of any government to ensure the well-being as well as the growth of the welfare of its people.

I think that sooner or later, and the sooner the better, the realisation will come that we need to get away from controversy as soon as possible, in any case, away from trying to resolve this controversy with unacceptable tools and ways that go beyond international law. It seems to me that it is necessary to strengthen the leading role of the United Nations, and on this foundation, move on.



Ryan Chilcote:

And on that note, please join me in thanking and congratulating our participants in today’s panel and, of course, our host today the President of Russia.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58701
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Greetings on Ground Forces Day



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the current and former personnel of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation on their professional holiday.



October 1, 2018 - 08:30



The message reads, in part:

“Throughout its history, the Ground Forces have played a key role in ensuring Russia’s defence capability as well as protecting the country’s national interests. Heroism, courage and valour of many generations of soldiers and officers will always be remembered by our nation and will remain in the military chronicles of Russia.

It is important that today the Ground Forces personnel cherish the glorious military and patriotic traditions of their predecessors, demonstrating excellent competence and commitment to the military duty and the oath. The Ground Forces tackle their jobs honourably and to the benefit of Russia.”

On October 1, the Russian Ground Forces mark 468 years since their foundation in 1550. This commemorative date was established by a Presidential Executive Order in 2006 and refers to the anniversary of the Streltsy firearm infantry, the first regular troops in Russia.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58665






Greetings on 15th anniversary of Russian Railways



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to current and former Russian Railways workers on the company’s 15th anniversary.



October 1, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Throughout the past years, the company has been dynamically increasing its potential. Most importantly, it has maintained a powerful workforce capacity and the wonderful working traditions that the Russian railway industry has always been famous for.

Today, you can rightly be proud of the achieved results. Major infrastructure projects are being carried out successfully; railway stations are being modernised; passenger services are being improved. High-speed operations are growing rapidly. The Moscow Central Circle received a new lease of life. And of course, I would like to point out your significant contribution to the preparations and organisation of such large-scale sports events as the Sochi Olympics and the World Cup.”

Russian Railways is one of the world’s largest transport and logistics holdings. More than a quarter of passenger and almost half of all cargo operations in Russia use the railways. The holding employs 1.2 percent of people employed in the national economy. Russian Railways accounts for 3 percent of investment in the real sector.

The company’s founder and only shareholder is the Russian Federation. The Russian Government performs the shareholder duties on behalf of the Russian Federation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58669






Greetings to 3rd Russian Silver Volunteer Forum



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants of the 3rd Russian Silver Volunteer Forum, which has started in Ufa.



October 1, 2018 - 12:30



The message reads, in part:

“Your forum is held within the framework of the Year of Volunteers in Russia, and it should become an important event in the sphere of promoting volunteering activities among senior citizens.

I would like to point out that offering unselfish assistance and devotion are traditions that are deeply imbedded in Russia’s history. This noble cause always brought together sincere, energetic, empathetic people – regardless of their age or profession. Today, senior volunteers work with great dedication in a wide range of spheres. They assist those who need support and care, and share their rich life and professional experiences with them. Of course, senior volunteers also take pleasure in communicating with their younger colleagues and try to keep up their own youthful spirits together with a positive attitude.”

The list of the 3rd Russian Senior Volunteer Forum participants includes over 500 volunteers from various Russian regions. “Silver”, or senior, volunteers are volunteers who are over 50 years old.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58673






Meeting with Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Russian Railways Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board Oleg Belozerov. The President congratulated the company’s workers on the 15th anniversary of Russian Railways.



October 1, 2018 - 13:05 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Belozerov, I would like to begin by congratulating you and all Russian Railways staff on the anniversary.

Russian Railways is a backbone company for the national economy, if not one of the core companies in the country. It bears immense responsibility for the state of the Russian economy. This is not just an infrastructure monopoly, this is not simply a shipping company or a carrier, but a company that ensures that our economy runs smoothly. For this reason, its success is critical for the national economy to be able to succeed as well.

It is especially gratifying, as I have already pointed out on a number of occasions, that you have been able to run the company in such a way so as to be able to constantly improve productivity at a reasonable pace in tune with the needs of the company and the national economy. In fact, productivity has been outpacing pay raises, which is an extremely important and laudable result, if I may say so, and it sets a positive example for other sectors.

Congratulations once again, and a big thank you to all the railway workers of Russia.



Russian Railways Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board Oleg Belozerov:

Thank you very much.

Mr President, on behalf of the one-million-strong staff of Russian Railways holding I would like to thank you for your congratulations and for your attention to our work and your unwavering support.

Russian Railways have gone a long way since the Ministry of Railways was transformed into a company. It has become a tradition for us to report on our achievements as we celebrate anniversaries.

I have regularly reported to you on our record freight turnover figures in the new history of the Russian Federation, but there was one absolute record reached back in the Soviet Union we still could not beat. This year, our team has set a new absolute record – a freight turnover higher than in the Soviet Union. At the same time, Russian Railways is also a leader in energy efficiency and environmental protection.







Vladimir Putin:

And safety.



Oleg Belozerov:

And safety, among railway carriers in the world. We try our very best to create a comfortable environment for shippers, and, most importantly, for our passengers.

Another record, albeit smaller, will be set this year, as according to our plan, we will transport 1.13 billion people. This is the highest figure if we look at the past ten years. Moreover, if we consider it this way, in ten years, every citizen of Russia used the railways more than 100 times – this is for comparison.

Furthermore, passenger turnover is on the rise this year. Passengers see that we are trying to improve our services in all spheres. We also have double digits in our results – the Daily Express programme, more than 20 percent growth. Transportation in the double deckers we recently presented went up more than 40 percent this year. Long distance passenger traffic grew by more than 8 percent. This means passengers are willing to use the railway services, although there are other types of transport; they make their choice in favour of the comfort and coziness created by our company.

Accordingly, we improved all components of the system, including the railway stations. We renovated some stations as part of preparations for the World Cup. We also made an effort to ensure they remain part of the local urban cultural environment, as was planned historically more than 100 years ago. This year, more than 400 social events were held at railway stations. Moreover, the Moscow Central Circle, our key joint project with the Moscow government I reported, has also set a record: more than 460,000 people per day. This record was set just a few days ago.

Figures are figures, but, most importantly, we work for the passengers and therefore their feedback is important. We began canvassing passenger response in 2016 with the VTsIOM public opinion centre, and I can say that passengers give us four points out of five. But we would like to get full marks. For that, we allocate funds within our programmes, primarily for the improvement of the rolling stock, which is a priority. We do have railway platforms that have not been repaired for more than 30 years, something we also want to improve.

The second component that I mentioned earlier on, is that cargo transportation is also on the rise this year, with tariff freight turnover adding 4.4 percent, and freight handling up by almost 3 percent.

The Russian ports are doing well, too. Several figures reflect this. The situation in transit shipping, which you constantly focus on, is as follows: container traffic has grown 2.5 times since 2004, and export shipments at the Russian ports are up 1.8 times.

All other indicators are also up. We are fully aware of the fact that we are a monopoly and must monitor our costs. This year, we cut our production costs by 44 billion, and will keep focusing on this.

We support both small- and medium-sized businesses and went from 254 positions to almost 17,000 positions with the participation of small- and medium-sized businesses this year alone. We find this interesting, and our colleagues are helping us create a new railway.

At the same time, as you already pointed out, human capital, our people are our most valuable asset. This year, productivity is up by over 6 percent. The collective agreement is our main document, and we follow it to a tee. We adjust wages on an almost regular basis. This year, pay packages have increased by over 10 percent compared to 2017.

Other provisions of the collective agreement are strictly complied with as well. This includes the housing policy where we help our workers buy flats; recreation and healthcare, and also children: we are building children’s railways and open quantoriums. We understand that this will pay back in the future when the children grow up and come to work with the railways.

I covered our problems. We understand that, as you said, we must upgrade passenger carriages as soon as possible. They are already 20 years old, whereas we need them to be no more than between 10 to 12 years old at the most. Each year, we receive upgraded rolling stock.







Vladimir Putin:

The decisions aimed at upgrading the rolling stock have been adopted by the Government. I hope this will be realised in full.



Oleg Belozerov:

Yes, Mr President, everything has been done in accordance with your instructions. The main plan has been developed, and the company will achieve all its goals.







Vladimir Putin:

Good.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58671






Meeting with Igor Artamonov



At a meeting with Igor Artamonov, the President informed him of his appointment as Acting Governor of Lipetsk Region.



October 2, 2018 - 17:25 - The Kremlin, Moscow







Vladimir Putin signed the Executive Order On the Early Termination of the Authority of the Lipetsk Region Governor.

The President accepted Lipetsk Region Governor Oleg Korolyov’s resignation request.







The President also relieved Igor Artamonov of his present duties and appointed him Acting Governor of Lipetsk Region until the next duly elected Governor assumes office.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58679






Meeting with Vadim Shumkov



At a meeting with Vadim Shumkov, the President informed him of his appointment as Acting Governor of the Kurgan Region.



October 2, 2018 - 17:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow







Vladimir Putin signed the Executive Order On the Early Termination of the Authority of the Kurgan Region Governor.










The President accepted Kurgan Region Governor Alexei Kokorin’s resignation request.







The President also appointed Vadim Shumkov Acting Governor of Kurgan Region, and relived him of his current duties, until the next duly elected Governor of the Region assumes office.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58683






Meeting with Government members



Vladimir Putin held a regular meeting with Government members. The participants discussed the main areas of the Cabinet’s work until 2024, the draft federal budget for 2019 and the planning period of 2020 and 2021, and other important current issues.



October 2, 2018 - 18:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today’s agenda includes some issues, including fundamental ones, that determine the planning of our work for the next few years.

As we agreed, the main areas of activity for the Government of the Russian Federation have been elaborated based on the May Executive Order that set out the national goals and strategic tasks until 2024. I would like Mr Medevev to speak about this after I finish my opening remarks.

National projects and programmes on key areas of the country’s development have also been drafted.

I would like to emphasise the need to reach the goals set forth in the Executive Order, to achieve the targets in the economy, healthcare, education, culture and infrastructure, and to make fundamental changes in all areas that determine the welfare and quality of life and Russia’s sustainable development.

We must use our competitive edge to the utmost and create all conditions for the self-fulfillment of citizens and the implementation of their initiatives.

And, of course, we must carefully calculate our resources. We spent much time on this. Over the past two years, we have been making these calculations practically all the time. Of course, I am referring primarily to our financial potential.

Mr Medvedev, you have the floor, please.







Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev:

Mr President, colleagues,

As you have just mentioned, pursuant to your May Executive Order, we have prepared Guidelines for the Government. This work began immediately after the new Government was formed, and involved all ministries and departments, as well as our colleagues from the regions.

Indeed, we are talking about decisions that are critical for our country that will affect the lives of millions of people. We believe we managed to draft a realistic – from the perspective of the current situation – and at the same time a reasonably ambitious action plan.

Last week, we reviewed the draft plan at a Government meeting once again. It was approved, as you instructed, before October 1.

First of all, as we worked on the plan and the Guidelines, we focused on the national development goals outlined in your Executive Order and the need to implement 12 national projects. Their descriptions have already been submitted to the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, led by you, Mr President, and were reviewed by the Council Presidium, which I moderate.

At the same time, there is an idea to formulate an additional number of national projects. Perhaps this needs to be discussed separately; there are reasonable arguments to do so, but this will, of course, require further critical evaluation.

We will focus on the Guidelines and the national projects in the near future, as they are, indeed, the mechanisms and tools that we need to achieve national goals.

According to the draft federal budget, national projects and infrastructure development will receive 5.63 trillion rubles over the next three years. The Government has already sent the draft to the State Duma. This is a very substantial amount of money.

As you mentioned, developing the social sphere and improving the quality of life is the most significant spending item. Primarily, these are projects in demographics, education, healthcare, science, the environment, culture, housing and a comfortable urban environment, as well as the creation of a modern transport and energy infrastructure, including motorways. Considerable investment will go into all of the above areas.

I would also like to note that 845 billion rubles are being channeled into developing the digital economy, supporting small and medium-size business and expanding non-energy exports. Maybe Mr Siluanov will also say a few words about this, in terms of the budget.

As the Executive Order reads, the social area is a top priority for the Government. All we are planning for the next few years in the development of the economy, support of small businesses and infrastructure is primarily done to make people, citizens of our country feel real changes for the better in incomes, quality of housing and roads and let them take their child to a kindergarten or a sports club without much fuss.

There are specific areas there that concern all items – the demography package and measures to reduce the mortality rate and develop medical services, including primary medical care, medical stations and mobile medical complexes.

As you know, we are planning to raise to a new level our efforts to fight oncological diseases, which is also stated in your Executive Order, primarily through the early detection of the disease.

Issues of overcoming poverty and raising incomes are a separate area. I am referring to the adjustment of social payments and different forms of support for low-income families.

One of the main tasks set forth by the Executive Order is to make sure pensions grow above inflation. All money coming from decisions pertaining to pension legislation will be used for this purpose. In addition, we are laying emphasis on active longevity programmes and protection of pre-pension age employees.

Our projects also deal with support for housing construction, relocating from dilapidated housing, upgrading management of residential buildings, developing the transport network and improving the environment.

As for the economy, the main Guidelines naturally provide for encouraging investment activities with an emphasis on private investment, boosting competition and creating favourable conditions for business, including the expansion of digital technology use, as was already mentioned, and the creation of the infrastructure for its advance.

Of course, special attention should be paid to upgrading state administration.

The industrial policy will focus on developing basic industries, increasing the share of high-tech industries, including by reorienting them to civilian production, expanding cooperation with the country’s leading research centres and supporting Russian companies that are exploring international markets.

This concerns not only industrial policy, but agriculture as well, because the policy of developing the export potential of agriculture is also outlined in your Executive Order and the Guidelines for the Government.

The solution to these and many other issues outlined in the Guidelines depends on what the regions will think about the federal initiatives. We plan to allocate significant amounts to support them as well: the volume of subsidies will amount to almost 1.5 trillion rubles next year alone. This will create the proper environment for the sustainable development of the regions, but they should, of course, rely on their own development sources, because they need to take care of their own revenue base, which is obvious.

In some cases, we will use special incentives in our plans to develop individual territories and federal districts that need special attention. I am referring, of course, to the Russian Far East, the Caucasus region, Crimea, Kaliningrad and Russia’s Arctic zone.

Benchmarks, key tools, mechanisms and targets to be achieved by 2024 were defined for each area. Each national target has an implementation model that must be tied in with other areas of the Government’s activities.

Of course, the choice of assessment criteria to be used by the leadership matters. The Government must control all these areas. We will evaluate our progress on each national target, and report to the President about the effectiveness of budget spending. If need be (these Guidelines are, as was once said, not a dogma, but a guide to action), we will come up with additional solutions for your consideration, Mr President.

Shortly, we plan to sum up some of the current developments. We will review the solutions that are already being implemented just to see how these mechanisms work and what might have to be changed.

I am sure that all the Government members are fully aware of their responsibility and will do their best to achieve the outlined goals.







Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues, we are facing very complicated, large-scale challenges. We are well aware of it, we know it. To solve them conditions must be created for economic development and for attracting investment, and the funding sources and levels to address the most urgent issues have to be determined carefully. It is impossible to do so without effective budget planning and strict observance of financial discipline in the course of implementing our strategic plans.

Therefore, I ask you with your colleagues in the parliament of the Russian Federation to make a detailed analysis of the priorities and specific funding levels in the budget, and to cross-reference that information with the benchmarks set in the national projects.

Mr Medvedev has already referred to the areas of focus. For example, fighting various types of cancer requires priority attention in healthcare, as we have discussed a number of times. All the scheduled activities in this vital sphere must be carried out consistently and professionally both from a financial and practical standpoint, in keeping with the very specific decisions that need to be taken here: how much should be allocated to which areas, in what amounts, at what rate. No mishaps can be permitted, especially since the funds we are allocating are quite substantial. From the submitted documents, I see that 470.6 billion rubles are earmarked from the federal budget to fight cancer in 2019–2021. These are significant resources, they must be properly handled.

The funding of infrastructure development projects should also be closely monitored. Investments in modern roads and railways, airports, expanding the capacity of strategic transport corridors – this is definitely a major factor in economic growth, a crucial condition for balanced territorial development and for increasing the quality of life of our citizens.

Special focus should also go to developing social infrastructure as well as resolving the backlog of environmental problems including, of course, the elimination of dumping sites across the country.

Housing construction also requires constant monitoring, of course. This also concerns resettling people from dilapidated housing. Let me remind you that in the past six years 677,000 people were given new housing and were relocated from over 10 million square metres of dilapidated housing. These numbers are not insignificant, but the task has not been completed.

Every year about two million square metres of housing is classified as dilapidated. The total amount in the country is over 13 million square metres. We have relocated people from 10 million, and have another 13 million to go. But the key is not to let that number grow, as I said a number of times, and major repairs and current maintenance should be done on time.

We have to set up an effective continuous mechanism for resolving this problem, while also ensuring that citizens’ housing rights are protected. We spoke a lot about that, we spoke about protecting the interests of the people who lost out during the construction of their housing – they invested their money but they have neither money nor housing. The issue is very urgent and must be resolved shortly.

In this connection, I would like to hear from the Finance Minister. Please, go ahead, Mr Siluanov.







First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov:

Thank you, Mr President.

The Government of the Russian Federation has prepared and submitted to the State Duma a draft budget for the next three years. This draft has some innovations and special features.

To begin with, we have adopted new tax legislation specifically to support the implementation of the new tasks that you set forth in your May Executive Order, while also promoting economic development.

What are these decisions? We have cancelled a tax on movables, the so-called modernisation tax.

Secondly, we have planned additional tax rules starting next year, such as a tax on additional income in the oil sector that will provide greater impetus for the development of deposits.

We are also introducing a new tax for self-employed people that will allow them to work legally and pay taxes to the state. This is also an innovation for small businesses.

Tax rules will be codified in the next six years and will not be changed.

What budget parameters have we considered? We will have a budget surplus in the next three years. In 2019, the surplus will amount to 1.8 percent of the GDP. Why do we need this? Primarily to have predictable and stable macro-economic conditions and to be able to fulfil our commitments regardless of external factors, such as a change in oil prices or the foreign sanctions that we are now facing. This will also give additional support to boosting economic growth rates.

The project approach was used for a considerable share of the resources in the budget, which is a special feature of this budget. These are national projects. Some eight trillion rubles have been allocated in the budget for these purposes for the next six years. Considering that part of the excises on petroleum products will be transferred to the regions of the Russian Federation, this sum will increase to nine trillion rubles.

Total funds allocated for national projects during the next six years will amount to 14 trillion rubles. As Mr Medvedev said, we will allocate 5.6 trillion rubles for implementing national projects in the next three years. The budget accounts for both the implementation of national projects and the development goals set forth in the May Executive Order. This is above all the task of ensuring high economic growth rates, increasing these rates and, certainly, improving the welfare of our citizens, the growth of wages and pensions.

Speaking about the task of accelerating economic growth, 2.3 trillion rubles will be allocated for the purpose within three years from the national projects alone. This includes about 400 billion rubles allocated for the Digital Economy project, 272 billion rubles to support exports, 136 billion rubles for small and medium-sized businesses, and labour productivity. Besides, a considerable sum of 1.4 trillion rubles will be allocated for road construction and infrastructure over the three years. These projects include the West-East and North-South transport corridors, enhancing the economic connectedness of the territories of the Russian Federation, and providing affordable power to a number of our regions.



Vladimir Putin:

What will that amount to?



Anton Siluanov:

1.4 trillion rubles in the three years alone.

A Development Fund is being set up to support development goals. The total assets of the fund amount to 3.5 trillion rubles within the six-year period. This is the money that will go to implement both infrastructure projects related to economic development, and to investments, as we say, in human capital. The resources will come from borrowing more on the market.

The social sphere. A number of national projects have been designed, as Mr Medvedev has already said. I will give you some numbers.

Demographics and healthcare. In the coming three years a total of 2.2 trillion rubles of additional funds, all funds, will be allocated to this end. We already have a number of social programmes underway such as maternity capital – funds are earmarked for indexing amounts in 2020, childbirth payments, payments to families with children, mortgage benefits, creating more spaces in kindergartens. These are the programmes that are already being implemented but there are some new ones as well. They include disease prevention, opportunities for doing sport, and treatment of cardiovascular and oncological diseases. A programme to upgrade oncology centres will be launched, as you mentioned, Mr President, and new modern clinical recommendations and new treatment protocols will be introduced.

Also, funds are earmarked for resolving environmental problems under the national projects. These include the elimination of dumping sites, purification of water reservoirs, and reduction of atmospheric pollution. 241 billion rubles have been set aside for these objectives in the coming three years.

Education. We have been set the task of making Russia one of the top five leading nations in science and technology. We have a corresponding national project, with 350 billion rubles set aside for the three years. The funding goes toward early child development, supporting talented youth, and introducing new methods of teaching and educating.

Housing construction is also an important goal, as you just said, Mr President. We have a national project for it. The goal is to improve housing conditions for at least five million families by 2024. To reach these objectives, 106 billion rubles have been set aside plus another 19 billion from regional budgets.

National projects cannot be implemented without making use of the opportunities offered by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Apart from financial assistance that we usually provide to the regions, we are also committed to supporting them in achieving objectives that fall within their own competence by having the federal government co-finance their initiatives to the maximum extent. In most cases, the Russian Federation provides 95 percent of funds, while the regions undertake to provide 5 percent.

We will also continue to support regions in fulfilling their priority obligations, such as paying salaries and social benefits. All these support mechanisms will remain in place.

Of course, monitoring the implementation of national projects is essential. A new online system is currently being put in place in order to monitor online the advancement of national projects at all stages, from their development and until they are completed. This system is expected to enable us to identify projects that are falling behind or are ahead of schedule so as to be able to manage them and ensure that all the objectives included in the May 2018 Executive Order are fulfilled.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Mr Siluanov, you have mentioned an investment of 1.4 trillion rubles in infrastructure. As far as I can see, this includes 1.075 trillion rubles for primary roads, and the remaining funds in the amount of 371.4 billion rubles will go towards the national project Safe and Quality Roads.

Are these 370 billion intended for federal roads only?



Anton Siluanov:

The Comprehensive Plan to upgrade and expand primary roads focuses on improving connectivity among regions, which means that it deals with federal roads. At the same time, Russian regions are expected to contribute to the Safe and Quality Roads project, which means that we will work on it together with the regions.



Vladimir Putin:

What is the situation with the regional road funds and the additional funds generated by excise duties?



Anton Siluanov:

Mr President, as we agreed in keeping with your instructions, by 2024 we will complete the reallocation of excise duties on petroleum products that are currently paid to the federal road funds. This will be a gradual effort beginning in 2020, so that by 2024 all excise duties on petroleum products are paid to the regional road funds.



Vladimir Putin:

There is another sensitive issue. When planning the pension reform, the Government proceeded from the premise that there will be a positive financial outcome of these measures within several years but when the presidential amendments were adopted it became clear that there will not be any revenue from the pension system changes. On the contrary, the Government will have to finance the amendments proposed by the President. What is the scope of this funding?



Anton Siluanov:

It is true, we do not expect any additional revenue from the pension law changes and, on the contrary, we will even increase financial transfers to the Pension Fund. Within the first several years, we will transfer an additional 100 billion rubles to the Pension Fund in order to solve the problems to ensure higher adjustment for inflation of retirement pensions.



Vladimir Putin:

And to carry out the amendments passed by the Parliament?



Anton Siluanov:

The amendments made during discussion of the draft law on pension reform in the State Duma will require over 500 billion rubles in additional funding.



Vladimir Putin:

This is what I am talking about. Is this money available in the budget? Did you determine the sources?



Anton Siluanov:

Absolutely. This money was taken into account in the amount that the Government still transfers from the federal budget to the Pension Fund.







Vladimir Putin:

Good, thank you.

Ms Golikova, please tell us a little bit about WorldSkills.



Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova:

Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

The Russian team has just returned from the EuroSkills championship in Budapest. Our competitors, 48 people from 17 regions, took part in this European skills and trade competition.

I must say that they competed with 600 participants from 28 countries in 41 skills. Their results were brilliant. They won nine golds, eight silvers, two bronzes and ten medallions of excellence. These kids (they are not really kids anymore, all aged 17 to 25) had prepared diligently for this event. I think we can all congratulate them once again on their results.

In 2019 Kazan will host WorldSkills dedicated to vocational skills. We summed up the results in August: 64 countries have registered to take part in this event; there will be 56 skills and over 1,500 participants.

We are now making preparations for this event – its organisation and hosting. In addition to the main programme of competitions WorldSkills Russia has initiated an experimental project called FutureSkills which will demonstrate the modern environment and potential of the Russian economy through the prospective of future professions.

There will also be a programme dealing with the field of business. It will focus on the development and adoption of joint decisions in the sphere of training personnel for the new economy – an economic summit dedicated to skills of the future.

I would like to continue the subject that Mr Medvedev and Mr Siluanov were talking about: naturally, the Education project is one of those that we are carrying out. There is a section called The Young Professionals which takes into account the work within the WorldSkills standards and within the experience and qualifications that we already have and will acquire in future.

Over a period of the next six years 146 billion rubles will be spent on The Young Professionals programme that is mainly devoted to secondary vocational education.

I would like to quote some figures. By 2024 a network of one hundred priority vocational training centres will have been developed together with at least 5,000 workshops equipped in accordance with modern needs and up to the standards required by WorldSkills. In addition to this, at least 35,000 teachers and vocational training masters will attend courses to upgrade their skills and 10,000 of them will be simultaneously certified as WorldSkills experts.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

I saw how overjoyed our winners are. I would sincerely like to congratulate all of them on their victory and I would also like to thank everyone who helped to organise this work.

Mr Medvedev, I would also like to thank the Government for preparing the main guidelines for its activities up until the year 2024 because they are really becoming a roadmap for implementing the Presidential Executive Order of May 7, 2018 in which we set the national targets as well as strategic objectives for the development of the Russian Federation until 2024. I assume the Government will strictly keep to this plan.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58684






Executive order on Presidential Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation



Vladimir Putin signed the Executive Order On the Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation for Cross-Border Cooperation.



October 2, 2018 - 19:20



In order to improve the activities of the Executive Office of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin ordered that the Presidential Directorate for Social and Economic Cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States Member Countries, the Republic of Abkhazia, and the Republic of South Ossetia be reorganised as the Presidential Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation.

Vladimir Putin signed an additional order appointing Oleg Govorun head of the Presidential Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation, relieving him of his current post.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58690






Meeting with permanent members of Security Council



Vladimir Putin held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council where Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on the delivery of S-300 systems and other equipment to improve security for Russian service personnel in Syria. Current issues of the domestic agenda were also discussed.



October 2, 2018 - 20:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow






Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good evening, colleagues.

Before we take up the main issue we wanted to discuss today, I would ask the Defence Minister to report on progress in carrying out my instructions on Syria. Mr Shoigu, please.







Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu:

Mr President, colleagues,

In accordance with the President’s decision, we have started taking a series of measures to enhance the air defence systems of the Syrian Arab Republic, primarily to safeguard our service personnel.

We have completed the delivery of S-300 systems. It includes 49 units of equipment, illuminating laser radars, major emitter location systems, command vehicles and four launchers. The work was completed a day ago. We have completed the delivery of the full system to Syria.

Apart from that, we have significantly strengthened and activated the electronic warfare system, and added extra equipment to it. As a result, as of today we control the close zone of up to 50 kilometres and the remote zone, where sorties on Syrian territory mainly originate from, we control 200 kilometres of that.

As to the unified command system of the overall air defence network, we have also begun equipment deliveries. We will complete the work together with training and readying the crews and forming a single network by October 20.







Vladimir Putin:

How long will it take to train the crews of the Syrian army to operate the S-300?



Sergei Shoigu:

Three months.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.







Sergei Shoigu:

Also, the necessary personnel and specialists have been selected and started training.



Vladimir Putin:

Fine, thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58693






Meeting with Mikhail Razvozhayev



The President had a meeting with Mikhail Razvozhayev, during which he announced his decision to appoint him Acting Governor of the Republic of Khakassia.



October 3, 2018 - 11:05 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Razvozhayev, you worked in the Krasnoyarsk Region before, didn’t you?



Mikhail Razvozhayev:

In Krasnoyarsk, yes.



Vladimir Putin:

And in Krasnoyarsk, you worked your way up to Deputy Head of Krasnoyarsk Region Governor’s administration.



Mikhail Razvozhayev:

That is correct.







Vladimir Putin:

I have an unusual request and an unusual assignment for you.

Head of the Republic of Khakassia Viktor Zimin recently resigned: this is understandable as he withdrew from the election campaign. But you know Siberia, night temperatures have already dropped below zero and we need to complete the preparations for the winter. We must not lose sight of the region’s social problems even for a day. There are a lot of matters requiring constant attention – and not just attention, but management for these difficult, complex processes.

That is why my request is that you leave for Khakassia, work there for a month, take the situation in the republic under control, including the socioeconomic problems, and help the region conduct honest and transparent election in accordance with our country’s laws.

After that – I have already considered this, and I promise to do this – I will get you back to Moscow and, without a doubt, will find a post for you in the federal government – you are currently serving as deputy federal minister – in accordance with your knowledge, experience and, in a positive sense of that word, your ambitions.



Mikhail Razvozhayev:

Mr President, thank you for your trust. I am ready for this task, and I will do everything in my power to make this month the month of efficient work.

Moreover, we are now in the middle of forming the budget and the federal national projects’ regional segments. We need to make sure the republic is part of these projects; we cannot let it miss out, as the participation in these projects will help us resolve all the social matters stipulated in Executive Order No. 204. In 2019, we will need to start carrying out these tasks, so now we have to act on it. This month will be vital for forming the regional segment and working with federal agencies.







Vladimir Putin:

This is highly important, because now is the time to coordinate the main areas of focus with the Government, including the areas that require federal budget support and subsidies. You know what I mean.

How long did you work in the Krasnoyarsk Region administration?



Mikhail Razvozhayev:

I worked there for over ten years. I also spent four years in Moscow, at the Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs.



Vladimir Putin:

I am sure you will do a good job.



Mikhail Razvozhayev:

Thank you, Mr President.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58695






Meeting with Georgy Poltavchenko and Alexander Beglov



Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Georgy Poltavchenko and Alexander Beglov, during which he announced his decision to appoint Alexander Beglov Acting Governor of St Petersburg.



October 3, 2018 - 18:30 - St Petersburg








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Poltavchenko,

I would like to begin with you as you are St Petersburg Governor. You have been working in this post for seven years, during which the city has changed, and changed for the better. It is developing. You have been working for the prosperity of the people who live in St Petersburg.

The city is large, there are many problems, and it is always the top official that is responsible for everything. Of course, there are still many issues to be resolved, but many things have changed over these years, and I would like to thank you for that.

I would like to offer you a job at a national level. You know what attention we are paying to the development of shipbuilding today, and in this sense I would like to note that St Petersburg has originally and historically been a centre of Russian shipbuilding. I would like to ask you to become chairman of the board of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).







Georgy Poltavchenko:

Mr President, thank you for this high level of trust. Thank you for praising my modest efforts.

It is true that I did my utmost to serve the city faithfully for seven years. We succeeded in some areas and perhaps not so much in other. But I always tried to do my best and I think your praise means that I have met your expectations and those of the people who live in St Petersburg, our townsmen.

Of course, the proposal you have made is a very high-level task for me. The main thing is, as you know, that I have great desire to serve, because St Petersburg is a naval city in all respects.

Our shipbuilding industry was born here, and this is where the leading Russian shipbuilding companies work today. In my line of work I have met with their representatives and know the situation at the enterprises.

I will not let you down, Mr President. Thank you very much.







Vladimir Putin:

Mr Poltavchenko, there are many questions. We are speaking, of course, not only about the development of the shipbuilding cluster in St Petersburg but the development of shipbuilding as an industry.

This corporation does not include all the enterprises of the national shipbuilding industry, but it is definitely one of the leaders in the sector.

We have to further boost shipbuilding in Kaliningrad, the Volga region, and also the Far East. We have many spheres of activity, and one of the key tasks is switching from government defence orders to building civil ships of different classes, not only luxury liners, although this is what we specialise in; we have to have a broader perspective. I very much count on your experience, knowledge as well as your executive talent that you have demonstrated here, in this extensive field of work, the national shipbuilding industry.

Yet, the job of increasing the defence capacity is still there, and we are not going to cancel it anytime soon, so that involves many issues.







Georgy Poltavchenko:

Mr President, I will make every effort to work on this.

The only thing I would like to ask here is that you support us as this is a really massive sector; honestly, there are problems that I had to think through, and I think that they are hard to solve without your help and that of the country’s leadership. I am ready to work 24/7.



Vladimir Putin:

There are thousands of people working in the industry, including top class specialists, and of course, we have to constantly pay attention to social matters and wage levels, as well as other social problems that have accumulated in the sector.

There are so many problems you will have to work with. I am always at your disposal, I want you and your colleagues to know this.

We have known each other for a long time now, for many years, and we must use this to solve federal matters.



Georgy Poltavchenko:

Thank you very much, Mr President.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

Mr Beglov, your whole life is tied to Leningrad, St Petersburg. Am I right in thinking you have been here since 1979? You are a builder and started your career in St Petersburg as a builder. You worked as an installer, am I correct?



Alexander Beglov:

High rigger.



Vladimir Putin:

High rigger, yes. Here, in St Petersburg, you moved up the ranks and made a career in a good sense of the word. In 2003, you even served as the Acting Governor of St Petersburg in accordance with a presidential executive order. Then, you left office following the election of a new governor, went to Moscow and worked in various positions in the Presidential Executive Office, served as head of the Control Directorate and Presidential aide, then headed an envoy’s office in the Central Federal District, and are now heading the envoy’s office here, in the Northwestern Federal District.

I want you to pay special attention to the key territory not only in the northwest, but throughout Russia, focus on St Petersburg. I would like to appoint you Acting Governor of St Petersburg until September 2019. By September, we will see how the work is going and based on this you will decide what to do next.







Alexander Beglov:

Mr President, thank you so much for your faith in me. The city of Leningrad, St Petersburg, is my hometown. Indeed, this is where I started my career as a high rigger and moved up through the ranks in the construction industry. Then, I started working at the Leningrad Municipal Executive Committee, and then you entrusted me with the post of the governor. I think I met your expectations then, and everything that had to be done was done in order to get the city ready for the winter, which was a tall order back then.

So, thank you, I will definitely do my very best to be up to the job. For my part, I would also like to not only live up to your expectations, but, of course, to earn respect and trust of the Leningrad, or St Petersburg, residents. This is important for me, because this is my home, the home of my family as well as my friends, my children are growing up here, and all my friends are here. This is my hometown.



Vladimir Putin:

Of course, you are aware of the situation in St Petersburg as head of the envoy’s office in the Northwestern Federal District. However, St Petersburg is a special administrative unit. It is more than just an administrative unit – it is a megapolis with five million residents with all its advantages and complexities. Of course, being an envoy, you may have not had the chance to get into all the details, but you are on good terms with Mr Poltavchenko. I hope he will take time to get you up to speed and share with you, as the highest St Petersburg official, the points that need special attention. I hope the transition will be smooth and nothing will be left out.

I am counting on your knowledge and your expertise and wish you good luck.







Alexander Beglov:

Thank you very much, Mr President. I am aware that you love our city, and I have witnessed this during all these years when you helped it build the ring road, start new construction projects, build protective structures, and many other things.

The people of Leningrad, the residents of St Petersburg have a lot of respect for you, and the fact that you offered this position to me is also a credit of trust on behalf of St Petersburg residents. I will do my best not to let you or the people down.



Vladimir Putin:

Once again, I wish you every success in serving our hometown and the people of St Petersburg.



Alexander Beglov:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58709






Laws signed to ensure balance and long-term financial stability of the pension system



Vladimir Putin signed Federal Law On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on Allocating and Paying Pensions.



October 3, 2018 - 18:45



The President also signed the federal laws amending the Budget, Labour and Criminal codes as well as Federal Law On Ratification of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention (Convention No.102).




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58708






Telephone conversation with Arkady Dvorkovich



During a telephone conversation, Vladimir Putin congratulated Arkady Dvorkovich on being elected president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).



October 3, 2018 - 19:10



The President expressed hope that the chess world will benefit from the appointment of Arkady Dvorkovich as FIDE president and that chess will be freed and remain clear from any attempts to politicise this game.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58711






Meeting with finalists of the 2018 Teacher of the Year contest



Ahead of Teacher’s Day, Vladimir Putin met with the finalists of the 2018 Teacher of the Year contest.



October 3, 2018 - 19:20 - St Petersburg






The President thanked the teachers for their work and wished them further success.

The federal stage of the 2018 Teacher of the Year contest started in St Petersburg on September 24. The jury includes winners of the contest from previous years and administration representatives from teacher training universities. The head of the jury is Rector of Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon,

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on becoming finalists of the Teacher of the Year contest. The jury will still need to choose the absolute winner, to put it that way, but this is, actually, a matter of opinion of those who will choose.

On the whole, you certainly showed wonderful qualities, both professional and personal ones. My congratulations on your professional success. This is my first point.

Secondly, as they say on such occasions, I congratulate all of our country’s teachers that you represent on Teachers’ Day, which is tomorrow.

Yours is an important and noble profession, an important, noble mission to bring up children, young people, and raise specialists that our country needs. We all know, and you know better than anyone: a person has to be an active citizen. Each teacher shoulders the responsibility for educating citizens; each teacher, whatever he or she does, whatever subject they teach, also does this. This is absolutely obvious. What is the best way to teach? We all know that – a personal example. Therefore, it is a personal challenge for every teacher, for every educator, to model this kind of behaviour.

But this is also a special burden, and it is always a psychological burden. That is probably why, as I said, this is a mission. Not even a profession, but a mission.

You must know that we have been trying to pay as much attention as possible to this public service area, the most important area – education. Starting next year, we are launching another initiative, a new federal programme, Education, with solid federal funding of over 300 billion rubles for three years. We will build more schools, upgrade the existing ones, supply new equipment and, of course, introduce modern teaching methods, which is a major research field in itself.







When I spoke about a personal example, I certainly had in mind one highly important and difficult component of your work: in order to be able to teach children to learn, you yourselves must learn and study continuously. In the modern world, it is a mandatory requirement for a professional in any industry, and absolutely indispensable in education. As we said at the beginning, personal example is the main thing. When children see their teacher constantly in motion, in development, it certainly cannot go unnoticed.

I want to thank you for your work and to wish you further success. Our schools have achievements; it is absolutely obvious. We can see this at international competitions, where our children win more and more medals, take prestigious awards, even first places. This is certainly the result of our teaching community’s work. How else could it be? This is the only reason. These things do not appear out of thin air. Neither do they dissolve into nowhere. The energy of development has its sustainable source – your work.

Please accept my warmest greetings on the upcoming Teacher’s Day.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58712






Opening the exhibition Imperial Capitals: St Petersburg – Vienna. Masterpieces of Museum Collections



President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz visited the State Hermitage Museum.



October 3, 2018 - 19:45 - St Petersburg






The two heads of state took part in the opening of the Imperial Capitals: St Petersburg – Vienna. Masterpieces of Museum Collections art exhibition by the State Hermitage and the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Visiting the museum included the ceremony of passing the baton of the Field Marshal of the Russian Empire over to the State Hermitage collection. Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky accepted the baton placed inside a glass box. The ceremony took place in the Field Marshals’ Hall. The gold baton, a symbolic decoration of field marshals and marshals, is studded with diamonds, sapphires and enamel. It was made by St Petersburg jeweller Julius Keibel for Emperor Alexander II in 1878.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Federal Chancellor, friends,

I am happy to greet you at the State Hermitage Museum for the opening of the exhibition Imperial Capitals: St Petersburg – Vienna. Masterpieces of Museum Collections.

Several months ago we already presented it in Vienna together with the Chancellor of Austria. It sparked the lively interest of both connoisseurs and art experts and all art lovers. Now the exhibition has arrived here, in Russia, in St Petersburg.







Visiting the State Hermitage. With Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz and director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky (right).
This outstanding and original project is an eloquent expression of the strong historical and cultural bonds between the two countries, and especially between the beautiful cities of St Petersburg and Vienna. As capitals of great empires and Europe’s architectural pearls, they represent a rich mixture of styles, cultures and traditions. The exhibition opens with the grand portraits of Empress Catherine the Great and Maria Theresia, the great women of the 18th century, who laid the foundation for the Hermitage and the Vienna Museum collections.







St Petersburg residents and visitors will have a chance to see works by prominent artists, including geniuses like Botticelli, Rembrandt and van Dyck. I strongly believe that works by masters of the Northern Renaissance who are not represented in the collection of the Hermitage Museum will be of special interest to museum goers.







Let me point out that Russian and Austrian experts have a long track record when it comes to joint projects and assisting each other in holding cultural events. It has become a good tradition for us to hold cross years devoted to specific topics. Not that long ago we held a Year of Tourism. It was a very meaningful and effective initiative. The Year of Music is underway, and 2019 will be dedicated to youth exchanges.







Let me emphasise that cultural and humanitarian ties and the rich experience we have accumulated in this field provide a solid foundation for our bilateral relations. Russia values the level of cooperation that has been achieved between our countries. It goes without saying that initiatives like this exhibition contribute to further expanding our cooperation in significant ways, enrich our bilateral dialogue, as well as facilitate people-to-people contacts, which is especially important.







I am confident that this exhibition will arouse as much interest in Russia as it did in Austria, and will strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of our countries.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all who took part in preparing this remarkable project (our guest, His Excellency Federal Chancellor, has just seen the notice in the hall nearby), especially Russia’s Gazprom and Austria’s OMV, and congratulate them on 50 years of cooperation between Russia and Austria in the gas sector. I hope that this exhibition becomes a memorable and inspiring experience for all its visitors.

Thank you for your attention. Thank you very much.







Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz (retranslated):

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Putin,

Let me express my sincere gratitude for inviting me to St Petersburg. It is a great honour for me to be here today and to open this exhibition together with you.

Art in all its forms is a common language of our people, and the remarkable masters we can see here today has been inspiring and made a great impression on the people of Russia and Austria for centuries.







I am also very glad that the exhibition we opened together with President of Austria Van der Bellen in Vienna is also opening in St Petersburg today.

The 14 pairs of pictures that we will see at this exhibition are not only united by three hundred years but by 2,000 km. They are witnesses of our joint history.

There are also some parallels between art and politics.







On the one hand, these pairs of pictures have a dialogue with each other; they are placed on opposite sides. The same is happening in political relations.

On the other hand, art is based on openness and honesty regardless of the era. Art has always served as a mirror of the people and the authorities. This may be pleasant but also uncomfortable and critical – depending on where you are now. But this honesty, which can sometimes be provocative, helps us all pose a question about the status quo. Like in art, we need this honesty in political dialogue.

In this sense, I am very happy that despite our different views, we can always have a dialogue; we meet with openness and honesty.







I would like to thank Gazprom and OMV who work together very well as companies but, above all, helped to organise this joint exhibition in St Petersburg and Vienna.

I would also like to thank the organisers: directors who have organised this exhibition as well as the director of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Thank you very much.







Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky:

Mr President, Mr Chancellor,

On behalf of my colleagues in Vienna and St Petersburg we would like to thank you for attending this magnificent exhibition for the second time (it is a bit different at the Hermitage), thus proving that you believe in what we always speak about: that art is a beautiful bridge uniting people.







I would like to thank my colleagues in Vienna, at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and at the Hermitage for their excellent work. It is not just a good exhibition, but a remarkable example of joint efforts, and this is not always that simple between those who work with art.







I would also like to thank the business community, because this is where the idea was born: with our colleagues and Russian and Austrian friends. Usually we go to business leaders and say: “It’s a fine exhibition, please help.” This time the idea did not come from us, and we acknowledge this, but it is fantastic and complies with the spirit of the dialogue as well as the artistic dialogue that our museums have.







Thank you very much. Please visit the next exhibition we are thinking about.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58713






Greetings on Teachers’ Day



Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian teachers on Teachers' Day.



October 5, 2018 - 09:40



The message reads, in part:

“At all times, Russians have praised teachers and mentors for assuming this challenging, noble and essential role. It is you, your knowledge, patience and dedication that are critical for the personal and professional development of the younger generation, as well as for teaching them to be proactive and responsible members of the community.

The state reaffirms its commitment to do everything it takes to enhance the status of a teacher and reinforce the social safety net for those who work in the education sector, considering its importance for the future of Russia.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58728






Greetings on 100th anniversary of Criminal Investigation Department and on Criminal Investigation Workers’ Day



Vladimir Putin greeted employees and veterans on their professional holiday and the 100th anniversary of this service.



October 5, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“This professional holiday pays tribute to the courage, the highest competence and loyalty to the chosen cause of the many generations of law enforcement officers, criminal investigators and experts. I am referring to all those who established and developed the Criminal Investigation Department, performed their duties with honour and did not retreat while countering crime.

The institutional structure and methods of personnel training have repeatedly changed over the past century but at all stages the Criminal Investigation Department has remained a vital part of the law enforcement system, a reliable instrument to ensure the rule of law and to protect life, security and the interests of the population.

I would like to convey special gratitude to the veterans. You consider initiative, dedication and patriotism as the main moral and professional yardstick. I am sure that criminal investigators will continue following your legendary traditions, and perform their duties with dignity and in good faith, improving the performance of the central office and its territorial units, their technical scope and the potential of their personnel. They will act in a timely manner, firmly and professionally for the benefit of Russia and its citizens.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58738






Greetings on 200th anniversary of Grozny



Vladimir Putin greeted residents of Grozny on its 200th anniversary.



October 5, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Your city has traditionally been one of the industrial, educational and cultural centres of the North Caucasus and has played a tangible role in enhancing domestic industry and the fuel-and-energy complex.

There have also been many difficult and dramatic periods in the history of the Chechen capital. Grozny and its residents went through serious trials during the Great Patriotic War and faced the cruel aggression of international terrorism against Russia.

Today Grozny is developing and restoring its economic and production potential. It is carrying out high-demand social and infrastructure projects and large-scale improvement programmes and housing construction. Literally before our eyes, it is turning into a city where it is comfortable to live and work, a city that is dynamic and oriented to the future.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58739






Greetings to Russian national team at III Summer Youth Olympics



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the Russian national team participating in the III Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.



October 7, 2018 - 02:00



The message reads, in part:

“The Youth Olympic Games are rightly viewed as a large-scale international event bringing together gifted young people from all continents. For that reason, taking part in these high-profile competitions is a special honour and great responsibility. Hard work and stamina helped you achieve impressive results and join Russia’s national team. I sincerely congratulate your united closely-knit team, which represents practically all sports, on your well-deserved ticket to the Games.

I would like to stress that raising the younger generation in the Olympic spirit, exposing them to the values of physical fitness and healthy living is among Russia’s state policy priorities. Medals and prizes at big international competitions and tournaments tellingly prove that we have plenty of talented young athletes who successfully survive the fiercest competition and become leaders in various sports. It is certainly important that most participants in the Youth Games are pursuing their professional careers in high performance sport.

I am confident that you will perform with dignity in Buenos Aires, showing a combat spirit and commitment to win and adding another memorable page to the history of youth sport.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58741






Birthday greetings to Vladimir Putin



Vladimir Putin continues to receive numerous messages with birthday greetings from heads of state and government and heads of international organisations.



October 7, 2018 - 12:10



A number of leaders have telephoned the President of Russia to convey their birthday greetings, in particular, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58742
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Telephone conversation with President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov



October 8, 2018 - 12:55



During the telephone conversation, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov extended his warm wishes to Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his birthday.

On October 7, the President of Russia turned 66. He received numerous congratulatory messages on that day.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58750






Greetings to 7th Russia – Country of Sports International Forum



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, organisers and guests on the opening of the 7th Russia – Country of Sports International Forum in Ulyanovsk.



October 10, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“This year has been a time of remarkable large-scale sport events in Russia. The World Cup organised to the highest standard brought together dozens of national teams and millions of fans from around the world. We successfully hosted other prestigious international competitions that will be remembered for their atmosphere of honest, engaging and uncompromising rivalry. They convincingly demonstrated the great humanitarian and consolidating mission of sport. Such outstanding and impressive events make a huge contribution to promoting the values of an active and healthy lifestyle, and demonstrate the tremendous and coordinated efforts in Russia aimed at promoting physical fitness and developing elite sports.

I am confident that this forum will be an efficient platform for its participants to share experience, implement new and exciting ideas and projects that will involve different generations, especially young people, in physical fitness and sport.”

The Russia – Country of Sports Forum was established by Presidential Executive Order on July 27, 2009, for the development of physical fitness and sports, promotion of a healthy lifestyle and strengthening of international sports links.

The first forum took place on October 22−25, 2009, in Kazan. In the subsequent years, the forum was hosted by Moscow (2010), Saransk (2011), Yakutsk (2012), Cheboksary (2014) and the Dobrograd sports resort in Vladimir Region (2016).




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58764






International Forum Russia – Country of Sports



At the 7th International Forum Russia – Country of Sports Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session titled Physical Education and Sports: New Development Targets.



October 10, 2018 - 17:35 - Ulyanovsk






More than 3,000 people from Russia and other countries, including heads of federal and regional government bodies, leaders of world sports, as well as representatives of the Olympic movement and international sporting organisations, attended the forum.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin sent the participants, organisers and guests of the forum a message of greetings.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Dear guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to welcome all the participants and guests of the International Forum Russia – Country of Sports. This year it is dedicated to the promising aspects of promoting fitness and sport, and it is important that representatives of various countries want to set new tasks and establish new approaches for the future together.

A professional dialogue between athletes, public activists and sport specialists stresses the unity of the global sport family and will allow for building the most effective models of its development and for developing the most efficient forms of support from the government, businesses and all interested partners.

In Russia, issues related to sport and fitness are absolute priorities. We promote the values of a healthy and active lifestyle in society, among all generations. Sport determines longevity and quality of life, and provides a wide range of opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment.

The job of federal, regional and municipal authorities is to create conditions for the development of mass sport, ensure access to sport facilities and adapt the infrastructure of cities, towns and villages to sport, to make them convenient to engage in sport.

It is important to make better use of the potential of public-private partnership both in building sport facilities and in using them afterwards.

The Governor has just spoken about several facilities here in Ulyanovsk. The idea is for an investor not only to put money into the construction of a sport complex or arena but also to take part in their further development.

Some good examples include projects that have been planned for this year in Altai and Tatarstan, and the Ice Palace in Buryatia that may give an impetus to the development of the infrastructure of the entire republic.

A network of physical fitness and sport clubs in residential, and work and study areas and, of course the revived GTO programme (Ready for Labour and Defence) that resolves tasks of both public sport and the training of sport reserves, are also aimed at promoting a healthy life style.

The road from a GTO badge to an Olympic medal is uphill but straight. The main point is for sport educational organisations to work consistently and smoothly regardless of affiliation and to use the same methods.

Naturally, large-scale competitions occupy a special place in the development and promotion of sport. I would like to note that after the Universiade in Kazan, the Olympics in Sochi and the FIFA World Cup, sport club membership has sharply increased, growing many times over.







We certainly counted on this when we competed for the right to host these events and organised these large sports competitions. I hope this trend will continue next year when Russia hosts the World Winter Universiade and the World Boxing Championships, and if it hosts the World Volleyball Championships in 2022 and the Junior and Main Hockey Championships in 2023. We intend to offer a special sports tournament to our partners in BRICS and the EAEU. Overall, we are interested in the world’s best athletes meeting each other more often, competing and being friends. We are interested in developing sports exchanges.

Outstanding athletes are an important example for the younger generation regardless if they are still competing or have retired from their career. These people are symbols of the true ethos of sport, will and unity of sports. Of course, they have earned universal respect.

I would like to note the Foundation for the Support of Russian Olympians. For 13 years, the Foundation has been implementing programmes for winners of Olympic Games; it helps them receive their second degree at leading universities. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the members of the Foundation and wish them further success in their activities.

Supporting honoured veterans, training exceptional young people, promoting mass sport and establishing easily accessible infrastructure are tasks that must definitely be envisaged in Russia’s strategy for fitness and sports development for 2021–2030. The Government must approve this no later than 2020.

Strengthening international cooperation must be part of the overall goal. Russia has always strived for the most constructive and comprehensive cooperation with sports organisations around the world. Russia has been progressively fulfilling its commitments, including the countering of doping.

This is a sensitive area, but I cannot ignore it. We are determined to establish one of the best anti-doping systems in the world. In order to do this, we have developed and are now implementing a national programme. We believe this to be a matter of principle for Russia and for the entire world.

Yes, of course, we have seen flaws in our anti-doping system, but I would like to note that these are not only our internal problems. They have demonstrated obvious flaws in the entire international anti-doping system.

We agree with our partners who say changes are necessary in this area. We believe that this work should be carried out within UNESCO as part of the corresponding International Convention, with the more substantive involvement of the Olympic movement’s key participants: the International Olympic Committee, international sports federations and national Olympic committees.

Of course, we all need common rules, transparent, just and equal for all the athletes. World sport and its future need them.

Based on the Olympic Charter and international legislative acts, taking into consideration the opinions of international sports federations and complying with national laws, we can show concern for sport and its great humanitarian mission, for today’s generation and generations to come.

Let me wish you success and all the best. Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58770






Ceremony to present credentials



Vladimir Putin received letters of credence from foreign ambassadors in the Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.



October 11, 2018 - 14:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow






The following 23 newly-arrived ambassadors presented their credentials to the President of Russia: Carlos Rafael Faria Tortosa (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela), Frederick Hamley Case (Co-operative Republic of Guyana), Vitezslav Pivonka (Czech Republic), Mario Dayan de Silva Jayatilleka (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka), Norbert Konkoly (Hungary), Carsten Sondergaard (Kingdom of Denmark), Retselisitsoe Calvin Masenyetse (Kingdom of Lesotho), Rune Resaland (Kingdom of Norway), Fernando Valderrama Pareja (Kingdom of Spain), Thanatip Upatising (Kingdom of Thailand), Hugo Villarroel Senzano (Plurinational State of Bolivia), Atanas Vassilev Krastin (Republic of Bulgaria), Margus Laidre (Republic of Estonia), Gustavo Adolfo Lopez Calderon (Republic of Guatemala), Datla Bala Venkatesh Varma (Republic of India), Pierre Clive Agius (Republic of Malta), Francis Mariur Matsutaro (Republic of Palau), Marcello Beccari (Republic of San Marino), Branko Rakovec (Republic of Slovenia), Chol Tong Mayay Jang (Republic of South Sudan), Botirjon Asadov (Republic of Uzbekistan), Komi Bayedze Dagoh (Togolese Republic) and Simon Marco Mumwi (United Republic of Tanzania)








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Kremlin, at the ceremony to present letters of credence. You have the honourable and important mission of promoting relations between your states and Russia, encouraging political dialogue and expanding economic and humanitarian ties.

Today we need diplomacy to play an active and constructive role, to use the power of words, negotiations and compromise to make a tangible contribution to overcoming the current difficulties in international affairs and searching for responses to new challenges and threats.

Russia is dedicated to a peaceful policy and progressively carries out a responsible course in foreign policy. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia defends the basic principles stipulated in the UN Charter: sovereignty and equality of states and non-interference in their domestic affairs. We stand against using politically motivated protectionism measures and sidestepping the norms of international law.







Russia’s active participation in global affairs and openness to mutually beneficial partnerships with all countries and regions are motivated by our main national interest: to create the most favourable conditions possible for Russia to develop dynamically, to achieve ambitious social and economic goals and improve our citizens’ quality of life.

Russians want to live in peace; they want Russia to be a strong and independent state. We try to do everything necessary to strengthen global stability and to build a system of equal and indivisible security.

Our top priorities include an uncompromising fight against international terrorism. Russia’s actions to settle acute regional crises, including the Syrian crisis, are based on such principal approaches. With our decisive role, it has been possible to deal a devastating blow to international terrorism and preserve the statehood of Syria.







Based on the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council, the groundwork was laid for boosting peace talks. Together with our partners in the Astana format, we are actively working on forming an intra-Syrian constitutional committee.

The agenda includes the reconstruction of the destroyed economy and infrastructure, and helping millions of refugees return home, which would ease the migration burden on many European countries. We hope that assistance to Syrians in solving these problems will be a common objective for the global community. Humanitarian issues will be an important area of cooperation for all interested states.

Today, heads of 23 diplomatic missions are present here. By tradition, I would like to say a few words about our relations with each of these countries.







Venezuela. We sincerely wish the government, our Venezuelan friends and all people in the country to succeed in stabilising the socioeconomic situation. We are ready to provide all possible support in this area. And, of course, we will develop a bilateral political dialogue and implement joint projects in energy, industry and other areas.







We are open to improving mutually beneficial ties with Tanzania, in particular, in nuclear energy and the military-technical sector. We welcome the efforts of the Tanzanian government aimed at maintaining peace and security on the African continent.







Cooperation with Thailand is developing steadily; our diplomatic relations with this country span over 100 years. We will continue maintaining close political contacts, strengthening economic and technological cooperation, and promoting humanitarian, educational and, of course, tourism exchanges.







We are also interested in actively cooperating with Guatemala. Given that it is the largest economy in Central America, there are opportunities for expanding bilateral trade and investment ties. We will continue helping Guatemala with training and skill development of its personnel, including professionals working at law enforcement and security agencies.







This year, Russia marks 120 years of diplomatic relations with Bolivia. In June, fruitful talks were held with President Morales in Moscow. Russian companies are carrying out large fuel and energy projects in that country.

Next year, the Bolivian Nuclear Research and Technology Centre will be put into operation. There are prospects for strengthening cooperation in military technology, mining, education and other fields.







We are planning to continue pursuing dialogue with the leaders of the Czech Republic in a pragmatic and businesslike manner. Our bilateral agenda includes carrying out mutually beneficial joint projects in the priority fields of our cooperation, such as machine-building, power engineering, including nuclear power engineering, agriculture and healthcare. All these areas are under review of the Russian-Czech intergovernmental commission, which will hold a regular meeting next month in Prague.







We advocate a prompt resolution of the internal conflict in South Sudan. We support the efforts of mediating states, regional organisations and the international community.







We are ready for constructive engagement with our neighbour, the Republic of Estonia, based on respect and consideration for each other’s interests. Many of our compatriots live in Estonia, and we assume that the European human rights standards will apply to them to the full extent.







Our relations with Bulgaria are based on traditions of friendship and spiritual closeness of our peoples. This year Bulgaria marks the 140th anniversary of liberation from the Ottoman rule. In May 2018, President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov visited Russia. The talks we held reaffirmed our mutual commitment to further promoting bilateral trade and economic cooperation, including in energy. Unfortunately, some time ago, we failed to implement the South Stream project, but now new opportunities have opened up for Bulgaria to play an important role in transiting Russian gas to the European market.







Our official ties with the Kingdom of Denmark go back 525 years. The preservation of the historical traditions of goodneighbourliness and development of mutually beneficial bilateral contacts would surely meet the fundamental interests of the Russian and Danish people. We believe it is important to implement economically sound projects focused on strengthening energy security in all of Europe and work on issues related to the environment and the exploration of the Arctic and the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean together.







Russia maintains traditionally friendly relations with Sri Lanka and is interested in closer trade and economic cooperation, including in fishery, agriculture and tourism. I would like to note that in September we signed a bilateral intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation.







Relations between Russia and Malta are constructive and mutually beneficial. We see good opportunities for jointly developing cooperation in trade, the economy and the humanitarian sphere.







Russia and Hungary have amassed an impressive potential for cooperation. We are conducting a political dialogue and implementing promising economic projects, including in nuclear energy. The Russian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission is working effectively. The inaugural meeting of the regional cooperation commission will take place before the end of this year. During our recent talks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and I outlined plans for further expanding our relations in various areas.







Slovenia is a partner with whom we maintain versatile cooperation. We are ready to work with the new government that was formed in September with a view to further promoting our cooperation. We are grateful to you for tending to the graves of our soldiers, who perished in Slovenia during World War I and World War II.







Our cooperation with the Republic of India is a specially privileged strategic partnership. This was confirmed, in part, by my visit to New Delhi last week. During this visit, we reached important agreements embracing the economy, the nuclear industry, military-technical cooperation, space, communications and culture.

Considering the proximity of our positions on key global and regional issues, we will continue close coordination with our Indian partners on major international issues, in part in BRICS and the G20.

I highly value our useful dialogue with the Prime Minister of India. Esteemed Mr Ambassador, I would like to ask you to convey once again my sincere gratitude to Mr Narendra Modi for his hospitality.







We stand for developing productive cooperation with our neighbour – Norway. Next year we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of northern Norway from the Nazis by Soviet troops. Considering the rich experience of neighbourly relations, we can move forward, expanding the horizons of our cooperation. Russian and Norwegian business circles are interested in new joint projects in energy, fishing and shipbuilding, to name a few.







Uzbekistan is Russia’s strategic partner and ally. We are deepening our bilateral ties in all key areas – political, trade, economic, military-technical and humanitarian cooperation. I hope that during my state visit to Tashkent next week, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and I will have detailed talks that will be followed by a solid package of joint inter-governmental and commercial documents.

Together with the head of Uzbekistan, we will attend the inauguration and a meeting of the Interregional Cooperation Forum and will give a start to the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan by Rosatom.







We believe it is important to further develop relations with Spain. Our people are united by mutual sympathy and respect, while official intergovernmental contacts date back more than 350 years.

Together, we have implemented large humanitarian projects and cross-years of language and literature, as well as tourism. We are planning to hold the Year of Education and Science. It seems we have all the conditions for bilateral cooperation to progress in other areas as well.







We are interested in expanding friendly ties with the Togolese Republic. We have good cooperation prospects in geological exploration and the military-technical area. We will continue to cooperate in training professionals for Togo.







We maintain constructive cooperation with the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Russian businesses are interested in implementing joint projects in various areas, such as geology, mineral resources management and delivery of agricultural products.







We see good opportunities to promote cooperation with Palau in aviation and naval communications, as well as tourism. The agreement on ф mutual visa waver signed this September will help this.







In the context of the further development of friendly relations with the Kingdom of Lesotho, we will pay attention to implementing joint projects, such as extraction of raw materials using Russian technology and investment. We are satisfied with the level of coordination on issues on the global and African agenda.







Official intergovernmental ties between Russia and San Marino were established 25 years ago. Over this time, we have gained a lot of experience of mutual cooperation. We believe it will continue to develop and acquire new initiatives.







Friends, colleagues,

Russia attaches great importance to relations with each of the states you represent. We are sincerely interested in making your activities as productive as possible. Rest assured that all initiatives you propose will be supported by the Russian leadership, executive bodies, businesses and society.







I wish you success and thank you for your attention.

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58792






Meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as part of the Russian President’s working visit to Belarus to attend the Fifth Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions.



October 12, 2018 - 12:45 - Mogilev







President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:

Mr President, as was agreed, we stick to our arrangements made in the beginning of this year. This is not our last meeting this year, since we are also scheduled to meet in Astana, and later in Moscow. The year always ends with EAEU meetings.

Welcome to the Mogilev land. Since I have known you for quite a while, I can see that you feel quite at home here. I could go as far as call this place a parcel of Russian land in eastern Belarus, since as I have already said, this is a Russian, rather than a Belarusian city. We are delighted to have you here.







A lot has been done for the Forum of Regions. You are welcome to come here any time you want. To some extent, this is also my hometown. I have already told you that this is where I wondered around in my younger years, barefoot, this is where I went to school and got a job. So I hold very warm memories about this city.







Should you ever agree or express a wish to come here, I will always be there to welcome you so that you feel at home, just as you do when welcoming us in St Petersburg.






President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, thank you very much for this kind invitation, as well as for your traditional hospitality and wonderful arrangements for our work. This time, we meet with our colleagues from the regions of Russia and Belarus.

It is true that this is a marvellous, tidy and beautiful city. I had a chance to admire it as we drove to this meeting.







I would like to thank the local residents for their hospitality. We can feel that we are welcome here. I would like to thank the municipal authorities for their efforts to keep the city so lovely and clean. We can see that the roads and the overall infrastructure are all in a very good state.







I have no doubt that the next few days will be very fruitful. In fact, our mutual efforts to promote this work from the top will only succeed if accompanied by effective efforts by our colleagues in the Russian and Belarusian regions. There are many direct contacts that are quite efficient.







I am delighted to see you once again. You were right to say that we have several meetings of this kind ahead of us this year, but our relations are even more than that. We are constantly in contact with one another. This is another milestone for our cooperation, and a very interesting and useful one.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58806






Fifth Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions



Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko attend the Fifth Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions.



October 12, 2018 - 14:30 - Mogilev






The plenary session of the Fifth Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions is devoted to the priority areas of the regional cooperation development as a key factor in integration and the building of the Union State.

Attending the event are Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus, Special Presidential Representative for Expanding Trade and Economic Cooperation with Belarus Mikhail Babich, as well as heads of ministries and agencies, executive and legislative bodies of authority, local governments of the Russian and Belarusian regions, and representatives of large businesses, public and scientific organisations.

The forum will bring together some 2,000 participants. The programme will include a crafts fair and the Painting Treasures exhibition, featuring works from the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Belarusian National Arts Museum.

The Forum of Regions is held to promote direct ties between Russia and Belarus, including through their legislative and executive authorities and business communities. It also drafts recommendations aimed at improving the legal framework for stimulating economic development in the two countries.

The first forum was held in Minsk in 2014, the second, in Sochi in 2015, the third, in Minsk in 2016 and the fourth, in Moscow in 2017.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues. I am happy to greet all the participants.

Leaders of many Belarusian and Russian regions, as well as parliament members, businesspeople and prominent public figures are present here today in this hall. They are those who facilitate the strengthening of multilateral allied interaction between our countries.

I would like to emphasise the contribution made by the forum co-chairs: Valentina Matviyenko and Mikhail Myasnikovich. Colleagues, thanks to your initiative and personal efforts, the Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions has become an inseparable part of the active bilateral dialogue.







One thing that is valuable is that discussions between the forum participants are engaged and specific. Our colleagues just spoke about concrete issues with the intention of reaching feasible, specific agreements to further improve business and cultural contacts between our regions.

I would like to emphasise that Russia values its allied relations with Belarus. We strive to build relations in all areas based on good neighbourliness and, of course, mutual benefit. I would like to point out that together with Mr Lukashenko we attach special value to trade and economic cooperation and trade and economic ties.

Belarus ranks first in terms of trade volume with Russia among the CIS countries. Half of all Belarusian exports goes to the Russian market. Last year, trade volume increased by almost one fourth reaching $32.4 billion. In January-August 2018 it rose by 14.5 percent more. I believe we can manage to reach the $50 billion mark.







For comparison, I was in India recently. The country has a population of 1.1 billion; our trade volume is almost $10 billion, we have not reached this number yet, but I am sure we will achieve this and even better results. But our trade with Belarus is over $32 billion; the numbers speak for themselves. It shows the level of our cooperation.

We pay a great deal of attention to improving the investment climate. Russian capital investments in Belarus have exceeded $4 billion (Belarusian investments total $716.8 million). There are almost 2,500 companies with Russian participation operating in the republic.

The largest joint project is currently the construction of the Belarus Nuclear Power Plant. The first power unit will go into operation in late 2019 according to the schedule, while the entire station will be commissioned in 2020.







We are basically doing this to our disadvantage, building a nuclear power plant instead of delivering gas. But this will, undoubtedly, improve the energy situation, and will benefit the republic’s economy and create additional export opportunities.

Plans call for another important facility in Belarus: the Centre for Nuclear Research and Technology. Why do I mention this? Because, not only are we planning a very important industrial project but we are creating a new industry in Belarus. In Soviet times, Belarus was known for its scientists and a high level of education, but there was no separate nuclear industry. Soon there will be.







Several dozens of field programmes are being implemented within the Union State. At the same time, we are prioritizing the creation of advanced high-tech production and are further encouraging Russian and Belarusian businesses to introduce innovations in the real sector.

Russia and Belarus together are working on promoting integration processes in the Eurasian space. Within the Eurasian Economic Union, a common market for goods, services, capital and the workforce is being formed.

Of course, there are many discussions on these matters, many interests compete and sometimes clash, but we intend to move forward, and we are moving towards a common goal.







Together we are actively working on expanding trade ties with third states, such as India and China, and other organisations.

Today the problems and challenges that Russia and Belarus face have many things in common: providing long-term and stable growth and increasing the competitiveness on the foreign markets. The priority spheres where we hope to get the maximum economic effect include import substitution, industrial cooperation, agriculture, construction, pharmaceutics and state purchases.

Our countries’ governments and parliaments work progressively to bring the national laws closer. We believe the establishment of a common legal field will increase the efficiency of joint projects, including those implemented in the framework of the Union State. In this context, let me mention the Work in Russia information website that Belarusians can use on equal terms with Russians to find a job.







Friends,

Priority Areas for Regional Cooperation Development as the Key Factor for Integration and Union Construction is the main theme of the forum.

First of all, I would like to note that almost all Russian regions maintain direct ties with their Belarusian colleagues. Moscow, St Petersburg, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and the Moscow, Leningrad, Smolensk, Bryansk, Yaroslavl, Pskov and Tyumen regions cooperate with Belarusian partners most actively.

The legal base of the regional cooperation includes over 320 documents. Several dozens of the new agreements and commercial contracts have been signed following this forum. In particular, the Voronezh Region, the Republic of Mary-El and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area plan to expand their presence on the Belarusian market.

It is important that the forum’s agenda is focused on the digital economy. Today Russia does a lot both on the federal and regional levels to introduce the latest technology in various areas. I know that Mr Lukashenko also makes a serious effort to create innovation centres in Belarus.







I believe that recommendations on how to use online services for municipal management, housing and utilities and on how to provide access to such services as education, medicine and public transport will be drafted during this forum.

We believe it is important to encourage an exchange and cooperation projects in education and science. By the way, here in Mogilev, we have the Belarusian-Russian University that offers joint study programmes, including those on further education and vocational retraining. I know that Mr Lukashenko focuses on this. We just talked about it. He was an initiator in establishing the university.

Issues related to youth policy also play an important role in promoting interregional cooperation. Today, our colleagues have also discussed this. Of course, we should support the young generation’s civic engagement and its involvement in social and humanitarian programmes.

In this context, I would like to note how important it is to hold such events as Youth for the Union State and the congress of Russian and Belarusian students as part of the forum.







Speaking about youth, we should also mention our common goal to preserve our historical memory. A colleague of ours also just talked about this.

On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory, I call on the heads of the regions to support the work of the youth search parties to find the burial sites and determine the names of the soldiers killed during the Great Patriotic War and to immortalise their memory as well as to cooperate in taking care of military burial sites and monuments.

In conclusion I would like to once again thank President Lukashenko, and all our Belarusian colleagues and friends for organising this work and for the atmosphere of friendship and cooperation that you manage to create during every event of this kind.

Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58807






Visit to the agricultural community Alexandria



Following the official agenda, the two leaders made a trip to Alexander Lukashenko’s native town, an agricultural community Alexandria in Sokolowski District.



October 12, 2018 - 19:30 - Alexandria, Belarus






















The two presidents took a stroll around the village, visited the house where Alexander Lukashenko was born, tasted traditional Belarusian dishes – draniki and oven-baked pancakes, and visited the local landmark of Trofimov Spring. The two leaders traveled around the Mogilev Region in an upgraded GAZ-69 car made in the 1960s.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58812






Greetings to participants of VTB Kremlin Cup international tennis tournament



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to participants, organisers and guests of the VTB Kremlin Cup international tennis tournament.



October 13, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“The Kremlin Cup is rightly considered to be a tournament with a rich history filled with unforgettable events, celebrities among its participants and their triumphs. And of course, many beginning tennis players made a name for themselves here in Moscow, and these traditional competitions laid their path to success and became an important stage in building their professional careers.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate athletes and all tennis fans on a remarkable date – the 100th anniversary of the Russian Tennis Federation, which made and continues to make a huge contribution to the development and promotion of this wonderful sport in our country, and to the enhancement of international humanitarian cooperation.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58817
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Meeting with Sberbank CEO German Gref



Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Management Board German Gref. The meeting concerned the bank’s current operations, the mortgage and consumer lending markets.



October 8, 2018 - 13:20 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Let’s talk about the current situation in the bank and the status of its loan portfolio.



Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Management Board German Gref:

Mr President, we have achieved pretty good results despite the ups and downs of the past several months. Naturally, we were affected by it being the largest holder of security, federal loan bonds, public securities and of course, we lost a certain amount due to this volatility.

We hope that by the end of the year the situation will stabilise and we will recover these market losses. However, in the past months our net profit has been affected by portfolio volatility and the unstable markets.

If you look at the largest and most dynamic area, which is residential loans, mortgages and housing financing, it has grown by 74 percent year-on-year.

However, last year the residential loan and mortgage portfolio actually doubled compared to 2016 and reached 3.3 trillion rubles.

That was a record figure. It had never happened before in the history of our country. These days, around 30 percent of all purchased housing is funded through mortgages.







Vladimir Putin:

What is the average mortgage interest rate at Sberbank?



German Gref:

I think right now it is just over 9 percent.



Vladimir Putin:

Is this the average interest rate?







German Gref:

The interest rate can be lower or higher. The older mortgage portfolio is also undergoing gradual refinancing. Of course, we still have the old 12 percent or 13 percent loans. But we are refinancing them now.

Every year, some 15 to 20 percent of the old mortgage portfolio is refinanced according to the new interest rates. Therefore, I think that eventually, within the next year we will lower the average interest rate significantly in the wake of reducing these peak interest rates from the old mortgage portfolios.

Quite unexpectedly, the car loan portfolio increased this year by 32 percent. The credit card portfolio is growing well too. When it comes to business loans this year the figures are good. Overall, since the beginning of the year, we have provided 25 percent more loans.



Vladimir Putin:

Excellent.



German Gref:

This is a significant result. We did not expect such a huge increase.

At the same time, the largest customers, the largest businesses that demonstrated very weak trends in the previous years, now account for 9.6 percent. This is substantial.

Large and medium-sized businesses are growing well. Small businesses are also showing good results.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58748






Greetings on the 15th anniversary of the Nation’s Health League



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, guests and organisers of a special event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Nation’s Health League national public organisation.



October 8, 2018 - 19:00



The message reads, in part:

“In these 15 years, the League has grown into a large and respected public organisation that has united likeminded people in many regions of Russia around its noble goals. It continues to work tirelessly to promote advancements in medical science and the values of physical fitness and an active lifestyle.

The programmes that you implement are very important for increasing longevity, improving the country’s demographics and tackling important environmental challenges.

You have my deep and sincere appreciation for all your truly selfless work and commitment to a common cause.“

The Nation’s Health League was established in 2003. Its current president is heart surgeon Leo Bokeria. With branches in 65 regions of the country, the League works to advance Russian healthcare, promote sports and fitness, protect the environment, advocate a healthy lifestyle and cultivate the best in today’s youth.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58753






Visit to Rassvet agricultural company



Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited the Rassvet agricultural company during their trip to the Stavropol Territory.



October 9, 2018 - 16:30 - Georgiyevskaya village, Stavropol Territory



































































Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev visited apple orchards, learned about the harvesting process and met with the company’s workers. The meeting was also attended by Governor of the Stavropol Territory Vladimir Vladimirov, Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District Alexander Matovnikov, founder of the Rassvet agricultural company Marat Galeyev and Sady Stavropolya Board Chairman Aidyn Shirinov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58756






Meeting on agriculture development



Vladimir Putin held a meeting on measures to fulfil the potential of Russia's agricultural industry.



October 9, 2018 - 18:10 - Mineralnye Vody



Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev presented the main report at the meeting.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

We are meeting in the Stavropol Territory, which is one of Russia’s main agricultural regions.

Today I propose examining the results of the agricultural industry in general and discuss current tasks and strategic goals to develop this key industry in Russia. We do this quite regularly and, I would even say, often – and not only in Moscow but really in different Russian regions.







In recent years, agriculture has shown positive dynamics. Over the past five years agricultural production grew more than 20 percent. This is a breakthrough, without exaggeration, a real advance.

Russian producers almost fully meet the demand for the main categories of food products and are actively expanding into foreign markets. Last year exports of foodstuffs and agricultural commodities increased 21 percent and surpassed $20 billion. Until very recently this seemed impossible. Let me remind you: our arms sales, which have always been a source of pride, amount to $15 billion. Agricultural producers surpassed this export volume by $5 billion.

During the first seven months of this year, agricultural exports grew by another third, up to $13 billion. Let me note that 20 years ago Russia had to buy grain abroad and now it is the largest supplier of wheat, the largest in the world, and is the second largest supplier of grain in general.

Exports of sugar, oil, pork and poultry are growing too. During the first seven months of this year grain exports from Russia increased 1.7 times, poultry exports grew by 31 percent, pork by 20 percent, oil by five percent and sugar by four percent.







The transition to an export-oriented growth model is further confirmation of major changes in the domestic agricultural industry. It shows that our agriculture has reached a new level of sustainability and is becoming less vulnerable to market fluctuations, and that internal consumption is becoming less dependent on imports.

Here are some facts: in 2017 the indicators of self-sufficiency were as follows: 170.8 percent for grain; 153.1 percent for vegetable oil; 105.2 percent for sugar, 93 percent for meat and meat products; 87 percent for potatoes; 85.9 percent for vegetables; and 82 percent for milk and dairy products.

As you can see from the figures I quoted, we are not yet fully self-sufficient in some areas, primarily vegetables and fruit, dairy products and beef.

Consistent work is needed to enable Russian producers expand their presence in the domestic market and move into foreign markets. Domestic products should be competitive in quality and price and should enjoy stable and growing demand both inside the country and abroad.







To achieve this it is essential to consolidate the Russian agro-industrial base, its personnel and production capacities, as well as provide farms with modern equipment, increase labour productivity and promote domestic research in selection, genetics and biotechnology in order to make high quality and environmentally clean and safe products.

This is taking place now. We are seeing this. Mr Medvedev and I have just visited one farm. It is not so big, probably in the middle, but it is increasingly using good modern technology.

To enable Russian farmers to take advantage of export opportunities, it is necessary to continue building modern infrastructure and logistics, to remove bottlenecks on railways and increase the capacities of sea ports, elevators and storage terminals. As we will discuss in more detail today, there are no doubt still many outstanding problems in these areas. I am sure you will talk about them today.

And, of course, it is necessary to remove trade barriers and ensure the implementation of sanitary and veterinary requirements for a broader access to external markets. I mean, above all, such promising directions as China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Persian Gulf.

Let me remind you that the May Executive Order set the goal of raising agro-industrial exports to $45 billion per year in 2024. This is a fairly difficult task. Given the current volume of $20 billion, to reach $45 billion by 2024 is a serious challenge. It is necessary to expand the supply line and increase the share of high added-value goods.







I want to stress that it is not a matter of any rush for the sake of gross figures or the desire to export as much as possible. No, that is not what it is about. Higher export volumes must result from a better quality of domestic products and their global competitiveness.

That is what measures in agricultural, trade, industrial, scientific and educational policy should be aimed at. There is one more question that we also discussed with producers today. It is very important and is becoming more and more topical: staff training. Since the sector is becoming increasingly high-tech, it, of course, needs people meeting these requirements.

Also, we need to improve the mechanisms of state support for agricultural producers. A separate and essential thing is to encourage small and medium-sized entrepreneurship in rural areas, to support business initiative.

Today, farmers account for around 13 percent of agricultural production in Russia. That share has increased by more than a third over the past five years against the backdrop of general growth in the sector.

Broader involvement in agricultural cooperation and wider cooperation with big business should act as a major incentive for the development of farms and personal subsidiary plots. This will enable farmers to build into production and logistical chains, acquire new technologies and resources, and develop modern processing industries more successfully.

And, of course, it is very important to support entrepreneurs at the very beginning of their work, at the initial launch of the business. I know that the Ministry of Agriculture, together with leading financial institutions in the area of agriculture and entrepreneurship, is working on a complex system aimed at supporting farmers and promoting agricultural cooperation.

This system will include mechanisms for providing finance to start-up farmers and already established enterprises in the form of grants, as well as subsidies to expand the activity of cooperatives and the creation of competence centres providing consultative aid to farmers.

I suggest that today we discuss how to use the funds allocated for these purposes most efficiently and what additional measures might be needed to support small businesses in rural areas.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58757






Greetings to NTV television company team



Vladimir Putin congratulated the NTV team on the television channel’s 25th anniversary.



October 10, 2018 - 09:30



The message reads, in part:

“A quarter of a century ago, on October 10, 1993, the programmes Segodnya and Itogi were aired for the first time. Thanks to the talent, creative energy, and great dedication of the presenters, producers and reporters, these programmes quickly found their loyal viewers. Your identifiable journalistic style and your special way of presenting information became the hallmarks of your channel.

It is very important that you retain your commitment to the best traditions of journalism – to constantly raise the benchmark for the quality of work, to promptly and comprehensively cover key events in the country and the world. And you certainly keep up with the times, implementing far-reaching ideas and analytical, entertainment and educational projects for the widest audience.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58761






Greetings on 20th Golden Autumn Russian Agricultural Exhibition opening



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to participants, organisers and guests of the 20th Russian Agricultural Exhibition Golden Autumn taking place on October 10−13, 2018, in Moscow.



October 10, 2018 - 13:00



The message reads, in part:

For many years, Golden Autumn has introduced participants and guests to the achievements and potential of the Russian agricultural industry, which has recently become an advanced as well as highly competitive field, with a steady growth rate and good prospects.

The industry’s accumulated strength is indicated by the fact that, despite the harsh weather conditions, our agricultural producers once again demonstrated successful results during this agricultural year.

I would like to note that, in order to secure the positive trends and to move forward confidently, it is necessary to pay utmost attention to creating modern agricultural and processing companies, modernising agricultural equipment, and extensively implementing the latest technology. It is important to invest generously into agricultural research and to invest in the training of qualified professionals.

Of course, it is also important to develop infrastructure and social facilities in rural areas, to take care of the people working on the land who are passionate about their job and to make a significant contribution to strengthening the country’s economic potential.

On its part, the Government will further provide support to agricultural producers and the agricultural industry in general.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58769






Meeting with winners of 2017–2018 world championships and holders of gold GTO badges



After the plenary session Physical Fitness and Sports: New Development Targets of the 7th International Sports Forum Russia – Country of Sports, Vladimir Putin talked to winners of 2017–2018 world championships and holders of gold badges of the Russian physical fitness and sports programme Ready for Labour and Defence (GTO).



October 10, 2018 - 18:00 - Ulyanovsk






The meeting was attended by winners of GTO festivals from Kemerovo Region and Bashkiria, winners of the National Spartakiad of Pensioners and young world champions of 2017–2018 in the sports included in the GTO programme (sambo, shooting, artistic gymnastics, etc).



















The GTO programme was revived in 2014 to promote mass sports and involves training and trials in 11 age groups, from 6 to 70 years of age and older. Gold, silver or bronze GTO badges are awarded to those who pass all the tests, depending on difficulty.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58771






Tour of exhibition Modern Sport: Innovation and Prospects



Vladimir Putin examined the latest sports equipment at the exhibition Modern Sports: Innovation and Prospects.



October 10, 2018 - 18:10 - Ulyanovsk







At the stand of the Labour Reserves national sport society, the President was shown a hockey simulator that can be installed in company gyms.







The President was also told that the Russian Sport Social Network was being developed so that every citizen can create a sporting event and find friends who share the same interests.










At the Industry and Trade Ministry stand, Vladimir Putin was shown various types of sport equipment, such as a Vityaz snowmobile, bicycles and a kayak; all the exhibits were produced in Russia.







In addition, Governor of Ulyanovsk Region Sergei Morozov told Vladimir Putin about the development of regional infrastructure, in particular, football training centres.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58773






Meeting with volunteers of 29th Winter Universiade



Vladimir Putin held a meeting with volunteers of the 29th Winter Universiade to be held in Krasnoyarsk in 2019.



October 10, 2018 - 18:20 - Ulyanovsk






Vladimir Putin took part in a volunteer training session held in the format of an intellectual game.







The meeting was attended by volunteers from 15 Russian regions chosen to work at the 29th Winter Universiade, which will be held in Krasnoyarsk in 2019. A total of 5,000 volunteers will be involved in the games.










Over 36,000 applications were sent in for the job. The recruiting centre holds about 80 interviews daily, both onsite and remotely.










The lists will be finalised by the end of this year. After the selection, all volunteers receive special training, including courses in the history of Krasnoyarsk and the English language.










The 29th Winter Universiade will be held on March 2–12, 2019, in Krasnoyarsk.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58774






Meeting with Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov



Vladimir Putin met with Russian fighter, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The President congratulated the fighter on winning the UFC Championship. The athlete’s father also attended the meeting.



October 10, 2018 - 18:35 - Ulyanovsk







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

I would like to congratulate you on your victory. And I also want to congratulate your father on having such a great son and on raising such a good fighter.



The athlete’s father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov:

He was not an easygoing child; it was hard dealing with him when he was a child, but then he grew.







Vladimir Putin:

If he had been easygoing, he probably would not have become such a great fighter.

(Adressesing Khabib Nurmagomedov.) Let me congratulate you again and wish you success in the bouts to come.

There is a lot of talk, for sure. I saw the way they received you at home.

Of course, this was a commercial event, but it is still sport, and I must agree with those who believe that certain rules should be adhered to, and not just the written rules but the general rules of morality in sport. I hope everyone will follow these rules in this sport, as well.

Yes, you were not performing as part of a team, you performed as an individual, not even representing a country. You performed as an individual, but, you are a Russian citizen.

We are not indifferent to how our citizens are treated wherever they are and whatever they do. This is why we closely follow everything, and we were definitely very concerned about you.

And I will ask your dad not discipline you too severely because you achieved your main goal: you won the fight, and you did it with dignity and convincingly.

To conclude, I would like to express hope that the ideals of sport will prevail, will prevail over money, advertising (I am referring to your rival’s team, of course), and that inroads will ultimately be found to normal communication, friendship between competitors, sport friendships – these are the goals sport is dedicated to and promotes – and you will build up good and kind-natured relations with your rivals, relations of rivalry, yet good-natured, human ones.

Anyway, nobody can reproach you for not striving for this. I want to express hope that this will also be appreciated by your rivals, your adversaries, and that everything will be settled in a personal and athletic way.

I will finish as I started – I want to wish you success in the future.







Khabib Nurmagomedov:

Thank you.

I also hope they will appreciate not only my jumping out of the ring but also my performance. So far, they are only talking about my jumping out of the ring even though my performance was not bad, and unlike his [Connor McGregor’s] coming in and showing disrespect for my side, my parents, my country, I behaved with dignity.

I did not hold back either, of course, because the provocations continued through the fight. I hope the hearing that is now underway will rule in our favour.



Vladimir Putin:

What can I say in this regard? You and I understand that this was done on purpose – and I am sure your father also understands this – to make you lose control, to get some advantage during the fight.

I see us as one big family in our country. And we must avoid extremes; we must not allow this behaviour no matter what happens.

We have a very big and diverse family, and anything can happen in a family, but we never permit ourselves to go beyond certain limits. But, if we are attacked from the outside, then all of us, not just you, can respond in a way that will not be taken lightly.

I wish you success.



Khabib Nurmagomedov:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58772






Meeting with Government members



Vladimir Putin held a regular meeting with members of the Government.



October 11, 2018 - 17:15 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues.

Today we will talk about issues related to the mainline infrastructure. But we will begin with the most current matters, such as preparations for the heating season in the utilities system and in the fuel and energy sector.

Let us begin with utilities. (To the Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities Vladimir Yakushev.) Mr Yakushev, how is it going?



Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities Vladimir Yakushev:

Mr President, colleagues,

The Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities continuously monitors preparations for the heating season. We maintain a constant dialogue with the regions of the Russian Federation. On August 16, Deputy Prime Minister Valery Mutko conducted a national teleconference on the preparations of utility and energy facilities for the autumn and winter seasons. It was attended by representatives of all Russian regions, the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities, the Energy Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service and Rostekhnadzor [Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision]. The national conference on preparations for the autumn and winter period where all problems were discussed was held on October 5 in cooperation with the Energy Ministry as part of Russian Energy Week.

A hotline that people can call if they have any problems was established for the cold season for permanent monitoring and prompt control over the removal of breakdowns or restrictions in heat supplies to residential buildings or socially important facilities.

As of October 11, the heating season is already on in 70 regions of the Russian Federation. In the North Caucasus Federal District and the Southern Federal District, it will start after October 15.

According to the current data submitted by the regions on October 10, 189 billion rubles have been allocated for preparations for winter. In the country as a whole, the housing fund, boilers, heating, water supply and electricity systems are 98 percent ready for the cold season.

(The Minister went on to talk about repairs on the heating and water supply systems, creating fuel reserves, and the debt of the regions to resource-supplying organisations.)

I would also like to make another point. Fuel oil prices shot up today, over 30 percent in some regions. Coal prices were up as well.

The regions of the Russian Federation forwarded data on the shortfall in revenue. An interdepartmental group comprising representatives of the Ministry of Construction, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is reconciling the amounts of the shortfall in various regions of the Russian Federation. Once the group finalizes the data, the numbers will be submitted to the Government for further decision.



Vladimir Putin:

Do you have a ballpark figure?



Vladimir Yakushev:

Tentatively, 23 billion.

Therefore, today, the level of preparedness is fairly high, with the exception of certain snags, which we are aware of, and will work to overcome in each region to make sure the heating season goes smoothly.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Well, 23 billion is a lot of money, but we all realise that, regardless of the costs, we cannot leave people without heating. Therefore, we need to find a solution promptly with regard to these funds.



Finance Minister Anton Siluanov:

Mr President,

We are now reconciling the amounts the Russian regions may additionally need. We will sit down with the regions and see whether the budget can help them. After the budget is adjusted – we are now amending the law on this year’s budget – we will also use the Government’s reserve funds to help the regions.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

Mr Novak, how are things in your area?



Energy Minister Alexander Novak:

Mister President,

With regard to the electric power plants, the winterisation process is in full swing and is, in fact, nearing completion. The Ministry of Energy is tracking more than 1,000 facilities, including thermal power plants, nuclear power stations and hydroelectric power plants, the power grid complex and operational-dispatching offices.

Electricity consumption is forecast to go up by about 2.2 percent during this autumn and winter. Additional capacities of 38 GW, or 15 percent of the determined capacity, have been reserved.

Over 10,000 kilometers of powerlines, about 2,500 MVA of transformer capacity and 3,200 MW of generator capacity have been introduced during the preparations for the winter.

Repairs are carried out as scheduled. They have almost been completed (98 percent), and the financing has been increased by four percent compared with last year.

Now to fuel. The reserves of coal and fuel oil are 150 percent of the norm, namely, 19.4 million tonnes of coal and 2.6 million tonnes of fuel oil.

We monitor the situation daily and hold conference calls with Russian Railways and coal companies to ensure a reserve. We provide enhanced oversight of three thermal power plants in the problem regions: the Baikalsk thermal power plant in Irkutsk Region; the plant in the city of Yurga, Kemerovo Region, and the plant in the village of Deputatsky, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). We also oversee preparations for the autumn and winter season in Crimea, Sevastopol and Kaliningrad Region and provide support. In Crimea, two of the first starter units are in trial mode at the thermal power plant under construction, and generate 470 MW. This will also provide additional reserves for the winter considering the power bridge. We are also repairing the electrical supply network, with nine billion rubles allocated for this for the next two years.

I would also like to note that this year the Government has approved the rules for electricity systems’ technological operation in order to increase system stability and lower the risk of breakdowns in the power grid. The rules envisage firm requirements for the equipment, which are the same for everyone, and all companies must comply with them.

Large-scale drills on how to restore power supply in case of emergency are being held in 18 regions. These are some of the additional measures taken this year to get through the winter season safely.

In general, everything is operating normally. The deadline to receive readiness permits for all energy facilities is November 15.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Fine. Thank you.

Mrs Skvortsova, we have had a fairly warm autumn so far, but the cold will inevitably follow as will again, apparently, the problem with influenza. I know that vaccination is already under way. At what stage of this work are we now?



Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova:

Mr President, we launched preparations for the upcoming epidemiological season in March after receiving the strains recommended by the World Health Organisation. These are three strains: two А (H1N1) Michigan viruses that have a structure similar to the 2009 swine flu, A (H3N2) Singapore and B Colorado. We used all three strains to develop a vaccine. It took us five months to prepare and it was ready by the middle of August. This year, we are using domestic, high-tech and safe vaccines with full-cycle production handled by our companies. Four vaccines: two for children aged between six months and 18 years and for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, and two for adults.

This year, we purchased seven percent more vaccine than last year, which will enable us to vaccinate 3,300,000 more people, in all, more than 62 million at public expense. In addition, around 6,000,000 will be vaccinated at their workplace at the expense of employers under an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE). We will vaccinate around 70 million people in fact, around half of the country's population. It is important to note that vaccination will cover more than 75 percent of people in the risk groups.

Supplies of the vaccines began in August. In the first place, vaccines were supplied in full to the regions that are the ports of entry for infection on our territory. These are all Far Eastern regions, southern Siberia, part of the north-western regions and Rostov Region. As of September, all the remaining regions are receiving the vaccine according to plan.

So far, 70 percent of vaccines have been supplied, and the process will be completed by November 15. To date, 32 million people have been vaccinated. That is nearly half of the planned number. These include 8.5 million children and more than 94,000 pregnant women. It should be added that, so far, the influenza rate is 15 percent below the baseline or 10 percent below the weekly epidemiological threshold. We have the situation under control.

I will add that in cooperation with Roszdravnadzor [Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare] we checked the preparedness of the regions for the current epidemiological season. All regions have a two-week minimum supply of flu medicines and individual protective gear. Over 100,000 infection beds have been deployed and bed capacity has been prepared.

All resuscitation units at infectious hospitals were checked separately. They are fully equipped, based on the standards. Since 2016, we have doubled the number of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation devices for the treatment of the worst pneumonia viruses. In general, everything is ready now and we will monitor the situation in cooperation with the regions.



Vladimir Putin:

Have we become so active since 2011?



Veronika Skvortsova:

Yes, Mr President, since 2011 we have almost doubled the coverage (from 26 percent to 46.6 percent in 2017), which has allowed us to reduce the incidence of the flu six times during these five years and, most importantly, to sharply decrease – by more than 20 times – the fatality rate and flu complications.







Vladimir Putin:

It is necessary to complete this and do all of it this year.

(Addressing Pavel Kolobkov.) Mr Kolobkov, yesterday we discussed, in part, preparations for the Universiade. Can you please say a few words about it?



Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov:

Mr President, preparations for the Universiade have entered the final stage. In effect, there are five months to go before the Universiade in Krasnoyarsk. We are to open 34 facilities, including 21 sports facilities.

Mr President, in February you held a meeting at which a number of problems were revealed along with positive points (the Sopka sports cluster and Yemelyanovo International Airport were opened at that time). I am referring to a new helipad, and opening the multi-purpose centre at Siberian University, where the Universiade’s cafeteria will be located, and a city clinical hospital.

In addition, we discussed issues linked with additional funding for upgrading the urban environment. We have taken measures and removed these problems. All lags have been removed. The helipad has been put into service. We have signed a new contract for the construction of the multi-purpose centre, which is on schedule. The same applies to the city clinical hospital.

All of this work is under special supervision; we are monitoring it all the time. An additional 2.5 billion have been allocated for the upgrading of Krasnoyarsk and a decision was made to earmark another 2.5 billion for the region. This is why 17 of 34 facilities have already opened, and we will put the remaining 17 facilities into operation before the end of 2018.

We have tested four facilities already. We are testing the level of preparedness of all services involved in the Universiade as well. We will conduct seven more tests in the run-up to the Universiade in 2018 and in early 2019.

We are now screening the Games’ volunteers whom you met with in Ulyanovsk yesterday. We will pick 5,000 volunteers, of whom about 20 percent come from Russia’s regions and from other countries. We have volunteers from China, the United States, Canada and other countries. We received 30,000 applications from people willing to participate in this programme.







Vladimir Putin:

Have any major events or major competitions been held at these sites?



Pavel Kolobkov:

Yes, we are running tests. A student hockey tournament has just ended. Our team won the final match with the Czech team.

As part of the Universiade legacy and upon your instruction, we decided to turn the Sopka sport cluster into a federal training centre for our national teams. It will be open year-round for five sports. We will transfer the Raduga cluster to Siberian Federal University. This is a mass sport facility, which will also be used as a fitness centre for local residents.

In conjunction with a number of federations, we are exploring the possibility of using all sport facilities for major tournaments. In fact, these facilities can accommodate any kind of sporting event at any level, including the Universiade and the World Cup. We are now discussing the holding of a world field hockey championship in 2023. We are building an indoor sport complex there.

In addition, we need to get several problems out of the way by late 2018; for example, we will need to complete improvement projects in the city, put all sport facilities into operation, and, of course, carry out the remaining tests and check our readiness.







Vladimir Putin:

Fine. Make sure things are on schedule. You have caught up with the schedule now. Keep tabs on it to avoid backsliding again. Thank you.

Now, let us get to the main issue. Mr Ditrikh [Transport Minister], you have the floor.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58794






Meeting with Roman Starovoit



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Roman Starovoit and informed him of his decision to appoint him Acting Governor of the Kursk Region.



October 11, 2018 - 20:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow







Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On Early Termination of the Kursk Region Governor’s Mandate.







Following the request from Kursk Region Governor Alexander Mikhailov of step down from office ahead of term, the President resolved to accept Mr Mikhailov’s resignation and appointed Roman Starovoit Acting Governor of the Kursk Region until an elected governor assumes office.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58798






Meeting with Radiy Khabirov



The President had a working meeting with Radiy Khabirov and informed him of his decision to appoint him Acting Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan.



October 11, 2018 - 20:50 - The Kremlin, Moscow







The President signed Executive Order On Early Termination of Mandate of the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan.







Following the request from Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov to step down from office ahead of term, the President resolved to accept Mr Khamitov’s resignation and appointed Radiy Khabirov Acting Head of Bashkortostan until an elected head of the republic assumes office.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58799






Meeting with NTV television company team



Vladimir Putin congratulated the NTV team on the television company’s 25th anniversary.



October 12, 2018 - 00:45 - The Kremlin, Moscow







A letter of commendation from the President was awarded to the channel’s team for the substantial contribution to the development of national television. Vladimir Putin presented the award to NTV General Director Alexei Zemsky.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

I would like to congratulate you all on the occasion of this anniversary. 25 years is a long time.

Strangely enough, I remember so well how the company started because it was during the period that I worked in St Petersburg myself. NTV’s first programmes, Itogi (Digest) and Segodnya (Today) aired on Channel Five because NTV founder and director came to St Petersburg, met with the mayor and asked for airtime. And the-then St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak instructed Channel Five managers to give NTV an hour. This is essentially how NTV got started. In this sense, we come from the same city. It is a great pleasure for me to congratulate you, representatives of the company that was founded in my home city, on this remarkable date.







NTV developed with the country; it moved forward and lived through the same troubles. Of course, very soon it became a nationwide channel, thanks to its people’s talent, creativity plus passion, and perhaps also luck. But I am certain that the main prerequisite was of course your professionalism together with the professionalism of your predecessors.










There are people here today who stood at the origins of this company and established notable traditions. Excellent professionals thrived and became successful and such people continue to grow in your team preserving the company’s trademark style.










These days, NTV is not only a television channel but also a modern digital media. NTV has a huge number of subscribers, I think I would be right in saying, more than 3 million people, or 3.3 million, which is more than any other nationwide channels. This is another quality indicator, absolutely.










You are not forgetting the educational and informative mission of the mass media and you are successful in this path bringing a lot of benefits to the country as well as the people. I would like to thank you all for that. Once again, congratulations.

I wish you all the very best. Thank you all for your hard work.


A letter of commendation from the President of the Russian Federation is being presented.










Vladimir Putin (Addressing Alexei Zemsky.):

Also, happy birthday to you.










NTV General Director Alexei Zemsky:

Thank you.

Twenty-five years is our first big anniversary. I would like to add that for 25 years, NTV has also served as an alma mater educating many television professionals and sharing them generously with all the other television companies.










There are former NTV workers in every single news service. Ten out of twenty federal channel managers came from NTV. So this is a big day for everybody who has ever worked for NTV.

Thank you so much for your congratulations.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58800






Greetings on the opening of the 6th Congress of the Russian Society of Russian Language and Literature Teachers



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and organisers of the 6th Congress of the Russian Society of Teachers of the Russian Language and Literature, entitled Dynamics of Linguistic and Cultural Processes in Modern Russia.



October 12, 2018 - 08:00



The message reads, in part:

“It is symbolic that this congress is being held in Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan: this highlights the unifying role of the Russian language.

Your forum, which brings together philologists, linguists and teachers, aims at promoting an in-depth, thoughtful discussion on a wide range of issues concerning strengthening the positions of the Russian language as a language of international communication, introducing new, progressive teaching methods and promoting Russian literature values.

The Russian language is our unique heritage. We are proud of it and we must protect it. It was the language that, together with spiritual traditions, brought the peoples of Russia together to make a single nation, connecting generations and ensuring mutual enrichment of ethnic cultures for centuries.

Today, Russian language proficiency offers people great opportunities for personal growth and fulfilment, as well as career development. That is why it is so important to continue improving the quality of school and university education, so that Russian language classes could always be informative, interesting and truly inspiring and so that the Russian language could develop and be in sync with the times while maintaining its great traditions.

Of course, it is also necessary to carry out complex, highly needed work aimed at promoting all other languages of our multicultural country’s peoples.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58809






Meeting with permanent members of the Security Council



Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the domestic socioeconomic agenda and international issues.



October 12, 2018 - 22:15 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region







The meeting participants also exchanged views on the position of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the Constantinople Patriarchate’s Synod had decided to launch the process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church, revoking the Synodal Letter of the year 1686, which granted the right through oikonomia to the Patriarch of Moscow to ordain the Metropolitan of Kiev, and the statement on re-establishing the Stavropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kiev.













The meeting was held following the President’s visit to Belarus, where a forum of the two countries’ regions was held.













Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58813






Congratulations on Agriculture and Processing Industry Workers’ Day



Vladimir Putin congratulated agro-industrial complex workers on their professional holiday, Agriculture and Processing Industry Workers’ Day.



October 14, 2018 - 00:05 - Georgiyevskaya, Stavropol Territory







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends,

Together with your colleagues standing here by my side, I would like to sincerely congratulate you on your professional holiday – Agriculture and Processing Industry Workers’ Day.

The labour of those working on land has always enjoyed and will enjoy a special respect in any country, and it has always been like that in Russia. It is no coincidence that you are affectionately called our breadwinners.

In recent year agriculture has shown remarkable growth. Just a short while ago it seemed impossible, it seemed that this could not happen in Russia: agricultural output grew by 20 percent in five years.

Agriculture has turned into a hi-tech industry and established itself as a driver of the Russian economy. Last year alone there was a record-breaking harvest of cereals: 135 million tonnes.







Almost a quarter of our citizens live and work in rural areas, which is why we will certainly keep making living in the countryside more eventful, better, making it possible for people to materialise their plans and intentions, and uncover their best qualities and talents in their native land.

We will do everything in our power to develop healthcare, roads and education. There is a great deal to be done in this respect, but together with you we are sure to move forward, only forward. I am confident that thanks to your talents we will succeed in that.

I would like to wish you all the very best. Success, happiness and wellbeing to you and your families.

Happy holiday!




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58818






Greetings on 100th anniversary of Vernadsky Crimean Federal University



Vladimir Putin congratulated the faculty, undergraduate and postgraduate students and alumni of the Vernadsky Crimean Federal University on its 100th anniversary.



October 14, 2018 - 12:00



The message reads, in part:

“Over the past years, your alma mater has gone through big and intensive changes, accumulated solid experience in training qualified professionals in different areas of knowledge and established new remarkable traditions. Of course, it has always been famous for its impressive academic achievements, reputable professors and mentors.

It is important that these days, relying on its extensive potential, the Crimean Federal University is rapidly developing and implementing large-scale awareness and educational projects and creative initiatives, and strengthens its position as one of the leading centres for education and research not only in the Republic of Crimea but in Russia in general.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58826
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Greetings to 9th White Cane International Charity Festival



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the 9th White Cane International Charity Festival underway in Moscow.



October 15, 2018 - 19:00



The message reads, in part:

”It is good to see that your project has been developing and gaining interesting ideas and creative approaches, and has been successfully carrying out its noble mission of providing help to children who have found themselves in difficult life situations, giving them a wonderful opportunity to believe in themselves, choose a future profession, and make new friends. And of course, the festival, with its new young talent and renowned and popular artists, enjoys wide public support while promoting the wonderful traditions of charity in our country.“

The White Cane International Charity Festival was established to provide assistance to children with limited mobility by involving them in creative activities. The festival's highlight is the gala performance, where the children perform on stage with pop stars as well as renowned screen and stage actors, athletes, and politicians.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58830






Informal meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi



October 16, 2018 - 21:00 - Sochi







Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had an informal meeting in Sochi: the two leaders took a stroll along the embankment, talked to holidaymakers and went to one of the city’s restaurants.




























The official part of the visit by the President of Egypt to Russia will take place on October 17. The leaders will discuss key issues regarding the further development of Russian-Egyptian cooperation and exchange views on current international matters. Following the talks, a number of joint documents are to be signed.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58836






Talks with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi



In Sochi, Vladimir Putin held talks with President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is in Russia on an official visit.



October 17, 2018 - 15:50 - Sochi







Following the consultations, Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed the Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In addition, the two countries’ foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov and Sameh Shoukry signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Strategic Political Consultations in the presence of the two presidents.

Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also made statements for the press.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends, we are pleased to welcome you to Russia.

Yesterday evening we had a chance to talk informally and touch base regarding our bilateral relations as well as regional and international political issues. Today we have an opportunity to discuss all these matters with our colleagues as well.

At the beginning of our talks I would like to note that relations between our countries are developing very successfully. In August we marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Egypt and the Soviet Union, and with Russia as its successor.







Our economic ties are also developing successfully. Last year we saw trade upsurge of 62 percent, and a 28 percent rise in the first six months of this year. It is also good to note that we do everything to diversify our ties and we do this successfully: our ties are very diverse and include agriculture, industry, equipment and machines.

We have large projects, such as the construction of a nuclear power plant and a techno park. We have established good cooperation mechanisms, including the two plus two format: our defence ministers and foreign ministers.

We are very pleased to welcome our friends in Russia and have an opportunity to discuss the development of bilateral relations and regional problems with you here in Sochi.







President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (retranslated):

Thank you very much, Mr President.

First, let me thank you for a warm cordial reception and the hospitality that we are feeling here in the Russian Federation, where we are visiting our friends.

Certainly, all meetings I had yesterday after my arrival in Russia are a graphic illustration of the positive atmosphere that helps promote our ties in all areas, including in trade and the economy.







Of course, Mr President, as you said, we have very many important issues to discuss, including the construction of a nuclear power plant at El Dabaa, the creation of a Russian industrial zone in Egypt and other projects, as well as the issue of bringing Russian tourists back to Egypt and resuming direct air flights between Russian and Egyptian cities in addition to the air flights between the capitals of our countries.

We are certainly coordinating our efforts in the fight against terrorism. Our cooperation in all areas is based on relations that we have been maintaining for 75 years now.







Thank you, Mr President, for supporting our joint efforts. Thank you, Mr President.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58839






Press statements following talks with President of Egypt Abdel Fatah el-Sisi



October 17, 2018 - 16:00 - Sochi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends,

Before we share the outcome of our work today, a few hours ago, a tragic event happened in the city of Kerch, Russia. An explosion killed several people, with many wounded.

Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and I hope that those injured will make a speedy recovery. We will do our best to ensure this.

It is already clear that this is a crime. The motives and leads relating to this tragedy are being carefully studied. More information will be released as it becomes available from law enforcement agencies and special services.

Friends, let us honour the victims’ memory with a minute’s silence.


(A minute of silence.)







Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

Talks with the President of Egypt who is in Russia on an official visit were held in a business-like and constructive atmosphere. I also had an in-depth discussion with the President on a number of issues yesterday, in an informal setting.

Today, we discussed bilateral cooperation and reviewed key international and regional issues.

To reiterate, the relations between our states have a rich history, and are friendly and mutually beneficial. They are based on respect and recognition of our respective interests.

As you have seen, President el-Sisi and I just signed an Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation, which outlines major and responsible goals seeking to further deepen Russian-Egyptian ties in different areas.

Of course, we focused a lot on trade and economic issues. In 2017, Russia-Egypt trade grew 62 percent to $6.7 billion. It rose by another 28 percent in January-August. Russia is a major supplier of grain to Egypt. Our country supports Egypt’s desire to conclude a free trade area agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. We are confident that this will open up additional opportunities for boosting economic cooperation and trade.

The President of Egypt and I discussed in detail bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. The construction of a Russian-designed nuclear power plant in Egypt by Rosatom is a major joint project in this industry. Preparatory work at the site is underway. Contracts will be signed with Egyptian companies before the end of the year, and these companies will be the contractors.







Positive cooperation experience has been gained in the production of hydrocarbon resources. Russian oil products and LNG are regularly transported to the Egyptian market.

In the context of developing industrial cooperation, I would like, first, to mention a large contract worth 1 billion euros for the delivery to Egypt of new passenger carriages in conjunction with our Hungarian partners.

A modern industrial and logistics centre will be created near the Suez Canal in Egypt, with the participation of Russia, that will include instrument production, a wood processing plant, and pharmaceutical enterprises. We plan to invest about $7 billion in this area, and create over 35,000 new jobs. As planned, the manufactured output in this area will go not only to the Egyptian, but also the Middle Eastern and African markets.

We have also thoroughly discussed prospects for military-technical cooperation. Military interaction is equally important. Russia and Egypt have been successfully interacting in this area for decades now. Joint tactical airborne troop exercises are being held in Egypt now.

Russia and Egypt have always shown and continue to show interest in the cultural and spiritual heritage of our peoples. Therefore, President el-Sisi and I have approved an initiative to declare 2020 a cross year of humanitarian cooperation.

We also considered the full-scale restoration of tourism and comprehensive air service. In April, regular direct flights resumed between Moscow and Cairo.







We have also discussed charter flights to tourist destinations popular with Russians – to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. We noted that our Egyptian friends are doing everything necessary to increase the security level. We will work to restore charter flights in the near future.

These talks have confirmed the unanimity and proximity of our positions on important international and regional issues. Our cooperation has always been and remains an effective security factor in the Middle East and North Africa.

We have informed our colleagues about the steps taken by Russia to resolve the Syria conflict. We compared notes on this issue and agreed to work together. We agreed that the situation in the Idlib Province, where a significant number of militants has accumulated in the de-escalation zone, requires special attention. There is the risk of infiltration into neighbouring states. We informed our Egyptian friends of the underlying concepts of our agreements with Turkey on this problem.

We agreed to continue coordination to intensify the Syrian political process. Allow me to remind you that Egypt secured the so-called Cairo Platform opposition group participation in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi.

The next step is to set up and launch a constitutional committee in Geneva. It is also important to make collective efforts to rebuild Syria’s economy and create favourable conditions for the return of the refugees.

Russia and Egypt will continue to jointly search for ways to overcome the internal political split in Libya, to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity.







Russia and Egypt both support strict observance of the principles of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement as stipulated in the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the Arab Peace Initiative, and the earliest possible restoration of direct dialogue between the parties on all controversial issues, including the status of Jerusalem.

In 2019, Egypt will chair the African Union. We wish all our Egyptian friends and President el-Sisi success in this high-responsibility mission. We expect that the Egyptian presidency will promote stronger cooperation between Russia and all African states.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr President and all our Egyptian friends for these substantive and productive talks. The results achieved today will certainly contribute to further strengthening of our interstate relations.

Thank you.







President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (retranslated):

Thank you, Mr President,

Let me convey sincere condolences on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Egypt to the Russian people on the tragedy that happened in Russia today. We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

President Putin, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to once again thank my dear friend President Putin for the warm welcome during this important visit that emphasises the strength of the close historical relations between Egypt and Russia. While being here, let me note that I am pleased with the great successes in Russian-Egyptian relations over the last four years as well as the achievements we made in all areas, above all the agreement to build the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant. I believe that this project will without a doubt become a breakthrough in the relations between our countries, like the project to create a Russian industrial zone in the eastern city of Port Said. I think this project will bring the cooperation between our countries to the stage of joint production instead of just trade. And I am confident that this project’s implementation will make a real breakthrough in the volume and quality of Russia’s direct investment in Egypt.

Our joint efforts to promote friendship between our countries have resulted today in the signing of the Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation. I believe this Agreement will begin a new chapter in the history of our cooperation and provide us with long-term opportunities and new horizons that will promote our bilateral cooperation and relations to a new level entirely.

I would also like to note that President Putin and I have agreed today to declare 2020 the Russia-Egypt Year of Culture. I hope that this year will see various events that can testify to the depth of the cultural, civilizational and artistic ties between our countries and peoples.







Ladies and gentlemen,

In addition to Egypt-Russia cooperation that is aimed at ensuring a better future for our nations, we are coordinating our activities on important regional issues based on our belief in the paramount importance of restoring security and stability in the Middle East so that the interests of the peoples in that region are met and guarantees of a better future for its youth after a long period of suffering caused by war and destruction are provided.

In this context, President Putin and I discussed today the Palestine issue and stated that the positions of Egypt and Russia on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process have become much closer. We also reaffirmed our unshakable positions regarding the need to achieve a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestine issue based on the two-state solution for two nations within the 1967 border in pursuance of international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

We paid special attention to the developments in Syria during the talks. We agreed on the need to continue consultations and coordination between Egypt and Russia on this important issue. We agreed that it is necessary to work to prevent further escalation of the situation in Syria.

In this context, we agreed to call on UN special envoys to Syria to speed up the process of forming a constitutional commission as an important step to create the necessary conditions to resume political talks and reach a comprehensive political solution to meet the legitimate hopes of the brotherly people of Syria and maintain the territorial integrity of the Syrian state.

Regarding the situation in Libya. We discussed the latest events through the political and security prism and exchanged views and assessments on the actions of the various parties involved in the events in Libya.

In this context, I shared with President Putin Egypt’s vision on a political solution in Libya, and also Cairo’s efforts to unite the Libyan National Army for it to perform effectively.







We have also discussed the aftermath of recent clashes in Tripoli that showed how dangerous and reckless it is to rely on armed groups in order to provide security. We believe that only the regular army as well as security and law enforcement agencies should be given such a task.

We have also reaffirmed that all the members of the international community must strictly follow UN Special Envoy in Libya Ghassan Salamé’s initiative, such as to avoid other decisions.

We believe that searching for parallel solutions would only prolong the crisis and deepen differences between the Libyan parties. We believe such actions are not based on a consensus.

During our talks, President Putin and I agreed it was necessary to improve the information exchange process between our countries’ special services as part of counterterrorism efforts, especially regarding terrorists’ movements from unstable regions to other states where they carry out new attacks.

We have also reaffirmed that it is necessary to prevent these terrorists from crossing state borders. We have agreed to exchange information on such people with other countries and international organisations.

In this context, I have reaffirmed Egypt’s readiness to cooperate with Russia in this area more closely, considering that our countries are partners by tradition and share a perspective on this serious challenge that threatens the stability in the region. I have also provided President Putin with a short review of the results of the Sinai 2018 operation. The success of this operation proves the success of Egypt’s efforts in countering terrorism.







Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me once again thank President Putin for this amiable invitation to visit Russia, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Egyptian people. I would like to stress our firm historical and strategic relations, which we hope to further develop in the future in order to fulfil our peoples’ wish for stability and development.

Thank you very much for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58842






Greetings to the History of Sambo – History of Russia international congress



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the History of Sambo – History of Russia international congress to mark 80 years since sambo became a recognised sport.



October 18, 2018 - 10:15



The message reads, in part:

“This anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to remember many generations of outstanding athletes, coaches and instructors, whose hard work and talent laid the foundations and traditions of this unique martial art, and established the environment for promoting its ideas and values. Sambo is not just a sport. It is a comprehensive system of physical and moral values, aimed at forming strong and tough people who can meet any challenge and achieve success in their profession and lives.

It is important that sambo continues to develop in Russia today, attracting the interest of young people and winning international recognition. It is now included in the programmes of the most prestigious tournaments.”

The sambo wrestling system, which means self-defence without weapons, was developed in the USSR in the 1930s. It is based on the most efficient fighting techniques taken from various martial arts, wrestling sports and folk wrestling. On November 16, 1938 the USSR Sports Committee included sambo in the list of promoted sports in the country; this date is considered the official birthday of sambo. In 1966, a congress of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) officially recognised sambo as an international sport.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58847






Meeting with member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party Yang Jiechi



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission.



October 18, 2018 - 18:20 - Sochi







Vladimir Putin noted that Russia will continue to work towards the implementation of the agreements reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum and praised the level of development in the two countries’ relations. The President asked Yang Jiechi to give his best regards to President Xi.

The meeting took place following the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58849






State visit to Uzbekistan



Vladimir Putin had talks with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent.



October 19, 2018 - 11:15 - Tashkent







Following consultations, Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a Joint Statement.



















Documents signed during the President’s state visit to Uzbekistan include the 2019–2024 Intergovernmental Economic Cooperation Programme, the 2019–2021 Programme of Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation and the Action Plan for the Programme’s implementation. Other documents signed concern the construction of the Suffa International Radio Observatory, a gas and chemical production facility in Surxondaryo Region, opening of branches of Russian higher education institutions in Uzbekistan, cooperation in the textile, garment and knitwear industries, social and employment areas, as well as collaboration between the Russian Federation National Guard and the National Guard of the Republic of Uzbekistan.



















Also, on the sidelines of the visit, the parties signed memorandums on mutual understanding between Rosatom, the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Agency for the Development of Nuclear Energy under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan concerning cooperation in the training of qualified personnel for the nuclear energy sector of Uzbekistan and promoting positive public opinion regarding nuclear energy in Uzbekistan.



















The presidents made statements for the press.



















Vladimir Putin is on a state visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of the Republic’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58851






Beginning of talks with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev



October 19, 2018 - 09:15 - Tashkent








President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Mr President, I sincerely welcome you to Uzbekistan. I want to express my sincere respect for you and the entire Russian nation that you represent.

Russia is Uzbekistan’s strategic partner, and in the past two years, our strategic partnership and alliance have entered a completely new qualitative level. Our relations and collaboration are developing in all areas.







Before starting this restricted attendance meeting, I would like to thank you, personally and on behalf of the people of Uzbekistan, for eternalising the memory of the first president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov in a monument that was unveiled yesterday in Moscow.

Citizens of Uzbekistan have been expressing their gratitude in the media since yesterday. This is your personal recognition of the fact that during those difficult, hard years Islam Karimov accomplished a great deal for the recovery of Uzbekistan. Thank you very much.







Of course, speaking about our strategic areas of cooperation, we cooperate across all industries. Our new strategic area is the construction of a nuclear power station. Today we will take part in the launch of its construction.

I would like to note that we have approved roadmaps across all industries and they are being consistently implemented. There is great progress in military and technical cooperation. In collaboration with you, we approved a roadmap on military and technical cooperation and it is being implemented in its entirety.







There are many cultural and humanitarian issues being addressed. For the first time Uzbekistan hosted a media forum. An education forum opened in Uzbekistan yesterday, attended by more than 80 university presidents from Russia. This indicates our serious intentions in scientific, educational and cultural links.

Today we will attend the first interregional forum that brings together heads of regions.







Trade between Russia and Uzbekistan grew by 30 percent over the nine months of this year. We expect the turnover to reach $6 billion by the end of the year. This is unprecedented. The estimate in our trade plan was $5 billion, while the current statistics show $6 billion. This means that our regions enjoy a higher level of trust and cooperation, which has brought these results. The first interregional forum will also give a strong impetus to our trade relations. I think the outcome will be very significant.

Overall, we have many things to discuss. I think that this state visit will serve as a powerful stimulus to our cooperation.

Once again, welcome to Uzbekistan.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much.

First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation.

I would like to add something about the installation of the monument to the First President of Uzbekistan in Moscow. Islam Karimov made a great contribution to the development of Russian-Uzbekistani relations. We all know that the first leaders faced very difficult times during the establishment of their states. It is therefore natural that we want to eternalise the memory of Mr Karimov. I had a good personal relationship with him. Therefore, it is an absolutely natural decision, a very natural move.

As for the development of our relations today, I would like to say that Uzbekistan is our reliable ally and strategic partner. Your visit in April gave a serious boost to our contacts in many different areas.

First of all, I am talking about the economy. We see that the situation in Uzbekistan is changing rapidly; reforms are being adopted and implemented. They are long overdue and the Uzbekistani economy and people need them urgently.







We understand that the first steps are always difficult. We can relate, for we have gone through this process ourselves. But we are also sure that these times will bring positive results both in the long and medium term, and Uzbekistan’s economy and the lives of its people will change for the better.

It gives us opportunity to develop relations on a new foundation. Due to the changes you are making now in Uzbekistan, we have managed to significantly expand our trade and economic relations. In fact, in 2017, the growth was 34 percent, and in the first eight months of 2018, it was 30.3 percent.

We intend to maintain this trend and will do everything to expand our interaction, including through regional cooperation.







The first regional forum was created at your initiative. I am confident that it will give a strong new impetus to our interaction, because many things happen at the regional level that cannot be seen from the capitals. All this will become part of the foundation for our relations and for the future.

I do not doubt that the consultations and talks that have been on for the past two days will bring very good results.

Once again, let me thank you for your invitation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/58852






Beginning of Russian-Uzbekistani talks in an expanded format



October 19, 2018 - 10:30 - Tashkent








President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Mr President, colleagues,

Let me sincerely welcome you to the hospitable country of Uzbekistan. Promoting a trust-based and open political dialogue with Russia will always be among Uzbekistan’s top priorities. We have common history, close economic and cultural ties, friendly, and I would say family bonds between our people.

During the talks in restricted format, President Putin and I discussed topical issues related to bilateral cooperation and to the international and regional agendas. I would like to note that our positions on all issues are identical or similar. We have determined the bilateral agenda for further cooperation. Today in the restricted format discussion, we covered in great detail, openly and in confidence the entire range of issues: development of political contacts, as well as trade, economic, investment, military and military-technical cooperation, and the promotion of scientific, cultural and humanitarian ties that all serve the interests of both states.

Let me note that contacts at various levels have largely intensified: over 80 mutual visits took place last year. I completely support the proposal on reforming the activities of the intergovernmental commission. Interregional exchanges have also gained a new impetus. We will continue this future-oriented work.

This year, trade has reached $6 billion. According to our estimates, it will reach $10 billion in two years. We have built a large portfolio of investment projects with leading Russian companies and banks, such as Gazprom, Gazprombank, Lukoil, Rosatom and Vneshekonombank, worth about $25 billion for the next five years. (We have already discussed this in the restricted format.) Our main task is to implement them on time and with high quality. We have the necessary potential. I am sure that the adoption of the intergovernmental economic cooperation programme for 2019–2024 will promote this.







For millennia, Russia has been a spiritual and cultural centre, the most important bridge between western and eastern civilisations. This is why the development and promotion of cultural ties is among our priorities. The first joint educational forum, New Professionals for the New Economy, was held in Tashkent on the eve of your visit, Mr President. Over 80 heads of leading Russian universities attended. I have already said that over 100 cooperation agreements in education and science have been signed.

I suggest listening to brief reports of our countries’ economy ministers on the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the strategic alliance that characterises relations between our countries is not just words, not just a goal, but reality proven by actions. Mr President, let me express my sincere gratitude for your personal contribution to promoting friendship, mutual trust and cooperation between our countries.

I am pleased to give you the floor, Mr President.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much, Mr President.

Thank you for the invitation and for your assessment of our joint work. As I have already said in the restricted attendance meeting, Uzbekistan is our strategic partner and a reliable ally. I also share your opinion that we are united by friendship and mutual cooperation deeply rooted in the past.

We also note that of late Uzbekistan has been undergoing serious changes, which make it possible to take our cooperation to an absolutely new level. I am primarily referring to the transformations that you are carrying out in Uzbekistan’s economy. I am absolutely sure that before long this will have a tangible impact on the living standards of Uzbekistan’s citizens.

For our part, we intend to develop our relations further and, of course, the $5–6 billion in trade turnover, which we mentioned earlier, are not our final goal. We can say that, given the conditions you are creating for Russian economic operators in Uzbekistan, it is just a start, just the beginning.

We attach great importance to cooperation not only in the energy sector, which is taking on a new edge, but also in industry. Machine-building, pharmaceutical, healthcare and medical technology production projects are being discussed, and some are already being implemented.

As you noted, we have prepared an extensive cooperation programme in a variety of areas, the first stage of which amounts to $25 billion. But if we implement it – and I have no doubt that we will – the cumulative effect will be much greater because it is going to generate profit, create new and highly productive jobs and open up new opportunities for cooperation.

Humanitarian projects are a significant component of our cooperation. Uzbek students constitute the greatest portion of all foreign students in the Russian Federation, and the number of young people studying at universities of the Russian Federation continues growing rapidly. We can also see your interest in setting up branches of Russian universities in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The fact that colleagues from various universities of Uzbekistan and Russia are working on cooperation plans here now gives us reason to believe that we will soon reach a much higher level in this field.







We are grateful for your attention and support of the Russian language. Nine hundred schools in Uzbekistan teach Russian; 70 percent of Uzbek citizens are fluent in Russian. We are ready to provide help in this sphere.

We view defence and military technical cooperation as another equally important area for cooperation, very sensitive and important for ensuring the security of both states. Several hundred officers of the Uzbek army study at military schools in Russia.

We are ready to develop military technical cooperation and extend it from the delivery of weapons and modern equipment to joint production of this equipment at industrial facilities in Uzbekistan.

As for the delivery, we have made this decision as an exception. As you know, defence products are supplied to Uzbekistan at domestic prices.

We cooperate in many other areas. We will analyse what is going on in the most careful way and will do our utmost to move forward in all the fields that were identified during your visit to the Russian Federation on April 4 last year.

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/58853






Press statements following Russian-Uzbekistani talks



October 19, 2018 - 11:20 - Tashkent







President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

I heartily welcome you, Mr President, and our Russian friends to Uzbekistan. We in Uzbekistan are glad to see the Russian Federation’s tremendous achievements that have become possible above all thanks to the wise, far-sighted and assertive policy of such a prominent political leader of global stature as President Putin.

I want to express special appreciation to the President of the Russian Federation for his personal consistent efforts aimed at strengthening friendly ties and all-round cooperation between our states. Speaking of this, allow me on behalf of our country’s multiethnic people to thank you, Mr President, for erecting and unveiling a monument to the first President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov in Moscow.

Our regular meetings and conversations with you have given a powerful impetus to the development of Russian-Uzbekistani cooperation, strategic partnership and alliance. Relations between our countries have reached a new level. This has been reaffirmed by the negotiations that were held as usual in a trust-based, open and constructive atmosphere. We have discussed the status of our bilateral cooperation and prospects for enhancing it.

Russia is Uzbekistan’s key trade partner. Since the beginning of this year, our trade has grown by 30 percent. We expect our mutual trade to reach up to $6 billion this year, and in the next few years, it will amount to $10 billion.

We are grateful to Russia for establishing the “green corridor” for delivering agricultural produce to Russia. We have agreed on extending this practice to other types of our products, including textiles. Russian investment in our economy exceeds $8.5 billion.







A set of new investment agreements and trade contracts with leading Russian companies and banks such as Gazprom, Gazprombank, LUKOIL, Rosatom, Forus and Vnesheconombank to the amount of about $25 billion have been drawn up.

We are interested in developing direct contacts between the regions of our two countries. Of major importance is the First Russia-Uzbekistan Interregional Cooperation Forum, which took place as part of this visit and resulted in cooperation projects to the tune of over $2 billion.

Today together with President Putin, we will launch a new strategic cooperation project – the first nuclear power station in Uzbekistan. Its construction will help develop the industrial potential and create new jobs in various economic sectors of our country.

Talks have reaffirmed the concurrence and proximity of our positions on topical regional and international issues. We will continue cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, the CIS, SCO and other reputable international and regional organisations.

Security issues will always be the focus of our attention. We have had a detailed discussion on coordinating our efforts in countering terrorism, extremism and especially radicalism among young people. We have also discussed military and military-technical cooperation from all points of view.







We focus on the development of cultural ties, above all in science, education, healthcare and tourism. The first joint educational forum, New Professionals for the New Economy, attended by 80 heads of leading Russian universities and held in Tashkent on the eve of your visit can serve as a good example. Over 100 agreements have been signed.

I would like to note that Uzbekistan ranks high among the CIS countries in the number of students it sends to Russian universities. This academic year, the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys has opened a branch in the Uzbekistani city of Almalyk to provide high-quality Russian education. We also plan to open branches of MGIMO, MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, the Russian State Cinema Institute, the Moscow Energy Institute and the Russian Chemical Technology University. This cooperation will continue.

We have agreed to promote cooperation in science. You have just seen a good example with your own eyes: we have signed a joint project to create a super-powerful radio telescope on the Suffa Plateau to develop space research. We discussed the implementation of this project with President Putin several months ago, and today we have agreed on the “road map.” I think perhaps an Uzbekistani citizen will be launched into space soon aboard a Russian spacecraft. In order to bring our people closer together, we have agreed to hold the fourth Russian-Uzbekistani youth forum in Uzbekistan.

I would like to raise another important topic. In order to properly celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory in 2020, we are preparing a special programme here in Uzbekistan. We plan to set up a Victory Park Complex in Tashkent. It will symbolyse our joint fight against Nazism and serve to teach the young generation respect for their history, patriotism and friendship between peoples.

The great Russian culture has always been and will always remain an integral part of the Uzbekistani people’s spiritual life. In order to get people, above all youth, acquainted with masterpieces of Russian literature, we plan to publish Russian classic masterpieces in 100 volumes in Uzbek.

Friends, I am confident that President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Uzbekistan will give an impetus to the further development of comprehensive cooperation between our countries.

I am very pleased to give the floor to President of Russia Vladimir Putin.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues, friends,

The state visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan is being held in a truly friendly and very businesslike atmosphere, which is typical of Russian-Uzbekistani contacts at all levels.

The President of Uzbekistan and I have had constructive and exceptionally useful talks, examined in detail a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation and discussed topical international and regional matters. We will also have an opportunity to further discuss these topics with the President informally. We have outlined the key areas for developing our relations of alliance and strategic partnership.

All these matters are covered in the Joint Statement we have just signed. It includes clear guidelines for further work between ministries, agencies and organisations in order to deepen our cooperation.

We have also reached other important bilateral agreements and signed major commercial contracts.

Traditionally, talks have focused on issues related to economic development and cooperation in this area. Uzbekistan is Russia’s fourth biggest trading partner among the CIS countries. Trade and economic ties between our countries continue developing dynamically. Last year, bilateral trade grew by 34 percent, with another 32 percent added in the first six months of this year.

The volume of Russian investment in the Uzbekistani economy is almost $9 billion. But I believe this is just the beginning.

Over 1,000 enterprises with Russian participation are registered in Uzbekistan. The conditions President Mirziyoyev has created for Russian economic operators allow us to believe that these are also just the first steps in our joint work.

In order to give an additional boost to Russian-Uzbekistani cooperation, in the economy above all, Mr President and I have decided to establish a joint commission headed by the prime ministers. The commission will address strategic issues of economic, investment and technological cooperation.







Special attention should be paid to energy, where we have good prospects. First of all, Rosatom has a major project to build the first nuclear power station in Uzbekistan, as we agreed last year during Mr President’s state visit to Moscow.

Today, Mr President and I will launch this project’s implementation. In fact, this is not only about building a large industrial facility in Uzbekistan, but about creating a new industry, a new sector of the economy.

The power station’s two energy units with a total capacity of 2.4 MW will provide for cheap and clean electricity, which will be used by consumers in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries. This will promote energy stability in Uzbekistan and the entire region.

Let me stress that the most advanced technologies and efficient and reliable engineering solutions will be used in the construction of the nuclear power station, which will be carried out in compliance with the highest safety and environmental requirements.

Power Machines is also contributing to the development of Uzbekistan’ energy sector. The company is helping to upgrade the Syrdarya thermal power station and the Charvak hydroelectric power station. Our Uzbekistani partners were given detailed proposals regarding the development of a Central Asian energy network that would connect the energy systems of the region’s countries.

We have good cooperation experience in hydrocarbons extraction, processing and transporting. This April Lukoil commissioned the Kandym Gas Processing Complex, the largest gas processing facility in Uzbekistan with a capacity of 8.1 billion cubic metres per year. Gazprom purchased 5 billion cubic metres of Uzbekistani gas in 2017; it is developing the Shakhpakhty gas condensate field and conducting exploration work in the Ustyurt region of the country.

Let me note the steady development of bilateral industrial cooperation. Rostec and its Uzbekistani partners have established joint enterprises to produce helicopters, machines and medical equipment.

Rosselmash, Kamaz, Eurocement and other Russian companies are expanding their presence on the Uzbekistani market. Vympelcom is a leading mobile operator in the country with about 10 million users.

We have examined the prospects for cooperation in agriculture. In the first six months of the year, bilateral trade in agricultural produce grew by 30 percent, mostly due to the introduction of the “green corridor” system, which allows shipping agricultural products across our borders without any obstacles.







Agriculture is the main theme on the agenda of the first Interregional Cooperation Forum, which is underway in Tashkent. President Mirziyoyev and I plan to speak at the plenary session today.

The Russian delegation at the forum comprises representatives from 37 regions. The programme of the event includes seminars and panel discussions not only on the agro-industrial sector, but also on many other areas of bilateral contacts. The idea of such a joint gathering was proposed by Mr President, and we, of course, supported it.

The Russia-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum can become an annual event. Russia holds such interregional forums together with an entire range of CIS countries, and they bring good results both for the development of interregional cooperation and for bilateral relations in general.

We also discussed cultural cooperation and agreed to promote research and educational exchanges. These matters will be discussed at another joint forum, New Professionals for the New Economy, which is being held now in Tashkent.

By the way, Russian universities currently accommodate over 25,000 students from Uzbekistan. Branches of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Plekhanov Academy and Gubkin University of Oil and Gas operate in the republic.

While discussing key regional topics, we noted a match or proximity of the positions of Russia and Uzbekistan. We agreed to continue foreign political coordination within the United Nations and other leading international organisations, as well as to cooperate closely within the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Our common interests include the normalisation of the situation in Afghanistan. Russia welcomes the active participation of Uzbekistan in facilitating the launch of the peace process. We consider it important to neutralise the threats coming from this country related to the spread of terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime.

In conclusion, I would like to again thank Mr President and all our Uzbekistani friends and colleagues for the warm, hearty reception and useful and fruitful talks.

I think that Mr President due to his big heart somewhat overstated my contribution to history, but let me assure you that we will implement all our agreements. I am sure that it will benefit our interstate ties, will strengthen friendship between our peoples and, of course, will improve the well-being of our citizens.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58854






Laying flowers at Monument of Independence and Humanism



During a state visit to Uzbekistan Vladimir Putin laid flowers at the Monument of Independence and Humanism in Tashkent.



October 19, 2018 - 13:30 - Tashkent







The monument is located on Independence Square, or Mustaqillik Square, in the centre of the city. It is one of the main landmarks of the capital of Uzbekistan.













The monument consists of two parts: a large golden globe with Uzbekistan’s borders depicted on it, and a Happy Mother sculpture.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58857






First Russia-Uzbekistan Interregional Cooperation Forum



Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the closing ceremony of the First Russia-Uzbekistan Forum of Interregional Cooperation.



October 19, 2018 - 13:50 - Tashkent






The First Russia-Uzbekistan Forum of Interregional Cooperation is underway` at Uzexpocentre, which is Uzbekistan’s largest exhibition venue. The forum was attended by representatives of over 25 regions of the two countries, and more than 600 employees of various companies and organisations. The Russia-Uzbekistan Educational Forum is also being held on the sidelines of the forum.




President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

Mr President, colleagues,

I am sincerely pleased to welcome President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and members of the Russian delegation to the First Uzbekistan-Russia Interregional Cooperation Forum. Its organisation and its high representational level are further evidence of the great mutual interest and the powerful potential of our cooperation. We highly appreciate and sincerely treasure our stable and trustworthy relations with the Russian Federation, our strategic partner and ally.

Today's talks, in an atmosphere of full mutual understanding, trust and openness, have revealed our firm desire to expand and strengthen our diverse cooperation in the interests of our peoples. Here we attach great importance to interregional contacts.

Colleagues,

At this forum, you are discussing real practical aspects of business cooperation, specific projects and programmes of interaction. I sincerely welcome and support this approach. Interregional contacts have become highly intensive and effective. More than 40 mutual visits over a year. In the past several months alone, the heads of all 14 regions of our country visited 26 entities of the Russian Federation. Taking part in our join forum are the heads and representatives of 18 Russian regions. This is an unprecedented scale. I want to point out that it is you who determines the specific direction of cooperation.

We need to step up efforts to create joint technological production units and deepen interaction in manufacturing sought-after products and developing markets in other countries.







Let me cite several examples of this productive cooperation. These include the creation of a joint textile cluster, in cooperation with companies from Ivanovo Region, in regions of Uzbekistan (Navoiy Region), and the production of chemical fertilisers in Tashkent Region, and pharmaceutical chemicals in Karakalpakstan in cooperation with our partner from Tatarstan. Our cooperation uses the infrastructure opportunities of the wholesale and distribution centres in Moscow Region, Bashkortostan, Orenburg Region and other Russian entities in order to organise supplies of agricultural produce and create a modern horticulture complex in Surxondaryo Region for the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to Moscow markets. There is also the construction of a plant for light and heavy metal fabrication in Qashqadaryo Region in cooperation with Sverdlovsk Region. There is a considerable number of similar projects.

However, the most essential result is that strong and long-term partnership relations have been established between our regions. I want to assure you that our colleagues from Uzbekistan, members of the Government, and the heads of ministries, departments and regions who are here will provide comprehensive assistance to the implementation of these projects. Our dear guests, you can be confident that every project will be carried out, because President Putin and I have been looking forward to this for a long time.

The forum will continue for two days. We have been discussing the problems and the bureaucratic barriers that exist between us. The foundation that has been developed between Uzbekistan and Russia today creates every opportunity for the removal of these barriers.

The heads of the regions in the Republic of Uzbekistan are in this hall today. I am pleased that you have become acquainted with each other, that you know your challenges and your opportunities. So, I want to say that the leaders of Uzbekistan, and the Government too, need to know – the Prime Minister and his deputies are also here – you need to know that this is the beginning of a great journey. If we indeed create the right conditions for each other – as I have said, we have many projects in order to jointly enter markets in third countries, third markets. Everything we are planning today is designed to create competition and make our products more competitive.







Mr President, colleagues,

Today we are opening a new strategic area of cooperation with the Russian Federation – the development of nuclear power engineering. I am pleased to note that a ceremony will be held here, in the presence of the heads of regions, to launch a project for the construction of Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant. This project is part of a new cluster and implementation will serve the goal of promoting our industrial potential and creating new jobs in various branches of our country's economy.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that this interregional forum is to become an effective platform for direct business contacts and practical cooperation between the two countries' regions.

President Putin and I have agreed that this forum should be held annually. Once a year, we will meet with our colleagues, compare notes and review the results of these forums. I believe that there will certainly be great results when we introduce this on a regular basis.

I wish all of you success and new promising projects. Thank you for your attention.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends, colleagues,

I am pleased to welcome the participants of the first Russia-Uzbekistan forum of interregional relations and cooperation. This is a useful and promising area of interaction.

Ramified relations at the regional level are the most important component of bilateral contacts. Therefore, we were pleased to support the President’s initiative to hold such a forum in Tashkent during this visit.

Russia maintains such interregional interaction with our partners from a number of states, primarily the CIS countries, and, indeed, it has a good track record. This is a working and dynamic format.

We expect this Russia-Uzbekistan Interregional Cooperation Forum to become an annual event and to make a sizable contribution to promoting cooperation between the regions of Russia and Uzbekistan.

I am referring primarily to trade and economy, but not only. Interregional cooperation can be used to develop any kind of relations, including, of course, those in the humanitarian sphere.

Notably, our bilateral economic relations are quite successful. As was said many times today, our trade increased by 34 percent in 2017, and grew by another 30 percent in January-August. We see that contacts between the Russian regions and the regions of Uzbekistan are gaining momentum and becoming more diverse. Over 20 reciprocal visits by regional leaders have already taken place this year. From Russia, particularly active were the cities of Moscow, St Petersburg, Orenburg Region and Chelyabinsk Region.

We are aware that, at the suggestion of the President of Uzbekistan, our Uzbek colleagues from that country’s regions have stepped up their activities as well. This is impressive and quite promising.

As mentioned earlier, about 1,000 Russian participants from 30 Russian regions are taking part in this forum, including 10 governors and over 850 businesspeople. This is indicative of our serious commitment to working with our Uzbek partners. As we know from earlier remarks by the ministers and governors, forum participants discussed matters of economic and social development, infrastructure upgrades and the introduction of digital technology that are really important for the regions of the two countries. Most importantly, we joined efforts and looked for opportunities to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in these and other promising areas.







Since our cooperation in the agricultural sector has been expanding at a strong rate recently, it is quite understandable that this subject was reviewed at a plenary session. I will also spend a moment discussing this area in more detail. Russian-Uzbek trade in agricultural produce grew by almost 40 percent to $340 million in just the first eight months of this year. I have no doubt that the numbers will continue to grow, also because Russia has created the most favourable terms and conditions for importing Uzbek agricultural products, introduced a green corridor customs system and approved a special phytosanitary control procedure. Reduced railway tariffs have been introduced as well. We discussed these issues during the President of Uzbekistan’s state visit to Moscow last year. As you can see, all these agreements have been implemented.

Of course, we will continue to streamline mutual trade and related logistics. In particular, it is imperative that we encourage backhaul freight to Uzbekistan with, of course, Russian-made products, including foods. We can do this since agricultural output in Russia has increased by more than 20 percent over the past five years. We believe this undoubtedly represents a breakthrough in developing agriculture in our country. We can state that a real breakthrough has been made in this area. Last year, we had a record grain harvest, 135 million tonnes. This year, we will harvest a little less, but still a lot at over 100 million tonnes.

I was recently in Stavropol Region and asked the manager of a company about their performance. He told me about it. I asked him how they acknowledged such results in the Soviet Union. They awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labour right away. While today this may not be something routine, but we are now accustomed to it. Russia is the world’s number one supplier of wheat and second in terms of grain crop distribution in general, and it is now significantly increasing exports of meat. Prospects are good in other areas as well, including advanced conversion products. In this context, we hope that the agricultural exhibition held as part of the forum will make it possible to establish good business contacts and start promising new joint projects.

Russia is ready to fully meet the needs of Uzbek farmers in high-quality agricultural equipment, and to help them upgrade the food and processing industry. Incidentally, Rostselmash, which is our largest company in the agricultural engineering sector, is starting a project to produce forage harvesters in Uzbekistan. Other Russian manufacturers have similar plans. We will continue to provide assistance in training employees for Uzbek agriculture. About 800 Uzbek students are studying at Russian agricultural colleges. A branch of the Aquaculture department of Astrakhan University will open in Tashkent in the next academic year.







Colleagues, friends,

Agriculture is important, but by far not the only area of cooperation. Opportunities for Russia-Uzbekistan cooperation are vast and promising, which was confirmed by today’s talks. I am confident that our respective regions will be even more actively involved in promoting bilateral partnerships.

The President of Uzbekistan and I will give our absolute support for your constructive initiatives and the joint projects you plan. Like the President of Uzbekistan, I wish you all the best and every success in your work.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58858






First nuclear power plant project launched in Uzbekistan



On the sidelines of a videoconference interregional forum, Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched engineering surveying to select a site for the first nuclear power plant in the Republic of Uzbekistan.



October 19, 2018 - 14:15 - Tashkent







An intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Uzbekistan on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Navoi Region of Uzbekistan was signed in September in Moscow. The project involves the construction of two reactor units that meet the latest IAEA safety requirements. The first power unit is to become operational before the end of 2028.






















Earlier, the two leaders examined a model of the future nuclear power plant replicating the existing Novovoronezhskaya NPP-2.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58859






Condolences to President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi



Vladimir Putin conveyed his condolences to President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on the tragic aftermath of the railway accident in Punjab.



October 19, 2018 - 20:00



Vladimir Putin requested that words of sympathy and support be conveyed to the families and friends of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58863






Informal meeting with Nursultan Nazarabayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev



October 20, 2018 - 17:00 - Saryagash







During his informal meeting with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the city of Saryagash in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan Region Vladimir Putin discussed matters of trilateral economic and humanitarian cooperation and other urgent issues.







Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Uzbekistan took place on the previous day.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58864
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Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club - PART I



Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 15th anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.



October 18, 2018 - 17:50 - Sochi






The main topic is The World We Will Live In: Stability and Development in the 21st Century. The plenary session moderator is Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club.

The Valdai Forum opened in Sochi on October 15. Its participants – 130 experts from 33 countries – are discussing Russia’s political and socioeconomic prospects as well as social and cultural development and place in the modern world.

The Valdai Club was established in 2004. Traditionally, the forum participants meet with Russia’s senior officials as part of the annual meetings.

Following the plenary session, Vladimir Putin held an informal meeting with several members of the Valdai International Discussion Club, including member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party Yang Jiechi, former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Lassina Zerbo, former UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Research Director of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club Fyodor Lukyanov, General Director of the Hermitage State Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, and public activist Natalia Solzhenitsyn.








Plenary session moderator Fyodor Lukyanov:

Good afternoon, friends,

Let’s begin our final session. As per tradition, we have President of Russia Vladimir Putin here as our guest.

Mr President, in case you have forgotten, you are here for the 15th time. How are you?



President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

First, I would like to speak to the permanent participants of our meeting. It is true, 15 years is quite something. I believe that the Valdai Club, as we called it because the first events took place in Novgorod, has become a good international platform over these years, a platform for professionals who are interested in global politics, the economy, culture as well as the work of media. Of course, in relation to Russia.

As a rule, these are experts on Russia. And we would like very much for people who work with Russia to have such a platform, so that we could meet and you could hear our position on all matters of interest for you, your countries, and for us, for Russia, not in someone’s retelling, but firsthand, from me and my colleagues.

These discussions have always presented different and sometimes even opposite points of view. I think that this is the advantage of this discussion club; we call it a discussion club because where there is only one, right point of view, there is no place for discussion.

Truth is born from comparing different approaches to the same phenomena and various assessments. Thanks to your participation, we can reach this result.

I see many world-famous politicians in this hall; here, on my right; and I would like to welcome them all, including the President of Afghanistan and our colleagues from the EAEU. I can also see scientists, cultural figures and journalists. I hope that today’s meeting will also be not only useful but interesting as well.

However, I am a bit confused about the format today. Usually we have several people on this stage, and the discussion lasts for quite some time. Of course, I am ready to fly solo, as the organisers suggest, but I hope that it will not take four or five times longer than usual.

Thank you and let’s just skip the long welcoming remarks and go straight to our conversation, our work and our discussion.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, it is true that, as you have noted, Valdai has various points of view. There have always been many opinions, and this year is no exception.

Especially as we see our membership expand not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of representation of various countries and regions, which, or course, provides for differing visions.

This year we have a very busy agenda with a subject that has not been very characteristic for Valdai recently, because we usually talk about Russia practically all the time. Last time we talked about Russia was at the 10th meeting. And you certainly remember that it was a very large event; you attended, and we decided to return.

Not only because many of our participants, club members, asked for this, but also because we believe (Valdai has prepared an annual report for this session) the world is facing some very serious changes.

It is not only being globally transformed; but in some sense, we are losing the vision on what foundations it can be built later. We looked for these foundations in our previous reports, but now, in fact, we have given this up and can say that the moment when the changing of the world could be controlled has passed.

We will talk about this later, but this means that every country – big or small – should rely on itself above all, to provide for its own stability and development. This is why it would be reasonable to consider if we are ready for this. In this sense, of course, what you say is really firsthand information.

Unfortunately, our work is darkened by a tragic event. We have heard the news from Kerch. You talked about it yesterday, and we also spoke about this tragedy.

What is the main thing here? Of course the first thought that everybody here – or everybody everywhere – had was that it was a large terrorist attack again. Unfortunately, we are getting used to this. But later it turned out that the situation was a bit different.

Why is this coming back to me now? Not only because it just happened, but because it also brings up memories of the first Valdai Forum in Novgorod. You mentioned it; it took place against the backdrop of the Beslan tragedy.

I attended that forum, and many of those who are with us today did, too. I remember it well. The discussion was, of course, erratic as everyone kept going out to see what was happening on television, for lack of smartphones.

You were at Valdai then, but during the forum you recorded a televised address to the nation, which was harsh, understandably so given the context.

In the address, you said something that would be quoted later: “The weak get beaten. Some would like to cut a big piece of our pie. Others help them. Thinking that Russia, as one of the largest nuclear powers, is still a threat that must be eliminated. Terrorism is just a tool they use.”

Afterwards, when you talked to the Valdai members, you said that we had been challenged and that we would rise up to that challenge. It’s been 15 years; do you think we have?



Vladimir Putin:

That was some long opening statement. You started with “last time, during the 10th Valdai Forum; it was the 14th Valdai Forum” (Laughter.)



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You are better at math.



Vladimir Putin:

I am a better listener.

I would like to begin with what you did in fact, with yesterday’s tragedy. Among other things, paradoxically this appears to be the result of globalisation. We have seen whole communities spring up on the internet after the well-known tragic events in US schools. Young psychologically unstable people start to believe in false heroes.

This means that we, in Russia and globally, are failing to respond to the changes in the world. It means that we are not creating useful, interesting and essential content for young people, and they turn to this surrogate heroism that leads to tragedies like this.

There is a demand for true heroism in our lives. True heroism can manifest itself, in particular, by defending civilisation from today’s evils. Of course, terrorism is one of the most serious and challenging evils. I have said many times, including at the 70th session [of the UN General Assembly] in New York, that the only way to effectively stand up to terrorism is to join efforts.

Unfortunately, in the true sense of the word, we have not put this cooperation in place yet. There are some aspects of cooperation where we have succeeded but this is not enough. By the highest standards, we have failed to join efforts the way we should so far, while this could be done, based on the relevant international rules of law and UN resolutions.

I will try to give you a straight answer to your question: “Have we achieved the results we expected to achieve, beginning with those sad, tragic events which we witnessed or took part in in the mid-1990s and the early 2000s?”

Generally, yes, of course. Let us remember that – we tend to very quickly forget the wrongs done to us, trying to think only about positive things – a civil war was raging in Russia at the time. It was not a global war, and it did not involve the whole country but there were hostilities, a real war.

Warfare with the use of aviation and military hardware and so on, a huge number of militant groups on the territory of this country, with militants coming mostly from terrorist organisations based abroad, including Al-Qaeda who were active in this country.

Thank God, we got rid of this but we have not eradicated terrorism per se. Of course, terrorism still poses a great threat to our country as well, which was why we launched these operations in Syria.

Terrorism is a great threat to our neighbours, including Afghanistan – I see President [Hamid] Karzai here. If he is given the floor, he will tell us what is going on in his country today – this is also a serious threat. I mean that we have not defeated terrorism globally, of course, but we have delivered a tremendous blow to it and have certainly drastically changed the situation at home – in the Russian Federation – for the better.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

You are naturally inducing a different reminiscence. The Valdai conference from three years ago (in 2015), took place exactly two weeks after the military operation began in Syria.

I remember one of our colleagues asked you a question: “Was it actually worth being involved at all? Because of the costs, the casualties, and it is not clear how it will end.” And you said your branded phrase, which was quoted a lot later: “Fifty years ago, I learned one rule in the streets of Leningrad: if the fight is inevitable, be the first to strike.”

Well, we struck, and three years later, the situation in Syria has indeed changed dramatically, but it is still impossible to say that the problem has been resolved. Recent events make both positive and negative impressions. So I would like to repeat the question from three years ago: “Maybe it was not worth the risk, because the casualties have proven serious?“



Vladimir Putin:

I remember this question, but it sounded like “are casualties possible?” I then said: “Yes, they are, but we must prevent the worst course of events.” And what would the worst development be for us? Full “somalisation” of that region, complete degradation of statehood and infiltration of a significant part of the militants into the territory of the Russian Federation and into the territory of neighbouring states with which we have no customs barriers, or borders in fact, a visa-free regime. That would have posed a real, serious danger to us.

But we have largely ruled out that risk by our actions, because we did a lot of damage to the terrorists in Syria. Many of them were eliminated, and some of them, thank God, decided they wanted out: they laid down their arms after losing faith in the principles they considered right. This, I would say, is the most important outcome.

The second, no less important thing, is that we have preserved Syrian statehood and in this sense helped stabilise the region. We talked about this in some detail with the President of Egypt just yesterday; he shares this position, and it is shared by many other countries. Therefore, I believe we have generally achieved the goals we had set for ourselves in starting the operation in the Syrian Arab Republic; we have achieved a result.

Look, after all, for some years before us, countries that agreed to participate in these anti-terrorist operations, most often voluntarily, and maybe even with less than perfect goals and objectives – what result have we seen in the previous three years? None. While we have liberated almost 95 percent of the entire territory of the Syrian Republic. This is my first point.

Second. We supported Syria’s statehood, prevented the state from collapsing. True, there are still many problems. Now we see what is happening on the left bank of the Euphrates. Probably, our colleagues know: this territory is under the patronage of our American partners. They rely on the Kurdish armed forces.

But they have obviously left a loose end: ISIS remains in several locations and has begun to expand its area of influence recently. They took 130 families hostage – almost 700 people.

I think few of those present here know that they have made ultimatums, extended demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met, they would shoot 10 people every day. The day before yesterday, 10 people were shot. Executed. They have begun to fulfil their threats.

This is just horrifying. It is a tragedy I think. We need to do something about it. Why do our colleagues keep silent? According to our information, several US and European citizens are among the hostages.

Everyone is quiet, there is silence as if nothing is happening. Therefore, there is still much to be done; this is true. But I repeat, on the whole, we have achieved our goal.

The next step is a political settlement at the UN in Geneva. We need to form a constitutional committee now. Progress is not easy, but we are still moving forward. I hope that we will move ahead with our partners in this area.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You said, some of the militants lost faith and understood that they were wrong. First, are you sure they lost faith? Or maybe they were just overpowered, and they realized it was pointless to continue to fight, but the situation might change a little, and they will get their faith back?



Vladimir Putin:

Maybe. Maybe so. You are probably partly right.

Some of them have really laid down their arms and really realized they had false goals. Others have simply taken advantage of our humanitarian measures for the time being, and are ready to take up arms at any moment. This is possible.

This simply means we all need to be on the alert, not underestimate the threats, and step up our joint work to combat terrorism, the ideology of terrorism and the financing of terrorism.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

A question on current events, if I may. October 15 was a deadline set by Turkey to do certain things in Idlib. Do you think they accomplished what they were supposed to do?



Vladimir Putin:

No, not yet, but they are working on it. We see it. In this regard, I want to thank our Turkish partners. We see that they are working at this. This is not simple. On the contrary, everything is complicated, but they are honouring their commitments.

The demilitarised zone, on which we agreed, is being created in the Idlib de-escalation zone with a depth of 15–20 kilometres. Not all heavy weapons have been withdrawn yet, and not all members of the terrorist organisations ISIS and Jabhat an-Nusra have left, but our Turkish partners are doing their best to fulfil their obligations.

This, I repeat, is not easy, there is more than meets the eye. They have even deployed a military hospital in this zone because there are losses. They are acting very tough and are very effective in their fight against these terrorist groups.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

We are now switching to our favourite subject, which we discuss every year, because we inherited it from our American colleagues and, let’s face it, the United States is always on the agenda.

In 2016, you made a very colourful statement. It was a difficult period, as we all remember, following the Ukraine crisis, and the Syria crisis was already in full swing. There was a question from the audience: “Is this not the time to reduce tensions?” And you answered, “We are all looking forward to seeing geopolitical tensions reduced, but not by way of our funeral. If the cost for reducing geopolitical tensions is our funeral, we are not happy about it.“ Funeral is nowhere to be seen yet, but this method, I think, continues to be considered in some parts of the world as an option.

You had the experience of talking with the President of the United States recently, and, in general, much is going on, but things are exclusively negative. I may be wrong as an onlooker, but I have a feeling that your meetings with Mr Trump lead to results that are the opposite of what’s expected. In this regard, I have a question. Perhaps, it makes sense to even stop trying and take a break? They have their own big internal problems, let them figure it out.



Vladimir Putin:

You know, there is an old joke, but some people may not know it. They might find it amusing. It sounds like that. Question: ”How do you relax?“ Answer: ”I am relaxed.“ (Laughter.)

The same goes for tensions in international affairs. We are not creating any problems for anyone Are we the ones creating problems? No. Instead, we are being accused of things. They say that Russia was “highly likely” to have done this or that, intervened at one place and wreaked havoc at another. But, no one believes it is necessary to produce any evidence.

For me it is clear, and I have said this: this is the result of the internal political struggle in the Western world as a whole. Now they are fighting over the conditions for Britain’s exit from the EU; the Democrats and the Republicans are fighting in the United States, and there is controversy among the Republicans themselves. So someone has apparently decided that playing the anti-Russia card would be a very convenient way to resolve domestic political problems. This is bad for everyone.

I hope this will pass, but apparently we need to wait for internal political crises to be resolved. Whether this will happen after the Congressional election or not, I do not know yet, but maybe. Or maybe it will happen in 2020, with the next US presidential election, and then he will no longer have to constantly deal with those who speculate with anti-Russia rhetoric.

Were our meetings with President Trump harmful or helpful? I believe that, despite the attempt to discredit these meetings, they nevertheless were more positive than negative. Why? Because we can see what is happening there.

We can certainly see, we know how to read after all, we look at what is happening there in the domestic political landscape. Still, it is better to communicate and interact with each other than, forgive my language, engage in a never-ending dogfight.

Our meetings have hardly improved US domestic politics, I guess. Probably because, again, there are those who are always trying to play this card in the domestic political struggle.

I would say the incumbent president is geared to stabilise and level Russian-American relations. Let's see how the situation develops. We, in any case, are ready for this at any time.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Several books about Donald Trump have been released, one after another.



Vladimir Putin:

We will read them.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Yes, they are very interesting. They create this image of a person who only listens to and hears himself. When you meet with him, does he listen to you?



Vladimir Putin:

This is not true. Maybe he behaves this way with someone else – but then they are to blame. We have a comfortable professional dialogue with him. Of course he listens. And not just listens, I see that he reacts to the arguments I make. He may disagree with something I say, just as I would disagree with something he might say. We have different views on some things, different approaches, but this is a normal discussion between partners. I do not share the opinion of those who say that he speaks like a wood grouse calling out and never listening. That is not true.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You know that commentators and political scientists often say that when a relationship is deadlocked and this appears to be the case, a “sobering” crisis is beneficial because the countries realise that the danger is real and something needs to be done to move beyond the abyss.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was like that. Some suggest we need a similar crisis today to help the Americans shift their view from their domestic issues, and realize that the stakes are high and positive steps need to be taken.



Vladimir Putin:

This is a bad idea. Stirring up emotions is not our approach, as they say sometimes in our country. Generally speaking, it is irresponsible to lead the world to the brink of a global crisis whose consequences are hard to foresee. We have never used such a policy, and we will not do so in the future.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Thank you, that’s a comprehensive answer.

However, I will then mention another of your quotes. Speaking about antimissile systems in 2011, you said more broadly that Russia is not afraid of conflict. Back then it was one type of conflict, but today it’s different. What kind of conflict are we not afraid of today?



Vladimir Putin:

Any kind. We are not afraid of anything. Given our territory, our defence system, and our people that are ready to fight for independence and sovereignty — the willingness of our men and women to give up their lives for their country is not common among all nations. Nobody can change these things, and this makes us certain that we can feel secure.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Okay. You said we were not creating problems for anyone, but I think that some people in this hall will challenge you on this later, because the impression is that Russia is creating a lot of problems.



Vladimir Putin:

Later when? Let’s get started. How long will we be sitting here?



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Okay, I’m sorry.

Still, let’s assume this is the case. But if we aren’t creating any problems, others may be creating them for us.



Vladimir Putin:

Of course they are. Full ahead.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You once coined a wonderful phrase (a well-known metaphor that compares Russia to a bear): “The bear will not ask anyone for permission. He is the master of the taiga and he will not move to other climatic zones, but he will not give up his taiga to anyone, either. And everyone should be clear about that, that’s all there is to it.”

Is anyone encroaching on our taiga today, or are we already living in the “that’s all” era?



Vladimir Putin:

“That’s all” has always been there. It is ‘that’s all“ time now as well.

Look, we live in a world where security relies on nuclear capability. Russia is one of the largest nuclear powers. You may be aware, I have said it publicly, we are improving our attack systems as an answer to the United States building its missile defence system. Some of these systems have already been fielded, and some will be put into service in the coming months. I am talking about the Avangard system. Clearly, we have overtaken all our, so to speak, partners and competitors in this sphere, and this fact is acknowledged by the experts. No one has a high-precision hypersonic weapon. Some plan to begin testing it in one or two years, while we have this high-tech modern weapon in service. So, we feel confident in this sense.

Naturally, there are many other risks, but they are shared risks, such as environment, climate change, terrorism, which I mentioned, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. If we are unable to put an effective end to this, it is not clear where it will lead to, and in whose hands this deadly weapon may end up.

So, in this sense, nothing has changed. We are not going anywhere, we have a vast territory, and we do not need anything from anyone. But we value our sovereignty and independence. It has always been this way, at all times in the history of our state. It runs in the blood of our people, as I have repeatedly said. In this sense, we feel confident and calm.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

With regard to us not going anywhere and not needing anything, clearly, there are people who will disagree with you.



Vladimir Putin:

Absolutely.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

They will say, “What about Crimea?”



Vladimir Putin:

Crimea is our land. We are still not going anywhere. Why is it our land? Not because we went there and took it. Even if someone decides to argue with me, the dispute will immediately come to a dead-end. Everyone is democratic here, right? What is democracy? Democracy is the power of the people. How is it exercised, this power of the people? It is exercised through referendums, elections and so on. People came to a referendum in Crimea and voted for independence, first, and then for being part of Russia.

Let me remind you for the hundredth time that there was no referendum in Kosovo, only the parliament voted for independence, that was all. Everyone who wanted to support and destroy the former Yugoslavia said: well, thank God, we are fine with that. Here, however, they disagree. Ok then, let's have a discussion, go over the UN documents, see what the UN Charter is all about, and where it talks about the right of nations to self-determination. This will be an endless discussion. However, we proceed based on the will expressed by the people who live on that territory.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Now, about the people. I just remembered that at the 10th Valdai meeting in 2013 you mentioned Alexander Solzhenitsyn. One of his key ideas was that saving people is more important than anything else. Indeed, in the modern world, the competition for the people, the souls and minds and for human capital is more fierce than for the territories that may be acquired or not. Natalia Solzhenitsyn spoke on this issue at our session. We are discussing conventional conflicts here, but if we talk about conflicts or competition, certain rivalry, for human minds and souls, do you think we are prepared for it? Are we winning?



Vladimir Putin:

I think we are, pretty much yes. Look, there are senior executives from our television company Russia Today sitting across from me. What is happening in some countries where they operate? They are being banned. What does this mean? It means those who do so are afraid of the competition. This is what it means. We do not close anyone here, whereas they are faced with conditions that preclude their operation as mass media. Someone is making it hard for them. That means we are winning. We have just one radio station, and we are not a monopoly on this information field. We do not have global media like CNN, Fox News, BBC and so on. We do not have these. We have just one fairly modest channel. Even if it causes so much heartburn and fear of it being able to influence minds, then we are winning this competition. By the way, in France, I know, they don’t really like it, but if I ever have a chance to be in Paris, invite me, and I will come see you, see what is going on there and how things are with work.



Editor-in-Chief of Russia Today TV channel Margarita Simonyan:

You have our invitation.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Well, that is nice.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you, too.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Let’s continue this subject as it is important, I believe. In the now historic speech of 2014, which is now called the Crimea Speech in connection with Crimea rejoining Russia, you mentioned the Russian world, compatriots and a divided nation. It was exciting and impressive. However, by doing so you touched on very delicate strings and awakened very powerful emotions, because this national identity, what you think about yourself and your country, your land is, of course, a very powerful weapon which can be either positive or negative. Since then, we have seen many events that have occurred, including in the Russian world, and are still unfolding, such as the Ukrainian church, and, clearly, there will be more. Here is a question that may sound somewhat audacious: Do you regret raising this subject and touching it the way you did now that we know the results?



Vladimir Putin:

Frankly, I am not sure I understand your question. I think it is a natural thing to do, we should always raise this issue and never lose sight of it. Our national identity is what makes us who we are. It is our culture and history.

The preservation of the people, which you just said when you mentioned Solzhenitsyn, is not just about physical preservation, although, maybe, this is, above all, what Solzhenitsyn had in mind, but also about our identity as a people, otherwise we will simply erode and cease to exist. The history of mankind offers us similar examples. We will just be unable to recall the names of those peoples, who have already disappeared from our consciousness. There were lots of them. But why should we follow those examples? We want to be the Russians, or the Tatars, or the Jews, who live here, or the Mordovians, etc. We have 160 ethnic groups living in the Russian Federation. So why should we let ourselves be eroded? We treasure it and we must talk about it. We must strengthen our identity.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You have repeatedly said, including at Valdai forums, that nationalism and chauvinism of any kind cause a lot of damage, first, to that people and to that ethnos, whose interests nationalists are allegedly concerned about. In 2014, you told us that you are Russia's biggest nationalist. Are you still?



Vladimir Putin:

You are well-prepared, Mr Lukyanov.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

I prepared.



Vladimir Putin:

He is trying to take me at my word. No, there is no contradiction here. I will explain what I meant. What are the things that nationalists say, exhibit and flaunt all the time? They say that they are the best defenders of the interests of one ethnos or another, one people or another, one nation or another. While the Russian Federation initially shaped itself, from its very first steps, as a multi-ethnic state.

There are many people in this hall who deal with these matters professionally. I see the director of the Hermitage, who, though being an expert on the Middle East, knows well how the Russian nation was formed. So how did it emerge? The Russian nation did not exist forever. It was composed of various Slavic tribes. There were no Russians at a certain point. And then, on the basis of a common market, the power of the prince, a common language and, later, a common faith, the Russian nation emerged. But it consisted of various tribes. And then, when statehood started to form, the primeval form of Russian statehood, it comprised many Finno-Ugric peoples. Today, we find material evidence proving that Finno-Ugric peoples also inhabited central areas of the European part of modern Russia, and not just the Ladoga region.

Russia developed as a multi-ethnic state first, and then as a multi-religious state. But it has lived for a thousand years and remained stable primarily because a very tolerant relationship was initially established between all the ethnic groups within the state and the representatives of different religions. This is the groundwork for Russia’s existence. And if we want Russia to remain as it is, to develop and gain strength, while Russians remain a state-forming nation, then the preservation of this country serves the interests of the Russian people. But if we huff out this caveman nationalism and throw mud at people of other ethnic groups, we will destroy this country – something the Russian people are less than interested in. I want Russia to survive, including in the interests of the Russian people. In this context I have said that I am the most proper and true nationalist and a most effective one too. But this is not caveman nationalism, stupid and idiotic and leading to the collapse of our country. This is the difference.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

If there is only you, then this is not enough. Do you have like-minded people, the same kind of nationalists?



Vladimir Putin:

Yes. Almost 146 million of them.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Great.

Ok, Mr President, then it is agreed that Russia should not be destroyed. But you also made one very harsh statement not long ago.



Vladimir Putin:

Pestering me with these statements again.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Well, I'm sorry, it’s my job, they pay me for it.



Vladimir Putin:

Will there be just the two of us debating?



Fyodor Lukyanov:

One minute please. Everything in its time.

Can you please explain to me? You didn’t say this at Valdai: “Why do we need the world if Russia isn’t in it?” Many interpreted this in their own way, that you meant “after me, the deluge,” you know the expression. Is this what you meant, or, I suspect, you meant something else?



Vladimir Putin:

No. First, King Louis XIV said that in response to the accusations that he was spending too much money from the treasury on all sorts of palaces and entertainment. By the way, it was not such a waste, because after him a lot of things remained, palaces included. And second, he was also a statesman. If I remember correctly, he created the first regular army in Europe. Therefore, all the talk of his extravagance probably had real reason behind it, but this does not mean that he actually did what he once said during an argument.

As for my statement you quoted, I don’t remember, but I probably said it to Vladimir Solovyov.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Yes, in the film.



Vladimir Putin:

But you cannot quote things out of context. I will remind you what this was about. I was asked whether we were ready and whether I was ready to use the weapons we have, including weapons of mass destruction, to protect ourselves, to protect our interests. And that’s what I answered.

I will remind you of what I have said. I have said that our nuclear weapons doctrine does not provide for a pre-emptive strike. I would like to ask all of you and those who will later analyse and in one way or another interpret my every word here, to keep in mind that there is no provision for a pre-emptive strike in our nuclear weapons doctrine. Our concept is based on a reciprocal counter strike. There is no need to explain what this is to those who understand, as for those who do not, I would like to say it again: this means that we are prepared and will use nuclear weapons only when we know for certain that some potential aggressor is attacking Russia, our territory. I am not revealing a secret if I say that we have created a system which is being upgraded all the time as needed – a missile early warning radar system. This system monitors the globe, warning about the launch of any strategic missile at sea and identifying the area from which it was launched. Second, the system tracks the trajectory of a missile flight. Third, it locates a nuclear warhead drop zone.

Only when we know for certain – and this takes a few seconds to understand – that Russia is being attacked we will deliver a counter strike. This would be a reciprocal counter strike. Why do I say ‘counter’? Because we will counter missiles flying towards us by sending a missile in the direction of an aggressor. Of course, this amounts to a global catastrophe but I would like to repeat that we cannot be the initiators of such a catastrophe because we have no provision for a pre-emptive strike. Yes, it looks like we are sitting on our hands and waiting until someone uses nuclear weapons against us. Well, yes, this is what it is. But then any aggressor should know that retaliation is inevitable and they will be annihilated. And we as the victims of an aggression, we as martyrs would go to paradise while they will simply perish because they won’t even have time to repent their sins.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

I feel the urge to address Metropolitan Tikhon right away, however, I will do this a bit later, if you do not object.

I take it that you, Mr President, are bored with me as an interlocutor, so let me ask you one more question and then people from the floor will ask questions.

As a follow-up to what you said regarding a reciprocal counter strike and who will go where, last evening we had a remarkable meeting where Valery Gergiev gave a speech. He, in addition to being a great musician, is a man who plays an active role in social life and civil society.

He spoke about many things. He also said this: in his opinion, three countries and their three leaders have a great responsibility. These countries are – you can name them in any order – the US, Russia and China. Everything depends on them. They can achieve things and prevent things. In general, I agree with this.

I think it is obvious that there are three countries that have more opportunities and a greater potential, both destructive and creative. As a leader who carries this burden, do you ever feel scared? Or do you not think of it at all?



Vladimir Putin:

What do you mean by ‘scared’?



Fyodor Lukyanov:

It is a great responsibility.You are one of the three people responsible for the entire world.



Vladimir Putin:

And so?



Fyodor Lukyanov:

You have no fear?



Vladimir Putin:

No.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

All right, no further questions.



Vladimir Putin:

You know, this is actually a tricky question. Why? Because fear is the reverse side of the self-preservation behaviour that all people, all living things have. Everybody has the self-preservation instinct, and fear is an integral part of it. It is how we respond to a threat.

You know, after I graduated from university and went to work for the security services and then intelligence, this is how we were trained: if you have taken up something, some job, you need to think through in advance what it involves. And when you take it on, you need to act carefully, cautiously and responsibly, and you need to assess all the risks. It is extremely important, especially for people who are responsible for their compatriots, for millions of people.

You mentioned earlier that during the tragic events of the late 1990s-early 2000s, when I flew over Grozny I saw that it had been destroyed completely, like Stalingrad. Shots could come from behind every rock, and they did, by the way . We flew at a low altitude above some areas because it was too dangerous to fly higher. It was the first time I saw that a helicopter could fly so low and so fast; I did not think it was possible. But it was my choice, you see?

And it is still my choice. I think it is the same for everybody, for all of my colleagues. But if you have decided something for yourself, if you have made your choice, you must act without thinking about some negative consequences for yourself. You must think about a positive outcome for the people you are doing this for.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

There are two aspects to fear. On the one hand, what you are talking about is your internal feeling, and on the other hand it is a leadership style. Do you think ruling by fear is an effective way to govern?



Vladimir Putin:

No. It is a bad management method, because it is very unreliable. The best way to govern, in terms of having contact with society, is by convincing people and using positive motivation.

It requires the joint efforts of the people you communicate with. You must not allow any separation of those who make decisions from those who implement them. All people should collaborate in the implementation; that would be efficient joint work with a positive result.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58848
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Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club - PART II



Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 15th anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.



October 18, 2018 - 17:50 - Sochi








Fyodor Lukyanov:

Let us move on to joint efforts. Sheng Shiliang is our old-timer.



Sheng Shiliang:

Mr President, you have rightly noted that, indeed, Russia never creates problems for others. But, as a Chinese proverb goes, the trees want to remain quiet, but the wind will not stop. We are not left in peace. Firstly, both China and Russia have been labelled “revisionist states.”

Secondly, Russia and China are declared, along with Iran and North Korea, to be the main adversaries of the greatest, most peaceful, and most offended country in the world and of all times.

Thirdly, there are the sanctions imposed on you, and the trade war waged against us. The situation is very serious. I have a quote from a well-known Hong Kong mafia film: the uncle is very angry; the consequences will be very serious.

This means we have much in common. I would like to ask you how Russia is going to respond. And what recommendations would you give to us, to China?



Vladimir Putin:

My dear friend and colleague, I think China is no less a great country, and the Chinese people are no less a great nation than the one you have just mentioned.

The Chinese civilisation is a great ancient civilisation. I do not think China even needs our recommendations. I can only express my point of view on this matter.

You cited the Chinese proverb, the trees want to remain quiet, but the wind will not stop. However, the weather is changeable. A time will come when the wind will calm down. It seems to me one does not need to immediately respond to certain things that might aggravate the situation in some way. But one must certainly always respond and protect one’s own interests. As a matter of fact, we are doing just that – both China and Russia.

So why am I saying that the weather is changeable, and the wind will stop blowing at some point? The fact is that those who stir up this wind, they also suffer from it.

You mentioned trade wars and sanctions. You know, I am not even going to say anything new for some people here in this hall, the experts will understand what I am talking about.

Firstly, a certain part of US rhetoric is related to their domestic political situation. Secondly, what is the domestic policy calendar? Midterm elections are underway, which will be followed by the presidential election. Certain economic trends need to be preserved. In the medium term, such actions may lead to a positive result.

However, in the long term, in my opinion, negative consequences will follow inevitably, because everything that is being done now affects the global economy and influences its segments in individual countries.

The US and China exchange blows that cost some $500 million. And if they keep doing so, it will amount to $1.5 trillion, which is 0.4 percent of the global economy.

It will be one of the reasons for a future recession of the global economy. Everyone will feel it and nobody wants it to happen. Therefore, it is possible to stir up a wind at some point, but a moment will come when it will not benefit anybody.

Therefore, I think the Chinese civilization is very old, the Chinese people have a lot of patience and I think the fundamental structure of the Chinese economy will allow them to endure everything. In terms of volume, the Chinese economy has outgrown the US economy; the per capita figure is still smaller, of course, taking into account China’s huge population.

Of course, the American economy is high-tech and introduces contemporary innovative technologies quickly, so both Russia and China have something to work on and to learn from our American colleagues. Nevertheless, the world is changing and so is the global economy; the growth rate of the Chinese economy is high.

It has adjusted, as we see, but it remains high. It will inevitably lead to a change in the economic situation between countries and in the global economic environment. This poses certain threats, and not only for countries, but for the global economy as well, I would say.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

To use the wind metaphor – let the east wind blow some more. Let us hear from our colleague from Japan.

What do you think he will ask, Mr President?



Vladimir Putin:

I have no idea.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Neither do I.



Vladimir Putin:

Is it about the islands again? Not interested.



Question:

Sorry, but I have to ask. Two years ago, I asked you here in this hall how realistic it was to expect a favourable atmosphere for Japan and Russia to sign a peace treaty in the near future, say within two, three or four years. You said it was wrong, impossible and even harmful to set a fixed timeframe, because there was not enough trust between us at the time.

In September 2018, during the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, you suggested to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, “Let us sign a peace treaty, not now, but by the end of the year without any preconditions.”

Could you please clarify: does this mean that enough trust has already been established between us to sign a peace treaty, bearing in mind what you said two years ago, or does it mean something else?



Vladimir Putin:

Indeed, I spoke about the need to build trust. I am not saying what comes next is an insurmountable obstacle. Nonetheless, we are talking about increasing trust, about the possibility of signing a peace treaty, of reaching some compromise on the territorial issues that Japan constantly raises, although we do not believe they even exist, and yet, we do not reject this dialogue.

At the request of Prime Minister Abe, we have established simplified formalities for Japanese citizens visiting these territories, so they can visit their historical places, family graves, and so on. That is, for our part, we are tying to create the necessary conditions of trust.

However, Japan has imposed sanctions against us. Do you think this looks like a step towards increasing trust? What does Syria or Crimea have to do with Japan? Why did you do it? To increase trust? Yet, we still do not refuse; we are ready to continue this dialogue. We are not avoiding contacts.

Just now, your Chinese colleague asked a question. We have been having a discussion over territorial issues with China for many years, for 40 years, in fact. Can you imagine that? Forty years. Russia-China relations saw a lot in that time, but in the end, we signed a friendship agreement. And we have reached a level of understanding between Russia and China that is assessed as unprecedented by both our countries. However, the territorial issue had not been resolved yet by that time.

But the fact that we signed these documents with China, with our Chinese friends, the fact that we have built such a system of relations – did it put an end to our debates over the territorial issues? No, it did not. On the contrary, this created an environment necessary for resolving these issues, which is exactly what we did in the end – we signed the necessary document, finding compromise.

I said the same thing to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I said that if we fail to sign this peace agreement now, without resolving the issue of those islands, this would not mean that we would consign it to the dustbin of history and go on as if nothing happened. The example of our relations with China showcases the opposite: we created an environment of trust, and then resolved the issue. This was exactly what I suggested.

Our dispute with Japan over these issues dates back 70 years, and we cannot seem to find a solution, a way out of the dead end. But let us finally sign this peace agreement, work on improving our level of trust, refrain from creating new problems in bilateral relations and move on, and keep discussing these territorial issues.

We are not saying no, but Prime Minister Abe has his own opinion on this. Later, when we attended the junior judo tournament, we continued discussing this issue in an informal setting.

He said that as of today, Japan finds this approach unacceptable, and we must first find solutions to the issues that are key to resolving the territorial issues, and then start discussing a peace agreement.

We can do that, but we have been doing it for 70 years, and there seems to be no end in sight. We are talking about carrying out joint economic activities on these islands, and the ideas are good, but so far, they are being implemented on a very small scale – that is the problem. However, we are ready to keep working on this, certainly.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

Your Grace Metropolitan Tikhon, please.



Chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture Metropolitan Tikhon:

The round table I took part in here, at Valdai, dealt with cultural issues, or to be exact, whether and how culture can affect the life of society in the 21st century and today.

At the onset of the discussion Mr Zanussi asked the following question, Can we even grasp, can we assess a nation’s culture today? An opinion was voiced that the level of charity in society may be such an assessment criterion. I mean general culture, not its specific manifestations.

It may seem that it was a fairly abstract discussion. But the events in Kerch, even though we do not fully understand the motives behind this ill-fated person’s actions, let us see how aggression and intolerance are on the rise not only in Russia but also generally everywhere.

My question is as follows: Firstly, what do you yourself think of the conclusions we have made at this round table regarding charity as a key criterion of society’s general culture?

Secondly, we talk a lot of about state culture policy nowadays. There is a lot of debate. We are all aware that the state will not regulate culture in a rough or intrusive way, and this is probably absolutely correct. But can the state deliberately support all those creative and historical spiritual and cultural keynote dominants that have developed in Russia, something we call spiritual and cultural values?



Vladimir Putin:

I think this what we have been doing, in reference to the second part of your question. I think the state must do this very carefully by allowing people with different outlooks to work out their own views, express them and compete, let us say, with your views. It may seem surprising for me to say that, but I think this is the way it is.

My sympathies certainly lie with you, but as a state official, I still think it is my duty to ensure the opportunity for every person to express their position. Why? Because my position is based on the first part of your comment.

What is charity? To use more modern words, it is tolerance, commitment to compromise. At any rate, it is one of the facets of charity. This is the way it is. If we claim that charity, tolerance is a criterion of culture, then we must be in a position to let people express their views and listen to them.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Since His Grace raised the issue of charity, I cannot but give the floor to Nyuta Federmesser.



Founder of the Vera Hospice Charity Fund Nyuta Federmesser:

Thank you very much. First, thank you for the chance to be here. Yesterday there was also a very important discussion on the interaction between society and the authorities. Thank you for bringing me in on this issue.

During the first half (I hope the second half is still to come), you spoke and the questions that were asked were mostly about war. As a representative of a totally different side of life, since we will all die anyway, I do not understand why this pain could be induced…



Vladimir Putin:

This may happen in a variety of ways.



Nyuta Federmesser:

Yes, absolutely.

In palliative care, in hospices, dying is always preceded by a tremendous concentration of love. Because when people know that this is to come, that it is ahead and that they do not have much time, they spend all that time saying, “Forgive me,” “I forgive you” and “I love you.” Whereas what we talked about here was about a different kind of death: death related to hate.

You said you have no fear, no fear of the responsibility for the world. We have an incredible number of people in our country totalling 18 million with family members, 18 million of those who have fear because their loved ones are severely ill or dying without getting adequate help.

It is clear that this is not the first time I speak about palliative care and hospices, and we have been drafting a priority project, you know about that, it was done in part following your instructions. About a year ago, incredible funds were allocated to palliative care development, which, unfortunately, will not be spent. They were allocated in such a way that as of today only 12 percent was spent on palliative care while the rest of the funds will go back to the budget. And I am terribly afraid that I will have no right to say to you, “Mr President, can we revisit the palliative aid issue?” because you will say, “But the funds were returned, so they were not needed.”

I would very much like that alongside considering Russia’s totally different role in world history and sanctions from all sides, we would also discuss the people who make up the country. Eighteen million is a huge figure. There are 1,300,000 – one million three hundred thousand *– of those who die each year while needing that care. I want to see care for those people, who are afraid, also to become a priority area. I want them to reply as easily as you did to that question, “I have no fear.” No fear because they know that the state will protect them, the system will protect them, and this help is very inexpensive.

And to protect them, there is no need to reshuffle the economy and re-shape the GDP or whatever. What is needed is your very firm decision, as firm as regarding the issues discussed earlier. Well, that is probably all. I just want those people to also be able to quietly say “We have no fear” thanks to your efforts. Thank you very much. I have the relevant papers with me.



Vladimir Putin:

All right, I will definitely take them.

Firstly, I completely agree with you that our discussions, our internal discussions should be centred on our problems, domestic problems, our people’s lives, which is actually a major part of our work. And as you said, the fact that we are discussing war – and not just war but terrorism and other similar issues – is due to the way our host Mr Lukyaunov organised the discussion, I am not the one who organises it, it is done by the host, so let us put all the blame on him.

As to the problem you raised, it is obviously very sensitive, demanding special attention and tact from the state. Ultimately – you said it yourself – the state allocated the funds. The fact that only 12 or 16 percent were used means the work was poorly organised. I assure you that it does not mean that I will say to you, “The money was allocated and you did not use it, so that’s it, good-bye.” Do not worry, this will never happen.

I know the way money is spent, and very often, funds allocated by the state to handle certain matters of absolute priority do not reach the end receiver. If they are returned to the budget, it does not mean that they will stay there for good and the necessary funds will never be allocated again. We will certainly keep doing it.

Yet we have to admit that whatever the state might do, it is impossible to completely solve any problem 100 percent. Life is more complicated and keeps throwing in more and more of new problems for us. Of course, efforts by the state are very important, as are those by society and religious organisations, by the way. It is religious organisations, and I mean our traditional faiths, that create the internal strength and internal basis for any person to feel secure in this fast-changing and fairly dangerous world.

The state will definitely pursue all the tasks in the context you have just mentioned. Do not worry. I will take your documents, of course. It does not mean we will wrap up the topic just because someone underused the funds. Have no doubt. I will see why such a small percentage was spent. It looks strange.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

I seem to be the chief militarist here. I am going to prove this is not true. Behind me is the world’s most cheerful man, a food producer, who made an indelible impression during the conference.



Head of the Cheesemakers Union of Russia Oleg Sirota:

Good afternoon, Mr President. I am a farmer from Moscow Region, I make cheese. Let me begin by saying on behalf of the farmers, we have been telling you this repeatedly over the last four years….



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr Sirota, the concise version, please.



Oleg Sirota:

I wanted to thank you for the sanctions. In fact, we had a long discussion about this with experts at our session…



Vladimir Putin:

You should thank the Americans, not me.



Oleg Sirota:

That is what we were debating, who to thank, Obama, Merkel or you? Anyway, thank you for all of that.

Russian agriculture is clearly thriving. Take me: I sold my flat, my car, my business, made an investment, and my cheese-making factory has been growing 300 percent a year. The agricultural breakthrough is boosted by protectionism, the sanction shield, the cheap ruble, and care, such as record subsidies.



Vladimir Putin:

What kind of cheese do you produce?



Oleg Sirota:

Hard and semi-hard. We are thinking about exporting them. Next year, our cheese will make Vienna, Munich and Berlin tremble. I assure you, we already have an agreement.



Vladimir Putin:

Will they tremble because your product is delicious, or because it is something else?



Oleg Sirota:

Because it is delicious.



Vladimir Putin:

Or is it the smell?



Oleg Sirota:

Our cheese is tasty, hard and cheap thanks to the ruble rates.

It is attracting investors, including international ones. Everyone has begun investing in Russia’s agriculture. We have partners from Switzerland who relocated to Russia and are building farms. I was asked repeatedly during the session about what would happen if the sanctions were cancelled. What would I do? Would it be a disaster?

So I have a question myself: will the Government continue to pay close attention to our industry, to support it and to continue with protectionism, if the sanctions are lifted? Because we need to be able to sleep well for a few years.

And a personal question, if I may. Mr President, I am Russia’s record holder in that I have tried nine times to give you my cheese as a gift, and nine times it was confiscated by your security detail, who must be doing a great job.



Vladimir Putin:

And enjoying great meals as well.



Oleg Sirota:

It would seem so. So my question is whether they have let the cheese through, Mr President, or not? One time I even wrote a message thanking you for the sanctions. They said they were going to pass it on. Did they? Or did they eat it themselves?



Vladimir Putin:

They ate it.



Oleg Sirota:

I see.



Vladimir Putin:

They ate it themselves.

This is not a joke, what I am going to tell you. My colleagues gave me several bottles of wine, and my security asked whether they should test it or if I would drink it. I told them to check it. Especially given that I am not big on alcohol.

Regarding cheese and what happens if sanctions are lifted. First of all, we are not seeing them readying to lift any sanctions so you can sleep tight.

Second. The longer it goes on, the less likely those who quit Russia’s market are to be able to return. You know this better than I do, as a producer. If your product is of high quality, as it seems to be the case, and if you are thinking about exporting, it means that your quality is on par with competition, but production and logistics costs will always be lower. Therefore, your rivals will have a hard time pushing you out of the domestic market. I think it is virtually impossible, especially if you work with retail chains and shops. Still, you need to be ready that they may try.

You know, I want to say this. You and I, let me say “we”. Why? Because we are onto one and the same task – developing Russia’s economy, and, in this case, such an important industry as agriculture. We need to be ready to face competition. There is no use thinking that we will continue to restrict and block foreigners, keeping our market exclusive for domestic producers. If we do, the quality will fall in the end. I am not talking about cheese alone, but about all agricultural production, and not just agricultural. We need to create natural market competition, at this time at the very least between domestic producers. We will be focusing on this. Support to agriculture will not dwindle, we will be stepping it up.



Oleg Sirota:

Excellent. Thank you.

Mr President, let me jump on the occasion before they take the mic…



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Stop, Oleg, you are not the only one here.



Oleg Sirota:

I have got a head of cheese for you. Please, come and get it, it has been waiting for you for four years.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Here it comes.



Vladimir Putin:

Let me have it right now, or it will not get through again.



Oleg Sirota:

Good.



Vladimir Putin:

I hope to finally get your cheese. Where are you based?



Oleg Sirota:

Istra, Moscow Region.



Vladimir Putin:

Is the cheese there?



Oleg Sirota:

On the shelf in storage.



Vladimir Putin:

In storage?



Oleg Sirota:

It has been waiting for you for four years.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

What is more, the quality has not deteriorated.



Vladimir Putin:

That is because it is good. What do you call it?



Oleg Sirota:

You must have tasted it while stationed in Germany. It is Bergkäse, a hard Alpine cheese.



Vladimir Putin:

Great.



Oleg Sirota:

We call it Istra Cheese.



Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, do inform Karin Kneissl that they are going to tremble over there in Vienna. After all, the cheese is coming.



Vladimir Putin:

And the consumers will like it.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

Of course.

Ragida Dergham, go ahead, please.



Ragida Dergham:

Thank you, my name is Ragida Dergham. I am Founder and Executive Chairman of Beirut Institute. It’s a think tank for the Arab region with a global reach. So I have specific question about three countries, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

On Saudi Arabia, of course, the world is preoccupied with the developments, and I’m wondering what consequences or… Do you see that there may be consequences, on your particular relationships, Russian-Saudi relations, given that you have been eager to have good relations and beyond.

On Egypt, you had magnificent success yesterday with President el-Sisi. Did you agree also that Egypt would play a role in Syria, particularly, in rehabilitating the government of Syria with the Arab League and the Gulf states?

And lastly, on Iran. Why, Mr President, don’t you feel comfortable asking the Iranians to withdraw from Syria since you have said in the past all forces would go. Why can’t you be specific? That would help probably in bringing your own troops back home. And maybe the public would be more comfortable then being worried about their troops. And also, this is a big issue between you and the United States. And I think I have heard you say you would like to have good relations. Can you solve that? Do you feel comfortable to deal with the Iranian question and have better relations with the United States? Thank you, sir.



Vladimir Putin:

I will begin with the last part of your question, Iran. It is better to worry about our military personnel on the territory of Syria instead of having to worry about our fighters on Russia’s territory.

Fighting terrorists while they are still far away from our borders is better for us in order to prevent them from coming to our country. This has already happened in the not-so-distant past, as I have already mentioned. It is better for us to fight them over there, rather than here. This is the first thing I wanted to say.

Second, coming back to Iran. It is not up to Russia to persuade Iran to leave Syria. After all, both Syria and Iran are sovereign countries, and they should build their own relationship.

Yes, Russia does have serious, deep-rooted ties both with Iran and Syria. Moreover, we have been able to resolve certain issues by engaging in dialogue and discussions with our Iranian partners, including on withdrawing offensive systems from the Israeli border and the Golan Heights.

As for the complete withdrawal, this is a separate issue that has to be resolved through dialogue between Iran and Syria, as well as between Iran and the United States. We are ready to join this discussion.

Third, in order for Syria to move forward with the help of its allies, including Iran, the Syrian state needs a safe and enabling environment.

This means that those who want Iranian troops to withdraw from Syria must guarantee non-interference in the domestic affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, stop funding terrorists or using them for political aims to fight the legitimate regime in Syria, its government, and so on. This is a complicated matter that is relevant for all parties to this conflict.

As I have already pointed out in public, Russia believes that once the decisions of this kind are taken, including the definitive victory over terrorists, all foreign troops must leave the Syrian Arab Republic as the country improves its defence capability and in keeping with the wishes of the Syrian government. This is the main criteria.

Now concerning Saudi Arabia. What is it that is bothering you? I can’t understand. We have built really good relations with Saudi Arabia in recent years.

Please, specify your question about Saudi Arabia. What is it that is perplexing you in this regard? Why should our relations with Saudi Arabia break down?



Ragida Dergham:

As you know, because of the developments in Istanbul, at the Saudi Consulate, there is a big interest worldwide in the investigation regarding the assassination or the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was our colleague and has been a participant in the Valdai Group. So this is what I am talking about. Right now, of course, there is pressure on President Trump that may reflect on the mid-term elections, and there are countries pulling out and countries being concerned, I mean, media and others are concerned about continuing to be present in Saudi Arabia given the alleged feeling that maybe someone in the government may be involved in this atrocity, of killing of Jamal Khashoggi. That is what I meant. Do you think it will impact your relations with Saudi Arabia at all? And please do not forget the questions about Egypt.

Thank you.



Vladimir Putin:

As far as I know, the journalist, who has disappeared and whom you have just mentioned, lived in the United States of America. He lived in the US, not in Russia. In this sense, the US, of course, bears certain responsibility for what has happened to him. This goes without saying.

He was the one to go to the United States for asylum. In this connection, I would like to say the following. First, we should wait for the results of the investigation to become available. How can we, Russia, start spoiling relations with Saudi Arabia while being unaware of what has really happened over there?

As far as I can judge, this man was to a certain extent a member of the Saudi elite. In some way or other, he was connected with certain ruling circles. It is hard to say, what is going on there.

But we can see that complicated processes are also taking place within the US elites. I hope America will not go as far as Saudi Arabia did. But we don’t know what, in fact, has happened over there. So why should we take any steps directed at downgrading our relations, if we do not understand what is really happening?

If someone understands it and believes that a murder has been committed, then I hope that some evidence will be presented and we will adopt relevant decisions based on this evidence. This gives me a pretext to say something else.

From time to time, there are steps taken against Russia and even sanctions are imposed, as I have repeatedly said, on the basis of flimsy excuses and pretexts. They groundlessly claim that we have allegedly used chemical weapons, even though, incidentally, we have destroyed our chemical weapons, while the United States has failed to do so despite the obligation to that effect it assumed.

So, there is no proof against Russia but steps are being taken. According to claims, the murder was committed in Istanbul, but no steps are being taken.

Uniform approaches to problems of this kind should be sorted. To reiterate: Our policy towards Saudi Arabia has evolved over a long period of time, over many years. Of course, it is a misfortune that a man has disappeared, but we must understand what has really happened.

Yes, as for Egypt, we have very good, friendly relations. We recently marked the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations and they are not being revived, they have been revived and the quality and level of our relations are actively improving.

We have ambitious plans for joint work in the economy and energy, I mean both hydrocarbons and nuclear energy. We are starting to build a nuclear power plant, as you know, using a Russian-provided $25 billion loan. It is a good loan with an advantageous interest rate. The payments of the principal amount will begin in 2029, so these conditions are quite good. Thus, we both provide orders for our power-generating equipment manufacturers and develop Egypt’s economy.

We cooperate very effectively in industrial production: we have agreed to obtain a large, 525-hectare plot of land, where we will build timber processing, engineering, pharmaceutical and other facilities, creating 35,000 jobs.

As for the overall value of investments, we count on at least $7 billion. Our state allocation will be $190 million to create the necessary infrastructure.

We also work a lot in the area of military-technical cooperation and purely military cooperation. We regularly hold joint military exercises, both in Russia and Egypt. The most recent one, I think, finished in Egypt just yesterday or maybe is still on.

We have developed our relationship and will go further with this, and our partners are interested in doing so. As for Egypt’s participation in the Syrian settlement, it is significant. There is the so-called Cairo Platform that unites a number of opposition groups.

We see that Cairo has a positive influence on these people and encourages them to work with the Government of Syria, but, naturally, they have their own position on how the work should be organised. As usual, the eventual result will arise from compromises and agreements.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, a practical question to follow: Is flight security in Egypt no longer an issue? Has it been resolved?



Vladimir Putin:

No, it has not. As you know, we resumed flights between Moscow and Cairo. Charter flights to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are to reopen soon. We discussed this issue with President el-Sisi, and I think that these routes will restart soon.

However, our experts at the Ministry of Transport and special security services, along with their Egyptian colleagues, have a bit more work to do. We know what they have to do and by what time. I will not get ahead of myself, but I hope it will happen soon.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Professor Toloraya, please.



Georgy Toloraya:

Georgy Toloraya, the Russky Mir Foundation and the National Committee for BRICS Studies.

Mr President, in the morning we widely discussed Asia, the east wind and Russia’s European-Pacific characteristics. In fact, I think that this autumn marks a milestone with respect to Asian politics: the Eastern Economic Forum was attended for the first time by all the leaders of Northeast Asia except North Korea; I also know that you will attend the East Asia Forum in Kuala Lumpur.

There are big problems in Asia, and one of them, my favourite, is the Korean problem. Now we can see significant progress. Last year when we met it seemed that we were on the brink of war, but now we may be on the brink of peace.

How do you think Russia can help the peace process, in particular, the agreement between North Korea and the US? It is no secret that the Russian diplomats do a lot, but maybe they can do more.

And regarding sanctions. We suffer under the sanctions. Our trilateral project, Rajin-Khasan, suffers. Isn’t it time for us to take some measures in this regard?



Vladimir Putin:

You know, the situation around the Korean Peninsula is moving in a positive direction in general. You have noted this, too; we all can see this. You have just said that we were on the brink of war, and now, thank god, we are on the brink of peace.

Direct contacts between the US administration and North Korea are ongoing. I hope they will continue soon, in the near future. We hear that preparations for a new meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un are underway. I also hope it will take place.

Let me express my position once again; I have already spoken about this. I do not think that this work will be effective if it is a one-way street. Demanding total disarmament and total denuclearisation from North Korea without providing any security guarantees is hardly a good approach.

Nevertheless, anything is possible. If North Korea believes the promises of the US, this could be the best way to de-escalate the situation. It is difficult for me to say.

What positive role could Russia play here? We could implement those trilateral plans we have discussed many times: connecting the South Korea – North Korea – Russia railway; power lines; and a pipeline from Russia to South Korea via North Korea, including gas routes. We still could establish some joint enterprises. Of course, it would be a contribution.

This is because joint work in the economy unites us and creates conditions to resolve political and security issues. Let us not forget that China has done a great deal in this regard. Russia and the People’s Republic of China have a joint platform. We are trying – I will not repeat this now because I have said it many times – to comply with these joint agreements.

What else can Russia do? I think (I have also said this many times, but I will repeat it once again) that it is very important to establish security guarantees for North Korea. Of course, Russia could also play a certain role here, because I believe that if we want these guarantees to be effective they should be international.

We do not want to see any military action there or any tensions. Russia and North Korea are neighbours; so Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a nuclear power, as well as other participants of this process – China and the United States – could of course make a contribution by creating and participating in the system of guarantees.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

Yerlan Karin.



Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Karin:

Good evening, Mr President. I would like to take the Asian issue further. Five years ago, during his visit to Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about the Belt and Road Initiative.

Two years later, you and the Chinese President adopted a joint statement on integrating the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Today, given the current events in the international political arena, all these sanctions and more trade disputes between China and the United States, are these initiative still relevant? Are they losing their importance, or are there new prospects? I would like to hear your point of view.

And the second question. In August, together with your colleagues, leaders of Caspian states, you adopted a very important document in Aktau, a convention that, as many think, has become a sort of constitution of the Caspian region. How do you see the further cooperation in the region and the resolution of other issues related to this area?



Vladimir Putin:

First, as regards China's Belt and Road Initiative and everything related to it, including the economic aspect. This initiative of our friend, and I indeed consider him our friend, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is becoming even more relevant. This is because all economic restrictions are, on the one hand, putting pressure on the global economy and markets, which is a negative factor, yet these actions create certain windows of opportunities.

This means that in these circumstances Russia can carve out an additional niche. For instance (this is not the key point, but still): Americans used to deliver a great deal of soybeans to China, and now we will slowly enter this Chinese market with our soy, and we will give our Chinese partners the opportunity to produce soybeans in the Russian Far East in the event they want to invest their money in this agricultural sector.

Say, in aircraft engineering. Indeed, China like us was a major purchaser of Boeings. And now together we have intensified the work on a wide-bodied long-range aircraft. We will move on and construct big heavy helicopters. We will jointly continue our work on space programmes.

We have a huge trade turnover when it comes to the field of military-technical cooperation and we have agreed that we will engage not only in sales but we will also transfer technology. We are interested in this not to the detriment of our security and nobody should have any doubts about this. This is why I mention the high level of trust between our countries that we have attained.

The development of infrastructure is extremely important for the region in general, so we welcome, say as part of this Chinese initiative – the Silk Road – participation of our Chinese friends in the development of the Northern Sea Route. These are absolutely specific things.

The Chinese Silk Road Fund is one of the shareholders of our new LNG enterprise in the Arctic established by our company NOVATEK jointly with the French company Total. This is real work.

The enterprise has been built and is up and running. Therefore, someone’s sanctions do not make this initiative less relevant, on the contrary it is taking on a new aspect.

Our trade turnover with EU countries is actually growing. It shrank by 50% but now it is increasing year after year. Trade with the Asian-Pacific region is expanding at priority rates. While the EU share in our trade turnover is 42 percent, the Asian countries have already reached 31 percent and it is on the rise.

Of course, we are interested in building infrastructure, including in the field of transport. Of course, we are interested in building up the operations of the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways. We expect the railway cargo traffic to go up four times and the cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route to grow up to 80 million tonnes.

And all this is absolutely naturally compatible with the Chinese initiative and our development within the Eurasian Economic Union where Kazakhstan is also one of the key players.

So, we are happy with the way this situation is developing in this sphere and we will be most active in working jointly with all our partners.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Andrei Sushentsov, welcome.



Andrei Sushentsov:

I am Andrei Sushentsov from the School of International Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).

There have been media reports on a number of countries developing biological weapons agents, and the issue of the presence of the United States' biological laboratories on the territory of other countries has long been a concern among experts.

Recently, the former Georgian minister of state security presented documents to the media regarding this. There is a convention that prohibits the development of biological weapons. What measures can be taken in response? And is this data true?



Vladimir Putin:

I would not judge whether this is true or not. I saw this statement by the former Georgian minister of state security. This is definitely cause for concern. These developments – if they are actually taking place – are very dangerous and are related to the latest achievements in genetics.

From what I have seen, I can only repeat what is there: it is about finding agents that can selectively affect people depending on their ethnic group, and over two or three generations, allegedly, they have used animals to conduct such experiments.

Dogs and rats have relatively short lifecycles, and in the second or third generation changes occur that dramatically alter the initial look. If this is so then it poses a big threat.

How can this be prevented? Everyone has to be aware that nothing comes from nothing and nothing disappears; every action has a reaction, or rather, an opposite. So if someone is developing this technology, they have to understand that others will be doing so as well. So it is better to sit at the negotiating table beforehand and develop unified rules of conduct in this very sensitive area.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Yaroslav Lisovolik.



Chief Economist of the Eurasian Development Bank Yaroslav Lissovolik:

Good evening, Mr President. During today's discussion, you mentioned the refocusing Russia's foreign trade towards Asia. The question is to what extent this can be expressed in currencies other than the dollar. Are there opportunities for the de-dollarization of the global economy?

There are different opinions, and this issue is being actively discussed not only in Russia but internationally as well. It would seem that given the exaggerated role of the dollar in past decades, there is a lot of room for de-dollarization. On the other hand, the developing markets' currency volatility poses certain questions here. What is your opinion regarding the opportunity for the de-dollarization of the global economy?



Vladimir Putin:

First, we are not making an effort to redirect our foreign trade from Europe towards Asia. This is just happening naturally. For example, our trade with the European Union was 450 billion (euros or dollars, I do not remember exactly, but that’s not important), and today it doesn’t even amount to 300 billion, or even 250 billion. But there is growth: last year it was 23 percent and during the first eight months of this year it was 22 percent.

In Asia, mutual trade is growing slightly faster. So, as I mentioned, Russia’s foreign trade is 41 percent European Union, and 31 percent the Asian countries. If this trend continues, the figures will soon become equal.

As regards using the dollar in international transactions, I am not the only one talking about this. For instance, the French president recently mentioned this. He said Europe should increase its economic and financial sovereignty. This means shifting from the US dollar, and France is one of the United States' major trade and economic partners.

As I recently said, our American friends are quarrelling with their bread and butter. They challenge the reliability of the dollar as a universal tool for international settlement. Once again, this is a typical mistake for an empire.

Why is this happening? Because – and I am not lashing out at anyone – but an empire always thinks it can make minor mistakes and allow excess, because its might makes it all irrelevant.

But the number of these excesses and minor mistakes inevitably grows, and the time comes when this cannot be handled either from a security standpoint or from an economic standpoint. Obviously, this is the way our American friends are acting; they are devaluating confidence in the dollar as a universal settlement tool and the world's sole reserve currency.

And of course, everyone started giving it more thought. The EU countries want to conduct trade with Iran. They do not think Iran has violated anything in its nuclear deal with the international community. And it actually has not. But our US partners decided that this deal should be revised, but the Europeans disagree with that.

The Americans are imposing sanctions, so-called secondary sanctions, on everyone cooperating with Iran. Certainly, why should companies lose if they are working in the US market? Some will leave anyway and someone else, who is not tied up with the US, will be pleased to continue working there, however, settlements should be arranged for. For this reason, an alternative to SWIFT, the current international settlement system, is being created, and more transactions are being completed in national currencies.

You are certainly right that volatility in the developing markets, the volatility of national currencies, is very high, which is unavoidable. Still, certain instruments are being introduced that can reduce this volatility. For example, a pool of national currencies and a joint bank have been created in the framework of BRICS, which means that such instruments are already on the way. It’s true that this bank cannot be compared with the IMF in terms of potential, but at least something is being done in this respect.

Indeed, currency volatility exists. However, if we keep working at this, and we are working on it, insurance support or other ways to hedge risk will be found, they are real. I will not go into details, but even now, in dealing with some countries, we have found certain instruments to avoid these risks. We can link them to certain agreements; we can do whatever needs to be done.

This will not happen today or tomorrow. And our companies in, say, the oil and gas field, in energy commodities, are not interested in giving up dollar transactions at this point and going to only national currencies.

But if these instruments are created – that provide for giving up the US dollar and disposing of national currency volatility – a transition will be guaranteed. As soon as this happens, hard times will come for the US dollar as a universal unit in accounting.

We will see. We will definitely move in this direction, not because we mean to undermine the US dollar but because we want to guarantee our own security, because they impose sanctions on us and do not give us a chance to operate in US dollars.

This is why we have reduced our gold and foreign currency reserves in dollar equivalent in the treasury; the Central Bank had to withdraw from this.

Why are they doing this? In my opinion, it would be wiser of them to pursue their goals without discrediting their national currency. Nevertheless, many companies in the US are following this route. I believe they are making a big mistake.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

We have people here in this room who know how to live without the dollar. Mr. Sajjadpour from Iran, please.



Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour:

Thank you, Mr President. I am Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour, Institute for Political and International Studies, Iran. Thank you again.

I have a question about militarisation of the Middle East. Three facts. First, there is military activity in Syria beyond the control of the Syrian government. Second, there are people in the United States imagining that we are responsible for the invasion of Iraq <…>. Third, there are some actors in the region who really want a military confrontation, bringing the US to a broader military confrontation.

How do you see the picture and what would be the US response? Do you feel there is more militarisation in the region? And does this militarisation need to be contained? Thank you.



Vladimir Putin:

The key underlying factor of all the problems in the Middle East is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; you know as well as I do, in fact everyone knows this. Whatever our perspective on the Middle East, we will come to this in the end anyway; therefore, every effort must be made to resolve it, to establish direct contacts between the Israelis and the Palestinians, to resume multilateral efforts to resolve this multi-year, even decades-long crisis. This is my first point.

My second point is the following. There are new crises associated with terrorism, and the actions of our American partners are doing little to improve the situation in the region. On the contrary, truth be told, we repeat a hundredth time, and you just said: the invasion of Iraq resulted in a sharp increase in the terrorist threat due to the weakening of statehood. That's what happened.

And Libya? In general, that state ceased to exist. It is being torn to pieces between separate armed units still fighting among themselves. This is a catastrophe. Gaddafi once said Libya was an insurmountable obstacle to the movement of refugees and immigrants from Africa to Europe. He said: “What are you doing? You are destroying this wall.” So it was destroyed. This is what is happening right now. Seeking for a guilty party. But they have only themselves to blame.

It’s okay to dislike a regime in a country. Tastes differ. But, destroying the existing regime and offering nothing in return or offering something that is unacceptable or impossible for the people due to historical specifics is absolutely thoughtless, immoral policy that leads to the worst results.

Our position is that we probably can support someone or sympathise with someone without directly interfering in the affairs of other states, but any move should primarily rely on the country’s internal development. True, this requires patience, and a delicate handling of the current situation, but there is no other option. Any other behaviour, attempts to impose something from the outside leads to the gravest consequences, as in Libya or Iraq. This is the result of monopoly, the result of a unipolar world, which they tried to create at the time. Thank goodness, this situation of unipolarity and monopoly is already coming to an end and it has practically disappeared. I believe this is very dangerous, including for the monopolists, because they lose their bearings and get a sense of permissiveness, and this is always very dangerous and leads to dire consequences.

But at any rate, at a certain level, as we now deal with the Syrian crisis, we have developed a way of cooperation between Russia, Iran and Turkey, which is working and is rather effective, although we do not use the same approach for everything that is taking place in the region. Nevertheless, we did manage to do this. We have developed enough contacts, at any rate, at a working level, with all the participants in this process, including with the United States. As a matter of fact, the US military behave in a more responsible way than certain politicians, but all of this, in any case, paves the way for expanding the basis of joint work.

Militarisation is always a bad thing. What good can it do? It’s an explosive region. We know Turkey’s grievances against the selfsame United States: It is arming various groups. We see what is happening. I have mentioned the current goings-on on the left bank of the Euphrates: They are supplying arms there as well as they are bankrolling the armed groups, but, regrettably, they have failed to cope with the threat, which is yet to be finally eliminated. Seven hundred people have been taken hostage. It’s a disaster! But, alas, this is really happening. We should work together.







Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, you say that monopolism is a bad thing. America, for example, used to artificially dismember monopolies on the market to create competition. Should we perhaps do the same in politics?



Vladimir Putin:

You know, there is talk about a tragedy that has allegedly occurred – I don’t know for certain – in Istanbul, where the case in point was also dismemberment. These are always nasty events linked to the use of force or something of the kind. People should find common ground through talks. I think, life will anyway force the parties to sit down together at the negotiating table and team up to neutralise common threats.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Thank you.

Timothy Colton.



Timothy Colton:

Thank you very much. Timothy Colton, Harvard University. I have a question about Russian public opinion.

As is well known, since you became leader of the country all those years ago in 2000, you have had very steadily positive ratings in the eyes of your fellow citizens. Approval of your work in office is usually higher than 60 percent and sometimes is as high as 80 percent. This is quite extraordinary. But Russian sociologists also ask a number of other questions, but one in particular, which is very interesting. It is a question about the direction that the country is taking. And if we look back, we have this information all the way back to the 1990s. There is often a rather large difference or gap, that very commonly has been the case that support for you personally coincides with many Russians actually thinking that the country is going in the wrong direction. Now, after 2014, the so-called ‘Crimea bounce’ occurred, your ratings went even higher than usual but at that point for several years, more Russians, a lot more Russians thought that the country was going in a positive direction and not in a so-called ‘tupik.’ But this has changed this year, all of a sudden. It seems that more Russians think that the country is going in the wrong direction even as they continue to support you. So what is your interpretation of this disparity?



Vladimir Putin:

I don’t see any inconsistencies. I’ll explain what I mean.

First of all, who can be fond of the 1990s and the early 2000s that you have also mentioned? These were the years, when the great and huge state was disintegrating. This is my number one point. Many people both in Russia and the former republics of the USSR don’t like this. Just ask people over there and they will tell you. True, they have their own interpretations but anyway they think they felt more secure, calm and confident in the Soviet Union. In a united, huge and powerful state, there were more prospects.

Of course, there are many changes and people in many of these countries feel the advantages of sovereignty. After all, everything that happened at that time was Russia’s initiative – not even its suggestion! When they in the post-Soviet space start accusing us of something, I always ask them: “But who did that?” It’s we, Russia, who did it. Well, not me, of course, it was the doing of Russia’s former leaders, but Russia all the same. This is my first point.

My second point is that no one who remembers how it was in the 1990s wants to make a comeback. Street crime was on the rampage; the economy, social sphere, healthcare and education were in tatters, all was lost. There was total poverty! So, as I see it, the main achievements that have been scored over the past years are not only the domestic political stabilisation or the solution of the most pressing problems related to fighting terrorism in our country – we had a civil war on our hands and combat operations… Who would like to return to that state? No one!

But I think what is most important is the restoration of the economy, economic growth, our own foundation for development and the growth of people’s incomes. But, of course, everything is relative: things might have been a bit better yesterday and are a bit worse today, but, nevertheless, the income level has improved radically.

Yes, there are still many people in the country who live below poverty line, and this number has grown a little since the 2008 crisis. But in the early 2000s, they accounted for almost 40 percent of the population, almost half of the country. Is there a difference? Of course, there is. But nevertheless there are fluctuations. After the 2008 crisis incomes declined somewhat, and who would like that? Of course, everybody understands it, and so do I.

As for Crimea. Yes, in Russia, the actions of the President and the state in general are considered to have been just and fair. Because historically this land belonged to Russia, and its inhabitants wanted to return to Russia. This is important because some people prefer to ignore it and pretend that such sentiments do not exist. But in fact, the public reaction is the best proof that it was fair.

The Government is currently introducing a series of painful but necessary measures related to the pension law and the raising of the retirement age. All other countries are doing the same. Who would like that? I understand these people perfectly, those who are discontent.

But do you know what the Russian phenomenon is? Our people are smart. They may not like something, but they understand that the Government has to do it. And if not today, then we would have to do it tomorrow anyway. By 2024, we plan to reach the life expectancy of 78 years, and by 2030 it will be 80 years. Well, inevitably we will have to raise the retirement age, but then without any transition period or any benefits.

What did we do here? What did I suggest we do to make the transition easier? People who have reached their retirement age but have not yet retired and do not receive pensions, will be able to receive benefits both in utilities and taxes, and others.

Most people understand that it is an inevitable move. There is nothing to be happy about, but understanding is key. It is important that people trust the leadership and their Government. I think this trust has not been lost and in my opinion, this is the most important key factor in the domestic political life.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Sabine Fischer, please.



Sabine Fischer:

Thank you. My name is Sabine Fischer, and I work for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Good afternoon, Mr President. I would like to continue the discussion about Russian society. Last week, the Civil Initiatives Committee published a new report that says the Russian society has a growing demand for changes, and which is proved by the recent opinion polls.

What do you think about what the report authors call a change in the collective consciousness of Russian society, and how are you going to deal with it?



Vladimir Putin:

I think it is a perfectly natural thing that people strive for change. Doesn’t Germany have such a demand? Let us look at the election results in Bavaria and it will be clear if people want change or not. As I see it, they want it a lot.

In general, Europeans want change. In Great Britain, they voted for Brexit, which is unbelievable. And in Russia people want change too.

However, it is unlikely that most people in Russia want revolutionary changes. We had enough of revolutions in the 20th century and even in our recent history.

Therefore our task is to time these changes well, which, by the way, we are doing in close cooperation with civil society. This is the key to success in our domestic policy.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, do you want any changes for yourself?



Vladimir Putin:

I want this discussion to end already. (Laughter.) It is time for me to leave for Uzbekistan and I want to play hockey on the way.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

So my question was well-timed.

But let us take some more questions?



Vladimir Putin:

Go ahead.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mikhail Pogrebinsky, please.



Director of the Kiev Centre for Political and Conflict Resolution Studies Mikhail Pogrebinsky:

Mr President, I think the conversation would be incomplete without mentioning Ukraine, the fraternal country I come from. Although Mr Lavrov described in detail the homeostasis in this difficult matter, maybe you can add something optimistic here?

I believe my country’s Government is doing its best to drive the solution to this problem into a dead end, and the US, as represented by Kurt Volker is helping it, while at the same time the Normandy format seems to have frozen and nothing it happening there.

Is there, in your opinion, maybe not in the immediate future, but in the medium term, any chance of healing this bleeding wound in our relations and steering the situation out of the deadlock?



Vladimir Putin:

I will only have to repeat what I was already saying earlier. We all know that the crisis in Donbass is, of course, the most pressing problem. I think many people will agree with me.

Terrorist attacks and assassinations of people elected by the population to administer these regions are, on the part of the Ukrainian secret services, the worst method to establish relations with these territories.

The best way of doing this is to implement the Minsk Agreements. No one forced their hand. This document is a compromise which Ukraine has accepted. But today, obviously, we can say just anything when it comes to this.

But it is quite clear to everyone that the current Ukrainian authorities are not only shirking from implementing the Minsk Agreements but also have no intention to do this for the moment, including for domestic political reasons: I mean the approaching presidential and parliamentary elections.

All political forces have their hands tied because any move to accommodate the opposite party at home – and you know this better than me – will be interpreted as, pardon me, high treason.

But can we hope for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements under these circumstances? The situation being what it is, we ought, I think, to desire just one thing – lest they should conceive the temptation to aggravate the situation and use the exacerbation in domestic political affairs, including during the preparations for the presidential and later parliamentary elections. This seems to be the best-case scenario we can expect for now.

But, of course, Russia is interested in a full-scale revival of relations with Ukraine. What the current Ukrainian authorities are doing today means driving the situation into an impasse. More than that, they are pursuing an anti-state and anti-national policy identical to the one that was conducted by Saakashvili in Georgia, who at first sought to conceal [his plans] and then made an attempt to implement [them] by attacking South Ossetia.

As a result of its openly criminal actions, Georgia has lost vast territories, which was precisely the consequence of Saakashvili’s acts and doings. It would be very sad, if the current Ukrainian authorities followed suit.

I hope this will not happen. But what has taken place recently in the economy and social sphere? The Ukrainian economy is in the process of being completely deindustrialised. There is practically no investment; they are just talking about all kinds of investments, but there is nothing of the kind in reality.

How can one work with an economy that is constantly shaken and ripped apart from within by internal political crises, with a country where military hysteria is whipped up? Will investors go there? Certainly not. And the things it had before were all ruined.

Where is the shipbuilding industry that Ukraine used to be so proud of? Where is the aircraft industry that was created by the whole Soviet Union over decades? How many people are employed there today? The same thing is happening to all the other sectors that Ukraine deservedly prided itself on in previous decades.

This is exactly what I said would happen. Let me again, though I am aware that this will fall on deaf ears, repeat a rhetorical question: Why were our Western partners, above all, the then leadership of the European Commission, pushing so hard for such a tough scenario involving Ukraine being dragged into this association with the European Union?

What did it give Ukraine? The opening up of EU markets? They now want Ukraine to allow the export of round timber. But this is not Siberia. Three or four years of felling and there will be no forest left at all.

The American partners are now pressing Ukraine to use genetically modified organisms in its agriculture. If this happens, we will be forced to completely shut off the border as GMOs are prohibited in our country. Next, it will start exporting humus, etc. There is nothing else it can do.

Therefore, I believe that the current policy followed by Ukraine’s government is aimed solely at – what are they selling? – Russophobia and anti-Russian sentiments. They have no other goods left.

In return, they are forgiven for everything, because even in their wildest dreams our so-called partners would not envisage that Ukraine and Russia might cooperate in any way as they fear that competition in the world would grow as a result of such cooperation.

In fact, we are not laying any specific claims whatsoever. We just wanted to function normally. So, why was it necessary to cut open the Ukrainian markets without giving anything in return, while constantly pressing the Ukrainian government to raise domestic prices for energy, for gas, aware that the purchasing power of the population verges on zero?

Even in former times, meagre sums were collected for the use of energy resources, and today, probably, none at all is collected. What is there to pay with? Pensions are at zero, revenues are falling.

Therefore, we should wait till the internal political cycle runs its course. And I hope very much that we will manage to build at least some relations and negotiate something with the country's new leadership. We are ready for it and we want it.







Jean-Pierre Raffarin:

Thank you, Mr President, for this large and deep discussion.

I am in politics for 40 years, and I have never seen the world so dangerous. We have a lot of conflicts, and we have a lot of threats, and we have a lot of war everywhere; school for wars. We have never schooled for peace. But we know that peace is not something coming from the sky; peace is work, hard work. So I would like to know how we can promote peace, promote antiterrorism, make reforms – for example, for multilateralism, for the WTO, for the Security Council? How can we develop a dialogue with people we do not agree with? And I think it is very important for people to know that no one wants a war in their country. They know that war is awful, as you said, a disaster. So, in this matter, how can we have some development of the culture of peace? Such a very big point for everybody in society. And so, maybe together we can make peace great again.



Vladimir Putin:

There is a lot to be said about this situation. I think the problems that have appeared in the past few years or so concerning global politics are related to the unipolar world that, as just pointed out, appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Everything is recovering now though and the world is becoming or has already become multipolar, and it will inevitably lead to the need to recreate the importance of international law as well as international global institutes such as the United Nations.

It is necessary to, based on the UN Charter and on everything that was achieved in the past decades, on mutual trust – and one needs to handle the rest of trust with care, to learn to listen, hear and respect each other and be ready to find compromises.

I think that it is inevitable in the long run. The sooner it happens, the better. We are ready for this.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, there is another question standing between you and the changes, and I cannot just sweep it under the rug , because there is a winner of the Valdai Award this year. Actually, there are two winners, but this is of particular importance. Our colleague Piotr Dutkiewicz was rightfully awarded the prize and let him ask the final question.



Director of the Centre for Governance and Public Policy at Carleton University (Canada) Piotr Dutkiewicz:

Mr President, you have taken part in the Valdai Club for 15 years now. It is a long period of time, and many changes have taken place.

Permit me to ask you a question. During these 15 years, how has your perception of Russia and what surrounds it changed? And what is most important is how did your perception of yourself as Russia’s leader change?



Vladimir Putin:

Please let’s just skip the second part of your question. I think it would be rather unbecoming to evaluate myself.

As for Russia and my attitude towards our country, I can tell you that my love of Russia, and I am not afraid to express myself in such a way, has increased masses of times over the years. Frankly speaking, I did not know Russia too well before.

Of course, I am Russian, my roots are in Russia, my ancestors lived for 300 years in the same village and went to the same church, which I know from church records. Knowing this is exciting, I feel a part of our country and a part of the Russian people, even if it sounds like a high-flown statement, but I really do.

My previous life and work were connected with international activities, so to say. I have been working in intelligence for almost 20 years, so, of course, I did not know Russia as well as I got to know it after I came to Moscow and started working at the federal level, and then became prime minister and president.

I saw how deep and powerful this country is, and what powerful historical and moral roots it has. It was not from the books about the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 that I became convinced about the might as well as the wisdom of the Russian people. I saw it with my very own eyes.

So it is in this connection, and I’m not exaggerating, that I am saying that my love of Russia has increased many times over. As for the events unfolding around it, there is nothing unusual about it and it has always been that way when it boils down to the history of our country.

We have always been treated more or less well when Russia was going through difficult times, and they were happy to send humanitarian aid to us. By the way, this is good, and we are grateful to our partners for this. I am not being ironic when I speak about this.

But as soon as it became a sufficiently notable and influential competitor in international affairs, they immediately started to create problems in order to impede our development. Perhaps, from the perspective of the logic of mutual relations on the international arena, this makes sense. After all who in their right mind wants to have a strong competitor?

It is much better to be able to push forward without any competitor or competition. However, this is a bad thing for those who go alone and are at the forefront. I have pointed this out many times already.

So, I think that the world, despite the numerous threats that we are observing today, is still becoming more balanced due to its multipolarity which is now taking root. It is good both for Russia and our partners all over the world.

I very much hope that we will overcome today's difficulties, build a dialogue with all our partners and participants in international activities and strengthen ourselves from within, which will enable us to build full-fledged relations with our partners on the international arena.



Fyodor Lukyanov:

Mr President, of course, the Valdai Club cannot compete with the wisdom of the Russian people, which you have been partaking of all these years. However, we will commit ourselves and try and come up with some sort of an intellectual surprise for you next year. I hope we can make it happen if we pool all our efforts.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your time, and we hope to see you again next year.



Vladimir Putin:

On my part, I would like to thank all the Russian and foreign experts who have been participating in this work for so many years now. Special words of gratitude go to my colleagues who have held or are holding now high government positions, because they have places to go where they can be useful, but they nevertheless choose to come to Russia in order to participate in discussions with us.

It is important and good for us, because it gives us a chance to convey to you our position on key development matters and listen to what you have to say. Even the way you frame your questions is important for us, because it also provides an important perspective for us.

I would like to wish you all the very best and thank you all very much indeed.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58848
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Old December 17th, 2018 #909
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Greetings to participants of TOTAL VOSTOK plant launch



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to participants of the TOTAL VOSTOK plant launch.



October 15, 2018 - 09:30



The message reads, in part:

“A new advanced, high-tech facility opens today in Kaluga Region, which has accumulated a vast experience of implementing large investment projects. This event shows the Russian regions’ capacity to boost business activity, create jobs and develop relations with foreign partners.

I am confident that the launch of the TOTAL VOSTOK plant will facilitate the improvement of the region’s economic potential, help solve priority social problems and improve people’s wellbeing.”

TOTAL VOSTOK, part of the Total Group, has launched a lubricants plant in Kaluga Region with a capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year with the possibility of an increase to 70,000 tonnes.

TOTAL VOSTOK made the decision to construct its own plant to produce, store and dispatch motor oils, lubricants and related materials in 2016.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58827






Meeting with Vnesheconombank Chairman Igor Shuvalov



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Chairman of the Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank) Igor Shuvalov.



October 15, 2018 - 14:20 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Shuvalov, good afternoon.

I know that you have already taken measures to optimise the bank’s activity. I would also like to hear your proposals regarding the coordination of various investment institutions in Russia.

Vnesheconombank’s goal has always been to develop the economy, its real sector. It can be reached in a most optimal way and with the most optimal instruments through the coordination of various development institutes. Generally, how is work proceeding in this field?







Vnesheconombank Chairman Igor Shuvalov:

Mr President,let me again thank you for entrusting me with this position. My job was to join the implementation of the Presidential May Executive Order under the leadership of the Government. We are involved in all governmental bodies and we are engaged in all the areas outlined by the executive order.

As for our ability to lend, in June the Government decided on a new financial model for Vnesheconombank, which means that we will not be the only creditor, with the exception of certain decisions made by the President or the Government. We need to learn to work with the largest credit organisations so that Vnesheconombank would be able to provide the necessary services and take on risks in order to increase the capacity of credit organisations in providing loans to the economy.

In the previous period, Vnesheconombank provided some 3 trillion rubles in loans. Together with our experts, we calculated that in the next five years, with the new model, Vnesheconombank will be able to provide the same amount, taking into account that if our largest lending organisations such as Sberbank, VTB and Gazprombank join the work, we will be able to increase this sum three or four times, in other words, lend more than 3 trillion rubles. It would be a real contribution to the implementation of the Presidential May 7 Executive Order.

What are we doing to that end? First of all, we have optimised the number of our workers. This is not an easy job and requires talking to people and showing understanding, but the group must consist of highly skilled professionals so that their authority would be recognised by both the Government and the lending organisations. We have let go of many people, and as of October 1, we have a new staffing structure. We invited some of the best experts from other lending institutions, thus forming a high-class team of professionals. We will continue working on this.

Another area is Vnesheconombank’s accumulated problem loan portfolio. Many can read in the press that the bank is operating at a loss. In fact, the loss does not reflect the current activity; it is a solely accounting operation. We use it to show that we are managing the accumulated problems. We are not hiding them from the public. We are working with the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry, but for some time Vnesheconombank will show a loss, not from current activity but from previous operations.

We know how to deal with these assets in the best possible way. We are not doing this alone but together with ministries and agencies and we are doing our best to show our development function in this case. This relates to such assets as the timber industry, cement plants and the agro-industrial sector. There are numerous operating enterprises that are very important for the regional economies. We are finding ways of using business operators and other existing companies to manage these assets so that their cost would be increased rather than reduced.

Regarding the new portfolio, we use a fully up-to-date risk assessment system, and are making sure that Sberbank, Gazprombank and VTB acknowledge the risks we have identified without reassessing them. On our side, we will be working in such a way as to recognise the risks called out by these institutions without additional assessment.

For our operations, we need funds. I reported to the Prime Minister that we had agreed with the Finance Ministry on a preliminary scheme to legally envisage subscription capital, the way it is done with other development banks internationally. This is a certain amount of funds earmarked in the budget to be provided to our institution by the Ministry when we need it. The money is not funnelled in advance, but is drawn as required.

We have been working with the world’s largest credit institutions such as the China Development Bank and similar banks in Japan, and these have been eagerly negotiating and signing agreements with us.

As for external debt, we have talked the matter over and have agreed the terms. As concerns both Vnesheconombank’s capital and our foreign debt, we believe we can settle the issue before the end of 2018 if you give us your approval.







Vladimir Putin:

We discussed this with the former Government for a long time. You have been part of these discussions on multiple occasions. Do you think that the proposals outlined in the project will be able to clear the balance sheet and ensure that Vnesheconombank is performing its role as a development institution rather than focusing exclusively on debt repayment?



Igor Shuvalov:

Yes, we will be able to go full steam ahead with the new programme to issue loans, as well as build new and upgrade existing production facilities. We will of course be lending support to development goals, performing our chief function.



Vladimir Putin:

Good.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58825






Meeting on economic issues



Vladimir Putin held a meeting on economic issues. The agenda included Russia’s current economic situation and measures to improve its stability and growth.



October 16, 2018 - 11:15 - The Kremlin, Moscow






The meeting was attended by Presidential Aide Andrei Belousov, First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

As per tradition, we will discuss the current economic situation and the measures that will allow us to improve its stability and reach higher growth levels, something we keep talking about.

It is important that industrial production is showing outperformance: in the past eight months, industrial growth was 3.1 percent, with the processing industry growing by 3.8 percent.







Investment behavior is another key to the future. As of the first six months of 2018, fixed capital investments in enterprises and companies has grown by 3.2 percent. The transport cargo turnover is also growing (by 3 percent in the past eight months), as well as retail business (by 2.7 percent).

These are important indicators of both business activity and the consumer demand of Russian families.







Inflation and unemployment have been consistently low. In August, the unemployment rate was down to 4.6 percent and today it is at a record low.

In September, the annualised price growth was estimated at 3.4 percent. It picked up slightly in the course of the past month, but it is still within target values.







The financial market remains stable, partially due to the joint actions of the Government and the Central Bank. Since the beginning of this year, our foreign currency reserves have increased by 5.7 percent and are now estimated at $459 billion.

In short, the key parameters of the Russian economy show that the overall picture is positive.







At the same time, I would also like to say once again that our systemic goal is to speed up economic growth, support investment activities, stimulate the development of manufacturing industries, small and medium-sized businesses and non-resource-based high-tech exports, and improve Russian citizens’ salaries and real income growth.

There is a positive trend here, too: between January and August 2018, people’s real disposable incomes grew by 2.2 percent compared with the same time period of 2017, while real wages grew by 8.4 percent.







As always, we specify that this trend is not reflected in every sector of the economy, and varies from region to region; however, in general, a positive trend is in place.

So today, let us go in detail over the steps to be taken to address the challenges that I have just mentioned.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58831






Condolences on passing of Mark Krivosheyev



Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the family and friends of Mark Krivosheyev, one of the creators of modern television.



October 16, 2018 - 12:00



The message of condolences reads, in part:

“Mark Krivosheyev was a world-class scientist, an outstanding representative of the Russian school of science, technology and engineering. He made a truly unique contribution to the development of telecommunications and worked very hard towards implementing modern digital television standards in Russia and abroad.

His productive research and managerial work, cutting-edge inventions and developments won him exceptional and unchallenged authority with the international scientific and media community.”

Mark Krivosheyev was one of the creators of international standards for digital and high definition television. He is a winner of the 1981 USSR National Award and the 2000 Russian National Award. He received letters of commendation and awards from Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Iran, Spain, France, China, the United States, Japan and other countries.

Mark Krivosheyev passed away in Moscow at the age of 96.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58834






Condolences to families and friends of those killed in explosion in Kerch



October 17, 2018 - 13:45



Vladimir Putin expressed deep condolences to the families and friends of those killed in an explosion at the Kerch Polytechnic College.

The President received reports about the incident from various services.

The President instructed the Healthcare Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry and rescue services to take emergency measures to provide assistance to those injured in the explosion and, if necessary, have them urgently transferred to Russia’s leading hospitals in Moscow and other cities.

Vladimir Putin also asked the Federal Security Service and other departments and investigating authorities to promptly take measures to determine the causes of the explosion.

On Wednesday, a blast ripped through the Kerch Polytechnic College.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58840






Inspecting the new Aurus cars



Vladimir Putin and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited the Sochi Autodrom race track. The Russian President showed his Egyptian counterpart the new car manufactured under the Russian Aurus brand.



October 17, 2018 - 19:00 - Sochi







The two presidents arrived at the Olympic Park in the new Aurus Senat limousine. They were shown the Aurus Arsenal minivan and the Aurus Senat short-baseline sedan, in which they later took a ride on the track. Sergei Gaisin, General Director of the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute (NAMI), described the cars to the presidents.










Later, Mr Putin and Mr el-Sisi attended a presentation where the Egyptian President was shown the capabilities of the Russian defence industry.










The Aurus is Russia's new luxury car brand. It was developed as part of the Unified Modular Platform project (Cortege project) by the NAMI Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute, by order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.










The models were named after the Moscow Kremlin's Senatskaya, Komendantskaya and Arsenalnaya towers. The limousine and the standard length sedan are both named Senat; the SUV is the Komendant, and the minivan is the Arsenal.










The Senat and the Arsenal will be used in the Presidential cortege. The SUV prototype will be finished by the end of the year, while the Komendant model, including testing and certification, will be completed in 2019–2020. The Aurus Senat limousine was first used at the presidential inauguration ceremony on May 7, 2018.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58843






Congratulations to Russia’s national team on topping 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games medal standings



Vladimir Putin congratulated Russia's national team on topping the medal standings at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.



October 18, 2018 - 17:00



The message reads, in part:

“You have represented Russia in these important competitions with honour and have for the first time secured the top spot in the unofficial medal standings, winning 59 medals overall, including 29 gold ones.

This triumph is an important contribution to promoting Russia’s international reputation as a strong sporting country and evidence that Russian regions have raised an entire generation of young and talented athletes capable of fighting for the top spots both in the sports that Russia traditionally excels in and those that have only recently been included in the Olympic programme.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the entire friendly and tight-knit team of athletes, coaches and specialists you have managed to achieve such a notable result and the desired top spots in the Olympics. This is a well-earned reward for your hard work, consistency and amazing skill. We are sincerely proud that the Russian anthem played many times to honour our champions in rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, swimming, cycling, shooting, taekwondo, judo, breakdancing, freestyle wrestling, beach volleyball and boxing.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58861
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Old December 21st, 2018 #910
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Greetings to 66th FCEM World Congress



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the participants at the 66th World Congress of the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs (FCEM), held between October 22 and 24 in Moscow.



October 22, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“I would like to welcome all the participants at this forum in Russia. This is the first time our country hosts this highly representative forum of the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs, a prominent and high-profile international organisation.

The positive role played by women in the world’s social and economic development can hardly be underestimated. Our enormous country is not an exception when it comes to emphasising the proactive engagement of women in business activities and their contribution to economic development. Women work across a plethora of sectors. On top of dealing effectively with all operational matters, they always care for their employees and their well-being. Women contribute to the most relevant humanitarian and civil society initiatives in significant ways.

In our society, female entrepreneurship exemplifies a responsible and professional attitude, creative energy and wisdom and an ability to promote dialogue, reach compromises and be effective as well as efficient. Achieving success in every area of life, including in tackling the essential tasks of today – preserving the institution of the family and supporting childhood.

The experience of Russian women entrepreneurs, alongside the success stories from other forum participants, will be useful for discussing the key items on your agenda. The forum itself and its recommendations will have a significant impact in terms of overcoming the multiple challenges that women entrepreneurs still face. Your deliberations will help strengthen business and partnership ties, helping to preserve peace and friendship on our planet.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58869






Executive Order On Special Economic Measures in connection with Ukraine’s Unfriendly Actions toward Citizens and Legal Entities of the Russian Federation



Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On Special Economic Measures in Connection with Ukraine’s Unfriendly Actions toward Citizens and Legal Entities of the Russian Federation.



October 22, 2018 - 15:15



The Executive Order reads:

“In response to Ukraine’s unfriendly actions that contradict international law and consist of imposing restrictive measures on citizens and legal entities of the Russian Federation, for the purpose of protecting the national interests of the Russian Federation and in keeping with Federal Law No 127-FZ of June 4, 2018, On Measures (Countermeasures) against Unfriendly Actions of the United States of America and Other Foreign Countries, Federal Law No 281-FZ of December 30, 2006, On Special Economic Measures, and Federal Law No. 390-FZ of December 28, 2010, On Security, I hereby order:

1. Federal government bodies, government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and other government agencies, local government bodies, organisations and individuals within the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, shall proceed in their activity from the premise that certain individuals and legal entities are subject to special economic measures effective from the day this Executive Order comes into force.

2. The Government of the Russian Federation shall:

a) designate individuals and legal entities facing special economic measures;

b) determine special economic measures to be imposed on individuals and legal entities designated as per para. 2(a) hereof;

c) provide for other measures within its scope of authority required for the implementation of this Executive Order.

3. This Executive Order shall enter into force upon its signing and may be cancelled upon the recommendation of the Government of the Russian Federation, if the restrictive measures imposed by Ukraine against the citizens and legal entities of the Russian Federation are lifted.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58871






Congratulations to President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong



Vladimir Putin congratulated Nguyen Phu Trong on his election as President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.



October 23, 2018 - 12:00



The message reads, in part:

“The result of the election held by the National Assembly showcases the high reputation that you have earned throughout the years of occupying high-ranking positions in the party and the government, and acknowledges your efforts in resolving socioeconomic development tasks and strengthening Vietnam’s foreign policy positions.

I remember fondly our most recent meeting in Sochi, the constructive and meaningful talks we held there. I am sure that through joint efforts we will keep strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58877






Meeting with Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs John Bolton



Vladimir Putin received in the Kremlin Assistant to the President of the United States of America for National Security Affairs John Bolton.



October 23, 2018 - 18:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow






Taking part in the meeting from the Russian side were Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

Earlier today, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu met with John Bolton. On October 22, Nikolai Patrushev and Sergei Lavrov also had talks with the Assistant to the US President.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Bolton, colleagues,

We are pleased to see you in Moscow.

At the beginning of our conversation I would like to recall our meeting with the President of the United States in Helsinki. In my view, it was a useful, and at times fairly tough, meeting and conversation which ultimately turned out to be fruitful, in my opinion.

This is why, to be honest, we are sometimes perplexed to see the United States take absolutely unprovoked steps towards Russia that we cannot call friendly. We actually do not even respond to your steps, yet this approach continues.

Despite your efforts trade between our countries – however strange it might seem – continues to grow, 16 percent last year; this year it has already grown by 8 percent. This is small in absolute numbers, very small, of course, however, this is the trend. With a positive balance for the United States, by the way. Mutual investments are also growing with Russian investments in the US economy at twice the US investments in the Russian economy.

It will, of course, be very useful to exchange views on the issues of strategic stability, disarmament issues, and regional conflicts.

We know – and talk a lot – about the unilateral exit of the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. We recently heard about the United States’ intention to exit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. We know about the Administration’s doubts about prolonging New START and hear about the intention to deploy some elements of the anti-missile defence system in space.

As I recall, there is a bald eagle pictured on the US coat of arms: it holds 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other as a symbol of peaceful policy: a branch with 13 olives. My question: has your eagle already eaten all the olives leaving only the arrows?

In general, I would like very much to talk with you not only as the Assistant to the US President, but also as a specialist on disarmament and arms control.

And, of course, it would be useful to continue a direct dialogue with the US President, first of all, on the sidelines of the international events that will take place soon, such as the one in Paris. Of course, if the US is interested in such contacts.







Assistant to the President of the United States of America for National Security Affairs John Bolton:

Well, thank you very much, Mr President. It is a pleasure to see you again. I appreciate you taking the time to get together and will be pleased to go over all the items on the agenda.

And to begin, as you indicated I think President Trump will look forward to seeing you in Paris, on the sidelines of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. Because despite our differences, which exist because of our different national interests, it is still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation.

And I had discussions with all of your senior national security advisors in the past two days, and again, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with you on behalf of President Trump. And hopefully, I’ll have some answers for you, but I didn’t bring any olives.







Vladimir Putin:

My thoughts exactly.



(Laughter.)



John Bolton:

The olive branch is held in the right talon of the eagle, demonstrating its priority.







Vladimir Putin:

If I remember correctly, there is also an inscription: In Varietate Concordia, United in Diversity. This is why, despite different approaches, we can and should look for points of contact.



John Bolton:

That’s very much our intention, though our motto is “E pluribus unum,” “Out of many, one,” so maybe it is something to look forward to there.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58880






Meeting with Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of the Italian Republic Giuseppe Conte, who is in Russia on an official visit.



October 24, 2018 - 13:50 - The Kremlin, Moscow







The parties exchanged opinions on expanding bilateral cooperation in energy, investment, culture, the humanitarian sphere and other areas.

Vladimir Putin and Giuseppe Conte also discussed a range of international and regional matters, including developments in Syria and Libya, as well as the two countries’ cooperation in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in light of Italy’s 2018 OSCE chairmanship.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to welcome you in the Moscow Kremlin, in Russia. We are very glad to see you.

In recent years, decades, Russia and Italy have developed very business-like and at the same time friendly relations supported by almost all the political forces both in Italy and in Russia. Despite the current difficult times, we have never lost the high level of political contacts and have always maintained them.

Unfortunately, Italy has somewhat stepped down as an economic partner on the Russian market, but trade between our countries remains extensive.







Italy is currently Russia’s sixth largest trading partner, with 500 Italian businesses working here, and we can see the trade volume growing steadily over the past two years.

We are very happy to see you, to discuss the current situation of our relations and outline the development prospects for Italian-Russian ties in the short and long term.

Welcome.







Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte:

Mr President, I am very glad and grateful to you for the opportunity to have this meeting today.

Relations between Italy and Russia are characterised by unusual strength; I am referring to our ties in culture, economy and trade.







As you rightly said, despite all the difficulties we can see today in the international context, which I would define as quite delicate, we manage to preserve the quality and volume of our ties and relations, and I believe this proves the strength of our ties.







One of my visit’s goals is to examine once again how the potential of our ties and relations can be expanded.

If I may, I would like to begin this meeting with a request: I would like you to visit Italy as soon as possible. You have not been there for too long. I do not want the Italian people to get the impression that you do not pay enough attention to them.







Vladimir Putin:

For my part, I would like to express my gratitude to the Mayor of Rome and the medical personnel who treated the football fans injured during the incident in the Rome subway.

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58885






Meeting with Italian business leaders



October 24, 2018 - 17:20 - The Kremlin, Moscow






Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte held a meeting with heads of leading Italian companies.

In addition, Vladimir Putin and Giuseppe Conte took part via videoconference in the opening of a high-voltage motor plant in Chelyabinsk.

The new plant to produce AC motors and generators is located at the Stankomash Industrial Park in Chelyabinsk and will ensure complete domestic production in Russia, hence making it independent from foreign suppliers.

Production capacity is projected at up to 300 items per year. These motors are used primarily in pumping units for main oil pipelines.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, colleagues, friends,

First of all, I would like to welcome all Italian entrepreneurs present here, our friends and colleagues, our partners.

Your companies work successfully with your Russian partners, invest in Russia and implement large joint projects in various areas, from energy, transport and food processing to high technology, sports and entertainment.

I am confident that you will not stop here, that you plan to expand your presence in the Russian market. The large package of commercial contracts prepared for signing during the Italian Prime Minister’s visit also indicates this.

Let me stress that Italy is an important economic partner for Russia, so naturally, today, trade and investment cooperation was the key topic of our talks with Prime Minister Conte.







Last year bilateral trade grew by 21 percent, to $24 billion; in January–August 2018, it grew by another 15 percent. We hope that this positive dynamic will continue and we will return to the numbers we had in previous years.

As a reminder, in 2013, trade between Russia and Italy was 53.8 percent (over twice as much as today). The impressive technological, resource and human potential of our countries makes this a realistic goal.

We see good prospects in the investment area. Italy’s direct investment in Russia is about $5 billion. There are about 500 Italian companies in the Russian market.







Many of them have located production in Russia and aim to increase industrial cooperation and create industrial alliances; the “Made with Italy” brand is becoming more popular in Russia.

The new plant in Chelyabinsk can serve as an example of successful and mutually beneficial cooperation. This innovative full-cycle enterprise was built with Italian technologies and will produce high-voltage power supply units that meet advanced energy efficiency and safety standards.

This project was the result of the close partnership between Russian companies Transneft and Konar, and the Italian company Nidec, a world leader in industrial power systems.







The motors are to be used primarily in oil and hydrocarbon shipping. They are very popular in the Russian fuel and energy sector, and of course will be in high demand in third country markets.

Other key areas of the Russian economy, especially shipbuilding, will also use the plant’s products. In the future, the motors will be installed in Arctic vessels on the Northern Sea Route and also used for natural gas liquefaction in such projects as the Arctic LNG 2, Baltic LNG and Vladivostok LNG plants, as well as in the metals and mining spheres, railway transport and wind turbines.

I would like to note that the new enterprise became the fifth to be created in collaboration with Italy at the Stankomash Industrial Park in Chelyabinsk. In fact, the Italian side helped us create a whole industrial cluster that encompasses important high-tech enterprises.







Both of us are well aware that in the course of this work, our Italian partners received big orders and are now carrying them out profitably and successfully, and for our Italian friends, too. It is hardly the only successful example of our bilateral business cooperation.

Our countries have been productively cooperating in power engineering for many years as well. In 1969, Italy became one of the first European countries to sign a long-term gas supply agreement with the Soviet Union.

Today, Italy is the second largest western European consumer of Russian gas after Germany. Russia values its reputation as a reliable, proven partner and will continue supplying the Italian economy and the rest of Europe with energy.







Our bilateral cooperation in the energy sector does not end with fuel supplies. Together with the Italian company ENI, Russian oil and gas companies Rosneft, Novatek and Lukoil are developing hydrocarbon deposits.

The company Maire Tecnimont is participating in the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant, the second largest in the world. This plant will become the largest Russian gas processing plant, and one of the key industrial infrastructure facilities for the Power of Siberia pipeline, which will be used for transporting gas to China.

We welcome Italian businesses’ desire to invest in the development of electrical power engineering in Russia, namely ENEL’s participation in modernising the country’s generating capacity – the construction of wind farms in Murmansk and Rostov regions.







Colleagues,

Here in Russia, we strive to create the most comfortable environment for attracting foreign, including Italian, investment and technologies. We are simplifying the administrative regulation system, creating a sophisticated infrastructure, and offering investors significant preferences in a number of Russian regions.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund is making major efforts to attract foreign capital. Today the RDIF will sign an agreement with several Italian partners.

We are also considering a serious undertaking to set up a Russian-Italian investment platform. Actually, we reached an agreement on this several years ago, but then it was put on hold.







Today, while speaking with Mr Prime Minister, we decided it was appropriate to resume this work, even if at a slower pace; the main thing is to begin. I am convinced that when this organisation appears, it will be much easier for Italian companies to establish themselves in the Russian market.

I would also like to draw your attention to the positive trends in key macroeconomic indicators that we can see in Russia. Industrial production is developing; growth was 3 percent in the first nine months, mainly due to the processing industries where growth is 3.3 percent.

At the end of the first six months, fixed capital investment in businesses and organisations grew by 3.2 percent. We understand that this is a reserve for the short term.

Economic activity indices are increasing. Freight turnover has grown by 3 percent and retail trade by 2.7 percent in the eight months of this year.







I would like to mention low inflation – 3.4 percent at an annual rate, unemployment at 4.6 percent, a stable financial sector and an increase in gold and foreign currency reserves by 5.7 percent to $459 billion since the beginning of the year. The Russian Government’s reserve funds are also growing.

This positive macroeconomic background allows companies to work steadily and make long-term plans. I expect Italian business circles to continue taking advantage of the opportunities opening up in the Russian market.

I would like to mention that we have minimal external debt, about 15 percent, and considerable growth in the trade balance. All this creates favourable conditions for joint work. We count very much on your active cooperation with your Russian partners.

Let me turn the floor over to Mr Conte.

Please, Mr Prime Minister.







Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte (retranslated):

Mr President,

Russia is an essential economic partner for Italy. We have traditionally strong ties in energy.

It is very important that our indexes have once again shown a positive dynamic, both last year and in the first months of 2018. We can look to the future with optimism.

We have our mutual investment in various sectors and, despite the crisis of the past years, this has not decreased.

We are facing important challenges today. We want to strengthen Italy’s economic indexes and to use this market’s opportunities.

We are working to use new opportunities, we are working in the areas of high technology and healthcare, which were not as popular in the past as such traditional sectors as energy and all the areas related to furniture, clothes and food.

Large and small Italian businesses are looking for partners in not only Moscow and St Petersburg, but also all across Russia. The videoconference we have just seen proves that. We can see that our partnership is succeeding in Chelyabinsk and other Russian regions.







The Government (I can assure you) is ready to support Italian companies that want to promote industrial cooperation with Russian companies and want to establish new joint enterprises, create new investment and transfer technology. We are ready to participate in new development projects.

We understand that Russia can find excellent partners in Italian businesses that traditionally provide ready products. We can strengthen industrial relations; this is our duty, considering the complimentary character of the Russian and Italian economies.

The presidents and general directors of the major Italian companies here represent the main areas of our cooperation. They will present the development projects they have implemented in Russia. Today they represent a wider range of businesses.

Mr President, let me note that the businesses that are present here have always believed in this market and, in many cases, started their operations in Russia dozens of years ago. They opened the way for the entire Italian production system.

In the most politically and economically challenging times they have never thought about leaving Russia. And I, as the head of the Italian Government, wanted to acknowledge this in front of Russia’s main authority.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58887






News conference following Russian-Italian talks



October 24, 2018 - 19:15 - The Kremlin, Moscow






Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte gave statements for the press and answered media questions following Russian-Italian talks.

A number of bilateral economic agreements were signed in the presence of Vladimir Putin and Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the meeting.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

We are happy to welcome Giuseppe Conte, who is in Russia on an official visit for the first time.

The Prime Minister and I have had substantive and quite productive talks involving almost the entire range, the entire spectrum of Russian-Italian cooperation.

We have also held a meeting with the heads of leading Italian companies that operate in the Russian market, and we launched the new motor plant in Chelyabinsk via videoconference.

The interdepartmental and commercial agreements that have just been signed are evidence of our mutual commitment to promoting bilateral ties in various areas.

In this context, I would like to stress that Italy is a very important economic partner, and today Mr Conte and I have focused mostly on cooperation in trade and investment.

In 2017 bilateral trade grew by more than 20 percent reaching $24 billion, with another 15 percent added in January–August of this year.

Mutual investment is more than $7.5 billion, and, according to the data from the first quarter of this year, Italian investment in Russia grew more than $1 billion to reach $4.8 billion.

The effective work of the Russian-Italian Council on Economic Cooperation and Industrial and Financial Cooperation has been widely helpful in reaching these figures. The next meeting of the Council will take place in Italy in December.

Of course, we have had a detailed discussion of cooperation prospects in energy. Russia is a large supplier of natural gas to Italy covering 35 percent of the demand.

In addition, our countries are carrying out a range of joint energy projects. Russian and Italian companies are developing gas fields and are involved in the production and supply of liquefied natural gas.

We are studying the possibility of building main pipelines via the southern route to supply Russian gas to Europe.

Italian corporations are assisting us in upgrading our electric power industry. ENEL is taking part in modernising Russian electricity grids and building wind farms in Russia.

Mutually beneficial industrial cooperation is developing through the joint efforts of the two countries as well. Pirelli and Rostec – you just saw the documents being signed – cooperated in the technological renovation of the Kirov and Voronezh tyre plants.

With the participation of our partners from Italy, the construction of a large ammonia manufacturing facility is nearing completion in Leningrad Region; and, the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant.

Italian companies are part of infrastructure projects in Russia. In St Petersburg, the modern Western High-Speed Diameter Motorway and Pulkovo Airport project are complete.

It is important that strong cooperation is underway in the scientific and technical sphere. The Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research closely cooperate with Italian researchers.

Russia's Kurchatov Institute and Italy's National Research Council are working together on innovative projects in thermonuclear fusion and on the construction of the Ignitor fusion reactor. Italians are also involved in a number of hi-tech projects at the Skolkovo Innovation Center.

Successful cooperation can also be seen in manned space activity. Currently, preparations are taking place to send an Italian citizen to the International Space Station.

We have agreed with the Prime Minister to take every effort to expand inter-regional connections. Russian and Italian regions are implementing over 40 joint agreements.

Last year, Days of Moscow were held in several Italian cities. A presentation of the investment potential took place in the Kaluga Region.

Of course, I must mention bilateral interaction in the cultural sphere. This year, events are ongoing in Italy as part of the Russian Seasons festival, and they are enjoying great success, including tours by music groups, ballet and theatre companies, as well as festivals and film screenings.

By the way, Mr Conte and I have just watched scenes from a film by Andrey Konchalovsky about the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo Buonarroti. This is an exceptional collaborative work by Russian and Italian filmmakers, which will undoubtedly spark interest not only in Russia but also in Italy and, I am sure, in other countries.

Large Russian museums regularly host Italian art exhibitions. Currently, there is an exhibition of 18th century Venetian paintings at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. We understand that Mr Conte intends to visit it.

I would also like to mention that Italy will take part in the 7th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum on November 15–17 as a guest country.

Reciprocal tourism is growing. In the first six months of the year, 20 percent more Russians visited Italy and the number of Italians going to Russia is increasing.

When we discussed current issues on the international and regional agendas, we said that the views of Russia and Italy on many matters were close.

Russia supports Italy’s efforts topromote a Libyan settlement, in particular, the initiative to hold an international conference on Libya in Palermo on November 12–13.

Mr Prime Minister and I discussed this in detail today. Unfortunately, the situation in Libya remains critical. It is important to prevent an escalation of the crisis and find ways to restore Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We exchanged opinions on the situation in Syria. We informed Mr Conte of the steps Russia is taking, including in the Astana framework, to promote a political settlement and to step up inter-Syrian talks.

We also discussed the possibility of joining the world community’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to that long-suffering country.

Restoration of Syria’s economy will create favourable conditions for the refugees to return and in this way will reduce the migration load on the European countries and Syria’s neighbours.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr Giuseppe Conte, the Italian Prime Minister, and all our Italian colleagues and friends for these useful and constructive talks.

I am convinced that the agreements we reached today will contribute to further developing our extensive Russian-Italian cooperation.

Thank you for your attention.







Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte (retranslated):

I am truly happy to be here on my first visit to Moscow as the President of the Italian Council of Ministers. I would also like to thank President Putin for the warm welcome and the fruitful time we spent together.

It was an opportunity to review the cooperation between Russia and Italy and improve it in culture, trade and the social sphere. It was a very positive and constructive meeting.

Mr President and I stated a good trend in our relations and worked on their future prospects.

As for the international perspective, we are facing a huge number of challenges for the security and development of Italy and Europe, and we believe that it is crucially important to discuss these issues with such a strategic partner as the Russian Federation.

We need Russia to develop solutions to the main international crises; I have been saying this since the beginning of my term. It should be sustainable development and first of all, sustainable political decisions. I sincerely believe in Moscow’s constructive approach.

As he already mentioned, Mr President and I touched upon the Libyan issue. The strengthening of the country’s institutes, as well as its economic and social development can only be achieved through an inclusive dialogue and reconciliation, which should be led by the UN and implemented by the Libyan people themselves.

It is essential that the international community show solidarity and support for the UN. On November 12–13, Italy plans to hold a conference on Libya in Palermo. We invited all Libyan parties that are directly involved, as well as the main partners in the region and on the global stage.

Russia’s participation is crucially important as it can ensure progress towards stabilisation in Libya. I shared my thoughts with Mr President and received his full support. Therefore, Moscow will make a significant contribution to this conference.

We also exchanged views on the developments in Syria. We support the Geneva process and the actions of the United Nations to bring about stability and reconciliation of the parties, which is necessary and must be achieved through a peaceful, political, inclusive and sustainable solution.

It is also necessary to involve all the main players in the region and the world, and Russia holds a fundamentally important place among them.

We very much appreciate Moscow’s role in the demilitarisation of Idlib. Due to its efforts, it was possible to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a dangerous military escalation. We hope that efforts will be made to develop a long-term solution.

We also spoke about the Ukrainian crisis, which remains a pivotal issue and needs to be resolved. This crisis has put the foundations of relations between the European Union and Russia into question.

If we do not resolve this crisis, we risk losing the trust, cooperation and rules developed in the 25 years of our dialogue. Italy will facilitate this dialogue because all of Europe needs a security framework that all the main actors will share.

There is no alternative to the Minsk Agreements. Italy fully supports the Normandy Four and the OSCE, in which Italy is currently presiding.

As for the relations between Italy and Russia, Mr President already mentioned several issues. We also confirmed the excellent state of our bilateral relations.

Despite the persisting conditions that resulted in the EU sanctions in this sensitive time for the global economy, I consider it right to maintain economic ties between Italy and Russia, in particular, to support the activity of numerous Italian companies that work in Russia in the interests of both our countries.

In addition, I repeatedly said and want to confirm again here that sanctions have never been a goal for Italy; they are a tool that must be abandoned as soon as possible because dialogue is the best solution.

Italy is a large industrial country and it should not be afraid of globalisation. On the contrary, it should be able to use the amazing opportunities it offers.

Russia ranks fifth in terms of our exports, excluding the EU. There is a huge number of Italian companies, large, medium and small, operating in Russia.

In 2017, our exports finally began to grow and in the first nine months of 2018, this trend persisted, so we believe that it can grow even further.

Italian companies show a growing interest in the Russian market. The readiness to improve industrial cooperation is also proved by the signing of numerous agreements between Italian and Russian companies, which Mr President and I attended with great enthusiasm.

In addition, we have wonderful cooperation in culture and science, and Mr President mentioned this as well. The popularity of the Italian language in Russia is huge. Russia has 50 schools that teach Italian. There are many formats of cooperation between research centres and universities, especially in physics and medicine, and I strongly hope that these relations between Italy and Russia will continue to develop.







Question:

Good evening. I have two questions.

The first is for Prime Minister Conte because you hope that Russia will return to the Group of 7, or to be more exact, it should become the Group of 8 again.

Considering the evident very good relations between Russia and Italy, how much is the Italian Government prepared to oppose the tacit extension of economic sanctions against Russia from the European Union? Do you mean to impose a veto?

And a question for President Putin, if I may. Considering that Russia is already treated as a principal actor in solving large international crises, as I far as understand, you have received an invitation to personally take part in the conference on Libya in Palermo. Are you going there? And specifically, what is Moscow’s vision of a settlement of the Libyan crisis?



Giuseppe Conte:

First, I will answer your question. It is evident that, as I said, the Ukrainian crisis is a problem that created a bottleneck and that slowed and even blocked a dialogue that had been developing for 25 years. We cannot accept this. We need to overcome this by all means. It has lasted too long.

You ask about a veto. Italy believes that productive work means persuading our European partners to move in one direction. This is why we would prefer not to make a decision now. We will make it in due time.

Italy is very ambitious, and we would like to persuade our partners that the best way to find a solution is through dialogue.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you for the first part of the question. In appreciation of this, I will do my best to answer your second question in detail.

I mentioned that we support Italy’s efforts to settle the crisis in Libya. As you know, it was manmade, and not by Russia. Still, we support everything Italy is doing in this respect.

I have already said and will repeat: I believe that our approach fully coincides with Italy’s approach, to the effect that ultimately the Libyan people themselves should solve internal Libyan problems.

For our part, we can only provide assistance and act as guarantors. We hope for success at the scheduled conference in Palermo and at the moment I do not know if I will be able to take part in it personally. In any case, Russia will definitely be represented at a very high level.



Question:

I have a question on the INF Treaty, the subject being discussed these past few days not only in our country and in the US, but also in Europe.

Due to the specifics of these arms –intermediate and short-range missiles – the Europeans could become hostages to the US if Washington withdraws from the treaty, as my colleague said yesterday.

It is not clear yet if Washington is withdrawing or is revising the format of this document, however, whatever the case, if Trump and his administration move beyond words, what steps will you take? This question is addressed to both leaders.







Vladimir Putin:

This problem did not come up yesterday or even three days ago when the US President announced it. It came up earlier, and as you might have noticed, and we did notice, the United States Congress had already earmarked expenses for R&D on intermediate and short-range missiles.

This means the decision has been taken. Once research and development is underway – and they do not do it so it can sit on the shelf and collect dust, it means that the next step will also be made.

The budget was passed, the Congress approved it while a political statement was made several days ago. Yes, indeed, there are certain questions regarding progress in missile technology and the limitations undertaken only by the United States and the Soviet Union, now the Russian Federation.

However, what worries us is that the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty has been scrapped. Now we are talking about the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. And the future of a new START Treaty on limiting strategic offensive arms is unclear.

If all that is scrapped, then nothing will remain to limit arms growth. The situation will then become very dangerous, in my view. There will be nothing left but an arms race.

Now regarding Europe. Of course, the key question, if the United States withdraws from the INF Treaty, the main question is what will they do with any new missiles?

If they deploy them in Europe, we will naturally have to respond symmetrically, and the European countries that agree to this, if it goes as far as that, must realise that they will put their own territory at risk of a retaliatory strike. This is an obvious situation. We will go back to Pershings in Europe.

I actually do not understand why Europe should be brought to such a high degree of risk? I see no reasons for that, but let me reiterate, this not our choice, we are not pursuing this. In answer to your question as to whether we will be able to respond – yes, we will, and this will happen very quickly and efficiently.

What is the formal pretext for our partners’ withdrawal from the INF Treaty? Accusations that we are allegedly violating it. However, as usual, no evidence of this is produced, whereas the United States has already violated it by deploying Aegis anti-missile defense launchers in Romania, by placing them on land, on the territory.

What have they done? The Aegis launchers can be used for offensive missiles, not anti-missiles. They only need to update the software and that’s it. This can be done in hours. We will not even be able to guess what is happening, we will not be able to see it from the outside. The US has already violated the treaty.

How about unmanned aircraft? This is in essence also a direct violation. Drones are no different than intermediate and short-range missiles in this respect. This is an old trick, when nobody shouts ‘Stop thief!’ louder than the thieves do, but it will not work in this case.

We are carefully analysing everything that is going on in real life. But let me repeat, we are ready to work on this with our US partners without any hysterics. What matters is what will follow, which decision will be taken.

I hope we will be able to talk about all these issues with the President of the United State at least on the sidelines of the meetings in Paris on November 11.







Giuseppe Conte:

I would like to add that this is a matter of concern for Italy as well, since we are talking about intermediate-range missiles. For this reason, we cannot remain indifferent to the fact that this treaty may be cancelled. I told Mr Putin that I was very young at the time of Pershing missiles, and have no desire whatsoever to return to a time that we have managed to leave behind us.

I will also inform President Trump during a telephone conversation that Italy will do everything it takes, as it usually does, to make sure that dialogue remains possible on this matter. We must focus on other cooperation opportunities and we must avoid any disruptions that would be a concern for everyone.



Question (retranslated):

Good afternoon. President Putin, what do you think about the possibility for Russia to invest in Italy’s government bonds, maybe using funds from the National Welfare Fund?

And Prime Minister, a question for you. I would like to ask you whether there might be misgivings in Washington or Brussels should Russia decide to invest in Italy’s securities.

In general, could this help stop the erosion of trust, improve bond spread and stop capital outflow from Italy?



Vladimir Putin:

We are aware of the current controversy between the Italian Government and the European Commission. In our view, this results from a difference in approaches to choosing the most effective way of ensuring economic growth and performance.

This dispute has been going on for a long time now, and not just between Italy and the European Commission, but also on the expert level too. What is better: fiscal relief or restrictions designed to suppress inflation?

In this case, this is none of our business. We are not going to interfere, so I will refrain from making even the slightest allusion regarding this matter. Despite all these complicated developments, we are aware of the debt burden together with the other challenges. We are quite aware of all this.

Nevertheless, I do believe that the Italian economy has a solid foundation, and overall we have trust in what the Italian Government is doing. We have no doubt that these matters will be resolved in one way or another. Russia does not intend to create any political limitations in operating its National Welfare Fund.

Of course, we are looking for various new investment options, since our funds are increasing quite rapidly. I think that our reserves are growing by seven or eight billion dollars per month, and I am not even talking about the Central Bank’s currency reserves that have reached 460 billion dollars.

However, this is a question for economic actors. Let me repeat that there are no political restrictions here.

As for the effect, in any case, it is always positive when an investor shows confidence in sovereign bond issuers. Let me reiterate that we did not discuss these matters today, and Mr Prime Minister did not raise these questions during the discussions that we had today.







Giuseppe Conte:

I would also like to answer this question.

This question is also relevant for me. Let me be absolutely clear. Asking President Putin to buy Italian bonds was not the purpose of my visit here.

The Italian economy is on a stable footing, as Mr President has said. However, while this is recognised abroad, not everyone in Italy would agree with this assessment. If the Central Bank of Russia or the National Welfare Fund take a decision of this kind, it will mean that they view the investment as a good deal. This is all I have to say about it.



Question:

Good evening.

Since energy was discussed during the talks, as you have said, could you tell us whether the Nord Stream 2 project was mentioned considering the differences that exist in Europe regarding its implementation?

And concerning the southern pipeline, what practical steps could be taken so that Italy receives Russian gas across the Black Sea and possibly joins projects to develop the gas transportation system in southern Europe where gas will be delivered via Turkish Stream?







Vladimir Putin:

In this sphere, everything is possible.

As you know, hydrocarbon exports, including both gas and oil, from Russia to Europe are growing. We are active in other sectors as well, including alternative energy sources. Italian companies are involved in projects to build wind farms, as well as develop Russia’s power grids into what is referred to as smart grids. This goes to say that energy cooperation between our countries covers a wide range of initiatives and sectors.

As for the specific question of infrastructure development, we are considering all possible options, including connecting Italy to various branches of the Turkish Stream, which could go through Bulgaria, or even through Serbia or Hungary or Greece, as well as stepping up ties in the context of increasing deliveries through Nord Stream 2, though we did not discuss Nord Stream 2 at this meeting.

Let me inform you, just to make sure that you all remember this, that pipelines from Baumgarten, where Russian gas will be delivered by Nord Stream 2, to Italy is a Russian-Italian joint venture. In this sense, Italy must be interested in the Nord Stream 2 project.

Let me reiterate that we are looking at all possible options. I would like to stress once again that they are not designed to be detrimental to the interests of any third parties, and do not target Ukraine’s interests.

The purpose of the options we are considering is to satisfy the growing demand of the European energy sector and economies in general in hydrocarbons in the near future. It is obvious that there is a growing demand. It is increasing by the year.

This year, Gazprom will produce and deliver to its European customers a record-high volume of 200 bcm, I think. For this reason, it is natural for us to promote these efforts, and this is what we discussed, broadly speaking.

Thank you. See you soon.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58889






Greetings on opening of 6th Baku International Humanitarian Forum



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the participants and guests of the 6th Baku International Humanitarian Forum.



October 25, 2018 - 09:30



The message reads, in part:

“The capital of Azerbaijan is hosting this reputable forum for the sixth time. It is being attended by officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations as well as parliamentarians, scientists, cultural figures, journalists and writers from dozens of countries.

This year, your forum is dedicated to a theme that is very important in today’s society, Shaping a New World and a New Humanity: Creativity and Human Development. Detailed discussions on many topical issues related to improving existing education systems, supporting culture and science, information security and intellectual property rights are scheduled.

I am confident that you will exchange valuable experience and advanced practical expertise and outline new prospective forms and areas for mutually beneficial international cooperation.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58912






Greetings on opening of sixth Russia–Tajikistan: Potential for Interregional Cooperation Parliamentary Forum



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the sixth Parliamentary Forum Russia–Tajikistan: Potential for Interregional Cooperation, taking place in Moscow.



October 25, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Russian-Tajikistani relations are developing dynamically as an alliance and a strategic partnership. Cooperation between territorial administrations of our two states is an important element of these relations.

The forum agenda includes current issues of expanding interregional ties in many areas. The matter of humanitarian contacts has been especially important lately due to Tajikistan residents’ growing interest in receiving an education in the Russian language. We are pleased to note that we have already achieved tangible and practical results in this sphere: more teachers from various Russian regions and cities go to work at Tajikistani education institutions as part of a corresponding interregional programme.

I am confident that the Russian and Tajikistani parliamentarians will hold constructive and detailed discussions on the issues related to interregional cooperation and will outline new promising forms of cooperation.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58909






Greetings on opening of 11th Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the 11th Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona.



October 25, 2018 - 10:30



The message reads, in part:

“The Verona Forum has earned deserved authority among international political, expert and business communities. The representative composition of its participants allows for a thorough discussion of the most diverse and complex issues on the Eurasian agenda.

The theme of your current forum, Economy of Trust and Diplomacy of Business from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is quite relevant. It reflects the growing demand for broad international cooperation in trade, the economy, finance, energy, technology and other fields, which is free of artificial restrictions, barriers, sanctions and unfair competition. I would like to confirm that the Russian side is ready for such constructive cooperation with all of its partners on the Eurasian continent.

I am confident that your discussions will be interesting and productive, and the ideas and suggestions you put forward will find their implementation.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58910






Greetings on opening of 10th General Assembly of Asian Political Parties’ International Conference



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the 10th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties held in Moscow.



October 25, 2018 - 12:00



The message reads, in part:

“Over the years of its existence, the ICAPP has fully proven its effectiveness and relevance while ensuring constructive interaction between the parties of the Asian continent and provided a great venue for discussing important matters of international politics and economics, and interparliamentary and cultural cooperation.

Russia welcomes the ICAPP’s efforts to identify approaches to the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts and crises, to consolidate the principles of justice, equality and mutual respect in international relations. The leading political force in our country – the United Russia party – is making a significant contribution to the conference’s activities, including as a member of its Standing Committee.

I am convinced that in the course of the upcoming discussions you will exchange practical experience in party work and will outline new joint projects and initiatives to help strengthen trust and understanding between the peoples of different countries.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58911






Telephone conversation with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at the Saudi side’s initiative.



October 25, 2018 - 21:20



The issues of the further development of multifaceted bilateral cooperation, including in the energy sector, were thoroughly discussed. King Salman confirmed his invitation to Vladimir Putin to visit Saudi Arabia. It was agreed to work out the terms of such a visit through diplomatic channels.

The leaders exchanged views on the Syrian issue and the state of affairs in the Middle East in general. The situation around the ‘Jamal Khashoggi case’ was also addressed.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58913






Congratulations to Federal President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and Federal Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz



Vladimir Putin congratulated Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz on the country’s national holiday – the anniversary of adopting the Constitutional Law on the Neutrality of Austria.



October 26, 2018 - 10:40



The message reads, in part:

“I am pleased to note the constructive nature of Russian-Austrian relations. I am confident that through joint efforts we will further develop bilateral dialogue and fruitful cooperation in various fields for the benefit of the peoples of our countries and in the interests of strengthening European security and stability.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58919






Condolences to King Abdullah II of Jordan



Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over a tour bus swept away in a Dead Sea flash flood.



October 26, 2018 - 19:15



The message reads in part:

“Please accept my deepest condolences over the death of the tour bus passengers killed by the tragic accident on shores of the Dead Sea. It is especially sad that most of the victims of this disaster were children.”

The President of Russia asked to pass on his words of sincere sympathy and support to the victims’ families and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58927






Telephone conversation with President of France Emmanuel Macron



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron at the French side’s initiative.



October 27, 2018 - 13:40



A special focus was given to Syrian settlement ahead of the quadrilateral Russia–Turkey–France–Germany summit to begin in Istanbul today. The discussion touched on a number of issues on the Istanbul summit agenda. Emphasis was laid on stepping up joint efforts to promote a political process in Syria, including the formation and launch of the Constitutional Committee.

The heads of state discussed the Russian President’s participation in the upcoming celebration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I (Armistice Day). The issue of holding a Russia-US summit meeting in the French capital was also brought up.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58931






Meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Vladimir Putin met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



October 27, 2018 - 14:45 - Istanbul
















The conversation was held at Vahdettin Pavilion, which will later host a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58932






Meeting with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel



President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel had a bilateral meeting in Istanbul.



October 27, 2018 - 15:50 - Istanbul










A summit between the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France will take place later.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58933






Meeting between the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France



President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron had a meeting in Istanbul.



October 27, 2018 - 19:30 - Istanbul







The leaders shared opinions on Syria, including ways to promote the political settlement process.






















Following the talks Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron adopted a Joint Statement.



















The leaders also gave a joint news conference.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58934






Joint Statement by the Presidents of the Republic of Turkey, the French Republic, the Russian Federation and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany



October 27, 2018



President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the French Republic H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Russian Federation H.E. Vladimir Putin, and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany H.E. Angela Merkel gathered in Istanbul on 27 October 2018 for a Quadrilateral Summit on Syria.

The Presidents and the Chancellor,

Reviewed the recent developments regarding the conflict in Syria and expressed their shared concern on the risks and threats emanating from the conflict for regional as well as global security and stability;

Reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

Underlined their firm conviction that there could be no military solution to the ongoing conflict and that the conflict could be resolved only through a negotiated political process in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and emphasized, in this regard, the importance of increased coordination among all international initiatives which aim at contributing to a credible and sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict;

Reaffirmed their determination to fight against terrorism in Syria in order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al Qaeda or DAESH/ISIL, and other terrorist groups, as designated by the UN Security Council;

Expressed their determination to reject separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries;

Welcomed the Memorandum on Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area, signed by the Republic of Turkey and the Russian Federation in Sochi on 17 September 2018;

Commended the progress in terms of withdrawal of heavy weapons as well as radical groups from the demilitarized zone established pursuant to the Memorandum;

Stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire, while underlining the necessity to continue fight against terrorism, through the full implementation of the effective measures as foreseen in the Memorandum and the compliance of all relevant parties with its provisions;

Reaffirmed their strongest opposition to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria and called for strict compliance by all parties with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction;

Expressed their support for an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that is facilitated by the United Nations and called for active participation in it of the Syrian parties;

Called for establishing and early convening, considering the circumstances, by the end of the year of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva that would achieve the constitutional reform, paving the way for free and fair elections under the UN supervision and in compliance with the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate;

Emphasized the importance of implementing confidence-building measures to contribute to the viability of the political process and a lasting ceasefire, and expressed their support for the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as well as the identification of the missing persons, as undertaken by the respective Working Group with the participation of the UN and ICRC experts;

Underscored the need to ensure humanitarian organizations’ rapid, safe and unhindered access throughout Syria and immediate humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need in order to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, and, in this regard, called upon the international community, particularly the UN and its humanitarian agencies to increase their assistance to Syria;

Reaffirmed their solidarity with the host countries, in particular Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and recalled that they remain committed to the safe and voluntary return of refugees to Syria on conditions consistent with the international law;

Highlighted the need to create conditions throughout the country for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their original places of residence in Syria, underlined that the returnees need security from armed conflict, political persecution or arbitrary arrests as well as humanitarian infrastructure, including water, electricity, health and social services, and emphasized the necessity of coordination among all relevant parties, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other specialized international agencies;

Expressed their commitment to working together in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria, encourage a political solution and strengthen international consensus in that regard.

The Presidents of the French Republic and the Russian Federation, and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for hosting the Quadrilateral Summit in Istanbul.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5351






News conference following the meeting of the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France



Following the talks, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron held a joint news conference.



October 27, 2018 - 20:30 - Istanbul







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The talks in the quadrilateral format were held in a business-like atmosphere. I would like to join our colleagues’ opinion and thank the Turkish leadership for organising this joint work.







We discussed the situation in Syria and did substantial work on agreeing approaches to the key questions of the Syrian settlement.

The Joint Statement we adopted reflects the commitment of Russia, Turkey, the Federal Republic of Germany and France to further expansion of cooperation in the interest of normalising the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, launching an effective intra-Syrian dialogue and conducting necessary government reforms and transformations.







Favourable conditions for that were created thanks to the work in the Astana format with the active involvement of Russia, Turkey and Iran.

The larger part of Syria’s territory has been liberated from terrorists, and the country is gradually moving towards peaceful development.







All the meeting participants agree on the key point: long-term stability in Syria can be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means in total compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and with strict observance of the principles of the Syrian Arab Republic’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Importantly, it is the Syrian people themselves who must determine their country’s future.

It is in this context that we discussed the prospects for joining efforts within the Astana format and the so-called small group. In our view it would contribute to the launch of a real political process in Syria, and attract an increasing number of interested and constructive minded representatives of Syrian society.







Above all, it is essential to launch the work of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, which is designed to consider the fundamental questions of Syria’s future state structure. The decisions taken at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi must be taken into account in this process.

Such a committee must undoubtedly be recognised as legitimate by all Syrian parties and enjoy their respect. Only in this case can the structure be viable and effective, able to prepare and conduct a long-overdue constitutional reform that will bolster Syrian statehood and unite Syrian society. This means that serious, meticulous work on shaping the committee lies ahead, and it must be effective. Russia, as a guarantor of the Astana process, will be actively engaged in it.







Even though the level of violence in Syria has decreased considerably, the elimination of the remaining radical elements remains a crucial task. We must not let the militants with combat experience continue their criminal activity, establishing sleeper cells in our countries, recruiting supporters and spreading extremist ideology and terror.

In this connection Mr Erdogan and I gave a detailed account to our European colleagues of the progress achieved in implementing Russian-Turkish agreements on Idlib. We assume that the establishment of a demilitarised area as well as the de-escalation zone in Idlib is a temporary measure. We expect the Turkish side to make sure that the opposition withdraws heavy weapons and military units from the demilitarised area. We see that our Turkish partners are doing everything in their power for that.







In case the radical elements impede the implementation of this task, if they conduct armed provocations from the Idlib zone, Russia reserves the right to render effective support to the decisive actions of the Syrian government on eliminating this hotbed of terrorist threat.

A great deal of attention was given today to the issues of administering humanitarian aid to Syria’s population and assisting in the return of the refugees. Russia does a great deal in this respect but collective efforts of the global community are needed in order to radically improve the situation in that country, relieve acute social problems and restore the economy. By the way, there is an example of such positive joint actions: let me remind you that a joint Russian-French operation on delivering humanitarian aid to Eastern Ghouta was conducted in July.







We spoke at length about it today and came to the conclusion that the notion of humanitarian aid should be expanded to include deliveries of medical equipment, medicines, the restoration of the infrastructure and water supply.

We asked our partners to support the Russian initiative on organising an international conference on Syrian refugees. We are aware what it entails, we understand the problems but unless we work together, no results will be achieved.







Conditions have been created in the Syrian Arab Republic to accommodate up to 1.5 million people and the Syrian government issued hard guarantees of safety and non-discriminatory treatment of all those who want to come back to their homes.

Colleagues, we had very useful separate meetings at today’s summit with President of the Turkish Republic and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and we are still to have talks with the President of France.







To conclude, I would like to express my gratitude to the partners for substantive and fruitful talks.

In closing I would like to thank Mr de Mistura for his work in this area. It was complicated, painstaking and highly professional work that demanded considerable efforts from the participants in the process and personally from Mr de Mistura. Thank you very much.







I would also like to congratulate the Turkish people on the upcoming national holiday, the Republic Day. The day after tomorrow marks the 95th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. I sincerely congratulate Mr President and the Turkish people and wish them happiness and well-being.

Thank you very much for your attention.







Question (retranslated):

My question is, following Mr de Mistura’s visit to Damascus, Mr Foreign Minister made quite a harsh statement. How can you comment on this, Mr President? How are you going to convince Bashar al-Assad to establish a Constitutional Committee before the yearend? How will you persuade him?



Vladimir Putin:

It would be counter-productive to tell you about all the ways and methods of persuasion of the Syrian government. In order to make this work successful, we need to act calmly and with due respect to the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic.

By the way, everybody says “Syrian regime” while the UN Security Council Resolution uses “government of the Syrian Arab Republic.” Proceeding from this, showing respect for the legitimate government on the one hand, but taking into account the need to establish a constructive dialogue with the opposition (and we always urge the Syrian government to begin such a dialogue), and using today’s declaration, which we together with our colleagues approved during the discussion, we presume that before the end of 2018, given relevant conditions, a Constitutional Committee will be established and will begin its work.







I would like to remind you that at the Syrian People’s Congress in Sochi the decision was made to establish such a committee. After this, we managed to agree with both the opposition and President al-Assad on the formation of two of its part: one from the opposition and the other from the Syrian government. Now we need to agree on the third part that will represent public organisations and representatives of various public institutes. It is a difficult job, because each party will try to involve people they trust.

However, if there is no trust in this structure, it will not be able to function efficiently. Undoubtedly, we should hold comprehensive consultations with both the Syrian government and our partners in Iran, because without Iran, which, as we know, is a guarantor of the peace process, the ceasefire and the creation of demilitarized zones, the problem cannot be resolved efficiently.







Question (retranslated):

My question will be addressed to all the leaders, to Chancellor Merkel, President Putin and President Macron. In what context did you discuss the future political order in Syria? Did you cover Mr Assad’s involvement or non-involvement in this future political system?

Also, Mr President, if I may. Would you please clarify about Idlib? Are you happy with the execution of the memorandum you and your colleague, President Erdogan, signed in Idlib? Is there any risk of danger that would require solving the problem by force if no other methods work against the terrorists?







Vladimir Putin:

Our principled position is that it is the Syrian people who must decide on the fate of their own country, including people on the political stage.

Certain conditions must be created, one of which is the start of a political process of forming the Constitutional Committee, and commencement of its work. These are the subjects we addressed today. Naturally, we did not discuss any personas. It is counterproductive if we want to achieve a positive outcome at the end of our journey.

As for Idlib, I said everything. I pointed out that Russia reserves the right to support the Syrian government if terrorists carry out acts of provocation from the Idlib zone. Only recently – and I informed my colleagues about this – Aleppo was subjected to artillery shelling from the Idlib zone. In the past one and a half to two months, our air defence forces shot down 50 aircraft near the Khmeimim base. But everything we do together with our Turkish partners, our friends in this situation, is in compliance with the goals that we set for ourselves.

We want to ensure the Idlib zone is de-militarised within 15 km to 20 km, free of any heavy machinery and various radical groups. This work is in progress; our Turkish partners are performing their obligations although we have not completed the full scope of the measures. We can see that it is a complicated job and we intend to further cooperate with Turkey on this matter.







Question (retranslated):

Regarding drones, do Russia and Turkey conduct joint patrol missions?

Talks on the establishment of a Constitutional Committee have been ongoing for 10 months now. There was a list of possible candidates for the committee head.

De Mistura said in a statement today that he would leave his post in November. When do you think the next four-party meeting will be held? Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

We have not yet coordinated any meeting in this format. But anything is possible.

I believe that broader possibilities and a wider format of participants would benefit this process. Initially, it was the President of France who proposed combining the efforts of the narrow group, as I said before, with the Astana Process. The President of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, has supported the idea and proposed holding our meeting today. I believe it has benefitted us.

As for the form of this meeting. You said that we have not attained any practical results since the decision we made in Sochi. I would like to remind you that before the Astana process was launched the parties had not met at all for a year. The process was sliding. It is a very complicated process, and nothing was happening at all.

And then we initiated the Astana process together with the President of Turkey and the President of Iran and we set the process in motion. Things started happening and various proposals were made.

Holding the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi was not an easy thing to do. The preparations were very difficult. It is true that the agreements reached there are not being implemented as quickly as we would like them to, yet certain progress has been made already. We have convinced the Syrian Government to present their part of the list for the Constitutional Committee. Our colleagues, primarily the President of Turkey, did their bit as well. A list of opposition representatives has been compiled. Now we need to form the third component.

Yes, it is a difficult process. The committee must comprise those who are trusted by all parties to the conflict. But we must be patient and respect all the participants in this process. Only in this manner will we be able to succeed.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58935






Greetings to President of Czech Republic Milos Zeman



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman on Independent Czechoslovak State Day.



October 28, 2018 - 10:20



The message reads, in part:

“This year, you are celebrating an outstanding anniversary: exactly 100 years ago the Czech and Slovak people defended their right to state sovereignty.

In Russia, we respect the Czech Republic. Our countries have strong cultural and spiritual ties. I am certain that the development of a bilateral dialogue and constructive cooperation in many areas meets our common interests.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58943
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Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak



Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak to discuss, among other topics, measures to support Russian exports and import replacement.



October 22, 2018 - 12:20 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Kozak, recently, we have focused on supporting exports, which we consider instrumental for improving the economy, increasing its competitiveness and introducing some innovation. How do you assess these efforts?



Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak:

According to your Executive Order of May 7, the Government commenced to carry out the largest national project entitled International Cooperation and Exports. Under the Executive Order, we developed a project-based approach to this measure and the Government is exercising this approach thoroughly. Right now it will allow us, firstly, to budget all the funding required for the export support and support of competitive Russia-manufactured products, which includes those that are competing on the global market.

It will also help to identify all potential participants in the very early stages of the project. These participants include companies, workers, regional government bodies and local governments that must be also indirectly involved in this project. Right at the very beginning, we must identify those who want to participate, allocate the necessary budget funds for state support and outline our mutual obligations for this lengthy period. The mutual obligations include the obligations to be taken up by the companies, workers and businesses as to organising the production of competitive goods, as well as the obligations of the state to provide financial support throughout the entire term. In our opinion, this could also significantly increase the efficiency of this measure.







In addition to this, it is the first time that a project of this kind provides for the involvement of regional government agencies and local governments. Up until this moment, manufacturing subsidies and support were provided at the federal level. But now all levels of government will be involved in addressing this essential objective in a consolidated effort.

Agreements with key and systemically important companies will be signed at the federal level with mandatory involvement of regional government bodies. All other companies will get subsidies from their respective regions with the same obligations to promote manufacturing of Russian goods that can compete on the global market.







What is the expected effect? This would help us increase by more than 60 percent the manufacturing of products with high added value that would be competitive both domestically and internationally. Of course, at the same time we are working on import replacement and enhancing Russia’s industrial security, since our country will produce products that will be competing against the world’s best designs.

Moreover, this will lead to the creation of quite a few high-technology and well-paid jobs in keeping with your earlier instructions that we are also working on. This will also help attract more investments in setting up high-technology manufacturing facilities in Russia.







All in all, this project has been launched, and I believe that we will achieve these results. This is expected to facilitate structural economic reforms in Russia, step up non-oil and gas production and deliveries to the domestic market and abroad.



Vladimir Putin:

Good.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58868






Meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin



The President had a working meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to discuss the development of transport infrastructure and the capital’s economy, and the implementation of the housing stock renovation programme.



October 22, 2018 - 17:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon,

Mr Sobyanin, your inauguration took place not so long ago, but you were working hard even before it. You and I have toured transport infrastructure sites on several occasions. Let us start with that.



Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin:

This year was extremely good for Moscow, and we set a number of new records. Many years of preparatory work have led us to the new sites being open now.

We broke every record there was in our time, or Soviet times, for that matter, and opened 32 kilometres of new metro lines, 15 stations and two train depots, which are, in fact, two huge plants for operating metro carriages and metro trains. Ten stations are nearly ready. They will open either at the end of this year or early next year.

So, the projects involving the construction of the Moscow metro that I reported on, and you supported, are being implemented. These are major projects, involving much more than just one station, which will double the Moscow metro’s service area. We have started work at all sections of the future outer ring metro line, which will be the world’s longest ring metro line. Beijing has the longest one now at about 57 kilometres. Ours will be about 70 kilometres. This is a major project. We are running ahead of schedule, and the first start-up complex will be launched as soon as this year.

The same goes for the roads. We have opened an unprecedented 127 kilometres of paved roads to traffic. On the face of it, it does not look much like a record. However, most of these roads are complex engineering structures, involving bridges, overpasses and tunnels. We were working in highly developed areas. We relocated a vast number of utility lines. We opened to traffic several sections of significant projects such as the North-East Expressway, the North-West Expressway, the Kaluga Highway, the Kaluga and Kiev highways’ junction, that is, all major projects. We have more to do. It is not that we did something specifically before the election and will stop there. No. We will keep up the pace of construction in order to resolve Moscow’s most acute problem, which is traffic.

The Moscow Central Circle project, which you know very well, you launched it, continues to develop. We are now connecting it with several major railways; this year, we connected it with three. At the intersections of railways and the MCC, we open transit hubs that increase the passenger flow and allow for more convenient changes from trains to the MCC. We have already integrated three railways, and will have two more integrated by the end of the year. This is another project that is currently developing. So all of these three large-scale projects are now in progress and coming along well.

As per your instruction, together with Russian Railways, we continue working on the Moscow Central Diameters project. We recently reported about that to you during a meeting; it is a large-scale project, in fact, it is one of the largest in Europe. Today, almost two million people use commuter trains every day. Once this project is completed, this number will grow by one more million. There simply is no transport hub of this scale in Europe.

All these projects cannot be implemented by the city alone – it needs the support of the Russian Government, Russian Railways, and, of course, your approval and support, Mr President.







Vladimir Putin:

This is very good. We all know that transport infrastructure development directly affects the economy. How is Moscow’s economy doing?



Sergei Sobyanin:

Thanks to intensive investment in the infrastructure, Moscow’s businesses respond with mutual investments. For every ruble invested in infrastructure we get about three rubles of private investment in the city’s economy. In the past several years, investment in real terms grew by over 70 percent. This year, we predict about 5 percent investment growth in real terms.

Production of manufactured goods saw 15 percent growth. This is another good indicator for Moscow. We have a whole range of production facilities that used to be in construction or reconstruction, but are now starting their operation. Real wages will grow by about 8 percent. All these indicators give us the sustainability that is needed for implementing large-scale urban development projects.



Vladimir Putin:

How is your housing stock renovation programme going?







Sergei Sobyanin:

It is, of course, one extremely complex project – from the standpoint of technical implementation, financing and scale. Nevertheless, we made serious progress in the course of one year. This year, we will allocate about 1 million square metres of housing to the housing stock renovation programme. Next year, we will have a total of about 4 million square metres under construction at the same time.

This project is fully budget-funded. The first stage is budgetary; then we will, of course, try to attract extra-budgetary funding. But in order to start the ball rolling, full budgetary funding is needed.

We have a very important task for the next year: to draw up urban construction documents and discuss them with Muscovites. We are beginning to reclaim the renovation sites. For this, we need comprehensive urban construction projects that envisage public facilities, kindergartens, schools, clinics and transport infrastructure. In order to do this, we must work out more than a hundred of such comprehensive projects and discuss them with people living in Moscow. We plan to do the bulk of this work next year.



Vladimir Putin:

Good.

I know that traditionally you help Sevastopol. How is this cooperation going today?



Sergei Sobyanin:

Mr President, Moscow and Sevastopol have always been sister cities, even when Sevastopol was not part of Russia; we always helped.



Vladimir Putin:

Legally it has always been part of Russia.







Sergei Sobyanin:

Yes, it has. We have regarded it as a sister city.

Today the situation is easier, so we are starting to work with Sevastopol more systematically. We have outlined an entire range of programmes to assist Sevastopol in improving parks, public gardens, courtyards and streets as well as in repairing and upgrading social and cultural facilities, schools, clinics and hospitals. These projects are slated to begin next year.

The projects are relatively small, but I believe they are important for Sevastopol and the people living there. It is also important to take a systematic approach, so that these measures would not be a one-off but would follow a plan for several years to improve Sevastopol’s infrastructure each year.

I know that many large projects are being implemented under the federal targeted programmes you approved. I think our task is to improve the city’s infrastructure and public spaces.



Vladimir Putin:

Very well. I said that legally Sevastopol has always been part of Russia. It was a city of central subordination, even when Crimea was transferred – illegally – from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. It is illegal because the decision was made by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, Ukraine and then approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR, while it should have been approved by the republics’ supreme councils and the USSR Supreme Council. But even during this process, which was essentially illegal, everybody just forgot about Sevastopol, and it was not transferred from the USSR to Ukraine. So technically and legally it has always been part of Russia.



Sergei Sobyanin:

We could feel this.



Vladimir Putin:

It is very good that you help the city and plan to continue this in the future. Thank you very much.



Sergei Sobyanin:

Thank you, we will do so.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58872






Small Business as a National Project forum



The President spoke at a plenary session of the All-Russia Non-Governmental Organisation of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA Russia’s Small Business as a National Project annual forum.



October 23, 2018 - 16:40 - VDNKh, Moscow






Before the session, Vladimir Putin visited the technical workshops of Moscow’s Technograd recreational and educational complex, which opened at VDNKh in September.

This complex is aimed at educating children aged 11 and older, and providing further education and training for adults and students. Various master classes and courses on digital and creative technologies, urban infrastructure and industrial vocational and service fields provide citizens with the opportunity to train in 42 professions that are in greatest demand in the city.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, friends, colleagues,

First of all, I would like to congratulate Alexander Kalinin [President of OPORA Russia] on his re-election to a second term and wish him success.

I also want to thank the All-Russia Non-Governmental Organisation of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA Russia and Russian business representatives for your participation in the country’s most important development projects, for your joint work to improve the business climate and in the long run to improve people’s wellbeing. The result of our joint efforts provides new opportunities for work and personal fulfilment.

Let me remind you that in my Address [to the Federal Assembly], and then in the May Executive Order I set a goal to provide not just progressive, but quality development of small and medium-sized businesses. And this means that both the activity of your companies and state policy to support entrepreneurship should become substantially more efficient.







In the next six years, we must make the contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to the country’s GDP exceed 30 percent, and then reach 40 percent (it is some 20 percent now). To that end, we will create some 6 million jobs and significantly improve the export potential of small enterprises and companies.

At my instruction, the Government together with OPORA Russia and other business associations has developed a concrete action plan, a national project to support small and medium-sized businesses.

Today there are 1,200 people sitting in this room – and this is a very large room. Mr Kalinin said that there have never been such big events before. And I would like to outline some directions and principles I believe to be priorities in front of you.

First, we often talk about this, almost all the time, but we have to go back to this, and we will do so until we make significant progress. I mean we must simplify all the procedures for establishing and operating businesses as much as possible, to make them easy to bear and entrepreneur-friendly, while at the same time, naturally, preserving the balance between the freedom of business and the interests of people, society and the state.







In order to create such a comfortable business environment, we need, among other things, to make the most of the opportunities provided by digital technology; we have also discussed this a lot recently: to expand the use of advanced cash registers and equipment. Everything that will help companies avoid a load of paperwork.

I also ask the Government to issue a separate legislative act stipulating the full list of financial reports for small businesses, so that officials, or, I will misspeak, some officials, are not tempted to use various instructions and orders to burden businesses quietly by introducing new forms of reports. Unfortunately, this happens every day. Frankly, sometimes we do not even know what to do with this. Together with you, we will work on new ways to crack down on this.

Second, we need to allow small companies’ products to access the Russian market more easily. In this sense, I would like to note the focused and effective work carried out by the Corporation for Developing Small and Medium Businesses. There also are good results there. Sometimes, when we join our efforts, we can achieve something. In this case, we can speak about certain progress.







In 2015, when the Corporation only began its operation, partially government-owned companies purchased no more than 100 billion rubles of goods and services per year from small and medium-sized businesses, while this year, according to preliminary estimates, the sum amounts to over three trillion rubles.

Now the Corporation for Developing Small and Medium Businesses and businesses will have to reach the next level: to increase this volume to five trillion rubles by 2024. It can be done.

What is particularly important is that the share of high-tech products and services is growing and now stands at almost 70 percent of all purchases. It is imperative to keep up such dynamics both in the medium and longer term. To do so, it is important to build a systemic mechanism and “grow” high-quality suppliers, if I may put it that way, so that small companies could improve their technological and managerial skills and the competitiveness of their products. I assure you that I discuss this constantly with my colleagues and heads of major Russian companies.







Hence, my third point. It is necessary to improve and expand the toolbox to support small and medium-sized businesses, especially in the most significant areas. These include small high-tech companies and start-up businesses, farms and agricultural cooperatives, as well as social entrepreneurship.

By the way, last summer, at a meeting with NGOs in Petrozavodsk, we agreed that the law On Social Entrepreneurship would be adopted by late 2017. That was in July 2017. 2018 is drawing to an end, and things have not budged. We wasted a year.

I would like the Ministry of Economic Development to focus on the need to put aside all disagreements and work closely with the parliamentarians and the business community through all the issues that so far have not been agreed upon in order to pass the law as soon as possible.

I also want the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to streamline the mechanism for promoting the best practices of supporting social entrepreneurship in the regions.







Also, we see our people becoming increasingly interested in physical fitness and sports. We have plans, benchmarks and standards, which we must attain in the near future. The demand in this sector is large, and small businesses are ready to do even more in this regard. It is necessary to provide them with actual support.

I would like the Corporation for Developing Small and Medium Business, in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport, to focus particularly on this area.

By the way, there is certain progress here as well. Look, the volume of purchases from small and medium-sized businesses in the sector of physical fitness has increased from 200 million rubles in 2017 to 1.7 billion in 2018, which is an eight-fold increase. These things should be emulated.







I would also like to speak today about the work of supervision agencies. We constantly speak about it, I know this too, but, like in the first case, we will keep coming back to it until there is a real breakthrough. There is certain progress – I will talk about this in a minute – but, of course, there also are problems.

We have made important, necessary decisions in previous years. The situation is gradually changing. But there is still a lot to do, and the main criterion of our efforts’ effectiveness is the comfort of entrepreneurs and the guarantees that protect them from pressure and illegal actions.

As you know, the Prosecutor’s Office works. I know, because I do not only meet with those present here in such halls, but also in a more business-like atmosphere, at various meetings. I know there are problems.

But still, look here. When prosecutors were drafting the 2018 General Plan of Scheduled Inspections, they excluded 62,000 checks of the 412,000 suggested by supervision agencies. In the 10 years that the plan was being drafted, a total of 4 million checks out of 8.8 million proposed by inspectors were turned down. Almost 50 percent were rejected by the Prosecutor’s Office. Last year, prosecutors declined more than a half, or 58 percent, of the snap inspections out of 35,000. But it turns out that this is not enough either.







Nevertheless, it often happens that it is more profitable and easier for small studios and freelancers to work without any registration at all, because everyone knows that when you work illegally, inspectors do not visit you, and if they suddenly do, there are various options of how to build relations with them. It is unclear who profits from such work, from making people work in the shadows. One thing is clear: it is not the state, not businesses, not people.

I believe that our common fundamental task is to provide for maximum transparency of the supervision agencies’ activities. Let me repeat: today, in the age of digital and information technologies, this is a crystal clear, understandable and easy-to-solve task. And, of course, many things will depend on businesses’ readiness to join this common work.

This is what I propose, in this regard. We already have the so-called Audit Registry, and it has really helped increase the transparency of audit activities to a certain extent. However, now – and you are well aware of this – the auditors are filling the Registry themselves, and are doing so without any formal rules, however they want. This is often at odds with the interests of the businesses and the state. Here, of course, it is necessary to bring things up to standard and provide clear regulations on the maintenance of this Registry. However, this alone may not be enough. And then, there is always the question: how do we make this happen?







There is a way to deal with it. The entrepreneurs should be able to post information about the auditors, the purpose of their visit, the audit results, the actual results – that’s important – obtained during the audit, and how the audit affected the entrepreneur’s business activities.

To do so, you can, for example, use the Business Navigator digital platform operated by the SME Corporation. By the way, our colleagues from Italy, Azerbaijan and Japan have already asked us about this product.

In the future, both systems – the Audit Registry and the Business Navigator – can and should be docked with each other to ensure data exchange. And if these data do not match, it will be a red flag both for the Prosecutor General’s Office and the public in general.







We will be able to spot the companies that the auditors focus on, and which sectors and entrepreneurs they overlook and turn a blind eye to the problems.

I want the General Prosecutor’s Office – we have already held preliminary consultations with them – in conjunction with the Corporation for Developing Small and Medium Businesses to work out such a mechanism as part of a pilot programme.

Please note, there are two important goals: to increase audit transparency, to protect businesses and to be able to clearly see the sectors in which proper control does not exist and what risks this might pose.







I would like to mention another relevant and important issue. This December is the end of the three-year moratorium on scheduled inspections for most types of state control over small businesses. This measure applied to over 500,000 entrepreneurs, helped support business and reduce their expenses.

To be frank, the public, the government and the business community took lessons from this so-called temporary oversight exemption. I will be honest with you, and the analysis showed it, that some people learned to cunningly use and manipulate the provisions that we adopted and use them as a cover-up, not for the public’s benefit but for their personal benefit, for deceptive purposes.

Experience has shown that there are areas that require constant and tougher control. This mainly concerns companies with so-called high-risk profiles, whose activities directly affect the lives and safety of people, as well as companies involved in specific areas and sectors, for instance, distribution of precious metals and stones. As regards other small companies and for self-employed individuals, I propose extending the temporary oversight exemption for another two years. I ask the Government and the State Duma to make the relevant decision fast.

This step would be further evidence that the government and the public trust business, count on its being responsible and believe that the vast majority of entrepreneurs value their own business reputation.







And, of course, we must further improve our legislation and law enforcement practices, including those related to law enforcement agencies’ activities in the economic sector.

I know that members of the business community have a large number of substantial proposals. I ask the Working Group on Monitoring and Analysis of Law Enforcement Practice in Business to consider all these questions – actually, we will engage in this together – and come up with legislative initiatives.

Colleagues, friends, I am strongly convinced that Russia's development depends on private initiative and the success of aspiring, ambitious and persistent people like you and those working with you.

We will further expand the space and opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses, and we are sure to be successful if we work together, like we have in previous years.

Thank you for your attention and I wish you success. Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58879






Presentation of Russian-Italian film Sin



October 24, 2018 - 19:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte watched a new Russian-Italian film Sin, presented by its director Andrei Konchalovsky. The presentation took place at the Kremlin following the talks between Mr Putin and Mr Conte.
















The plot concentrates on several years in the life of Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo, in particular, the period when he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling and created the sculpture of David, which was then unveiled in Florence. The film stars Italian actor Alberto Testone.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58888






Meeting of Council for Strategic Development and National Projects



Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, in the Kremlin.



October 24, 2018 - 22:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow






First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov presented the main report on the national projects developed by the cabinet of ministers pursuant to the May Executive Order.

In addition to this, the meeting participants discussed national projects concerning social matters, the digital economy and transport infrastructure, the environment, culture, residential construction and the urban environment.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues,

Today I propose to discuss system-wide approaches to the strategic tasks set in the Address to the Federal Assembly and the May Executive Order.

As you well know, over a period of the next few years, we must achieve a real breakthrough in the economy, infrastructure, technology, science and social matters – mainly, to ensure prosperity and a new quality of life for Russian citizens, an abundance of opportunities to fulfill one’s potential for every person, and to generally strengthen the country’s competitiveness and achieve leadership in the fields that will, without a doubt, define the future of Russia and the entire world. These are, without exaggeration, historic objectives.

In the May Executive Order, the Government was instructed to develop a detailed plan of this breakthrough, this purposeful progress in every direction. Within a considerably short time, the Government conducted substantial work and developed national projects that outlined target indicators and practical mechanisms to achieve these indicators, as well as the amount of required funding.

Today, at this Council meeting, we will hold an extensive discussion of the national projects and agree on their main parameters. We will specifically address measures to monitor the implementation of the national projects and programmes.







I would like to point out that this stage requires constructive and substantive control. It will not be enough to simply prepare superficial bureaucratic reports and formally check the issues off the list as it happens sometimes.

The main goal is to bring about positive changes in the life of every person and every Russian family. This is exactly what is important to us: we need actual results. For example, we want people to actually notice that cities and villages are becoming more comfortable and pleasant to live in; that new roads are built; that kindergartens, schools, hospitals and other social facilities are improving their operation. Social and municipal services must be accessible without long waiting times. This is the important aspect.

Once again, it is extremely important to establish efficient feedback, synchronise our actions with the interests of the public and do everything to ensure that the people are directly involved in our development projects.







It is necessary to more thoroughly rely on the civil control experience. I would like to ask activists and experts from the Russian Popular Front to continue the vigorous efforts that they demonstrated in the past.

Colleagues, the success of the national projects and programmes largely depends on the regions’ efficiency. Moreover, it is the regional administrations that are to play the key role in solving certain practical tasks in such areas as education, healthcare, housing availability, improving the environment and supporting businesses, increasing labour productivity, and many other areas as well.

However, this does not mean that we can simply shift responsibility to the constituent entities and delegate our plans and indicators as an assignment to them. And of course, Mr Sobyanin [Moscow Mayor] and I spoke about preventing excessive bureaucracy. We do not need a thousand items on the list that will be impossible to make sense of. As I said earlier, we do not want to just formally check these items off the list.







In this regard, I am asking the Government, with due account of the proposals of the regions, to detail the national projects by adding very specific measurements, I mean regional measurements.

Each constituent area of the Federation should see its place in the development programmes and clearly understand its substantive tasks – what resources it needs to attract, how to build governance mechanisms and its budgeting policy, and what kind of federal support can be expected.

Federal co-financing should certainly reach the regions promptly and it is necessary to control the further targeted use of these funds.

I believe all these issues are highly important and crucial, and I propose discussing them with representatives of the regions at a special meeting before the end of this year, to fully take into account the position and interests of each region, and to build an effective model of joint work.







Please note that our projects are neither federal nor regional, but national, which implies the consolidation of efforts at all levels and branches of government, of representatives of civil society and certainly business.

Naturally, it is mandatory to actively participate in state-owned companies’ development projects. It was for this reason that they were established, after all. In this regard, we are all waiting for the managers of VEB, Gazprom, Rostec, Rostelecom, Rosneft, Rosatom, and other corporations co-owned by the state to submit proposals on financial, technological, scientific and personnel contributions to breakthrough programmes and projects.

Also, I definitely view the private sector as the most important partner of the state and society in the implementation of development plans. I repeat, this is not about making businesses invest in certain industries, but the idea is to offer investors, private companies really promising and profitable projects so that they can develop, create new jobs, increase exports, and enter global markets.

These issues are being discussed in detail by a group of business associations and major companies co-chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister Anton Siluanov from the Government and Mikhail Shokhin [President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs] from the business community.







Above all, they are working on effective models for financing and for the involvement of private businesses in projects on the national agenda. This is an extremely important matter.

Three portfolios are being considered: projects proposed to businesses by federal agencies; projects proposed by businesses involving collaboration with the state; and business projects that fit with the development priorities but do not require support under the national projects. All of them are important.

I ask Mr Siluanov today to report separately on the agreements reached with business representatives.

Colleagues, while working on development projects, it is of course necessary to attract technology and specialists, to build chains of cooperation, in short, to use all the best there is in the world.

However, it is obvious that we must move forward, relying primarily on our own technological, personnel, and industrial base.

Allow me to remind you that within six years, about 28 trillion rubles will be channeled into national projects from all sources. This is an astronomical figure for us today.







However, we have long worked on consolidating these resources – those of the state, the regions, and business. They must be put to use within the country and for its development, become a stimulus for the national economy, industry, science and education.

This means that the necessary technologies, equipment, and software need to be manufactured in Russia. We need to use local manufacturing facilities wherever possible, and as much as possible.

True, we need to be part of the global system, but we also need to make our money work for the country, inside our country. For that, we need to create reserves like those in the defence industry – we have already talked about this many times. We also need to increase the output of civilian products at defence enterprises.

All deputy prime ministers jointly with the Industry and Trade Ministry must promptly determine which types of machinery and equipment and which technology will be required to implement the national projects, what additional production facilities and competence centres need to be built; what tasks need to be set for our research, scientific and engineering centres. Vnesheconombank and other development institutions will need to make provisions for funding these projects.

If we succeed, and we must succeed, we will solve two problems, which is the transition of defence industry facilities to the production of civilian machinery and equipment, and, most importantly, the use of their resources for achieving development targets.

I would like to ask Mr Borisov [Deputy Prime Minister] to present consolidated proposals on the technological and production support of the development programmes. We will discuss this issue at a separate meeting.







Further, taking into account the objectives of the national projects, starting next academic year, we need to modify training programmes and enrolment plans for secondary vocational and higher education institutions.

Universities, colleges and vocational schools must be geared up towards achieving the set goals. Even today, we must do everything to make sure that in several years, our industrial facilities, corporations, schools, hospitals and research organisations employ graduates with up-to-date knowledge and qualifications who can meet the most complicated professional challenges.

Colleagues, the national projects are to unite our nation for achieving this breakthrough. It is essential at this turning point in the history of our country. I have already said this and I want to remind you once again to make sure we do not fall asleep on our feet.

Under no circumstances can we act and work in our regular mode. We must realise where we stand and what problems we are facing.

Without exaggeration, the wellbeing of Russian citizens depends on these results, along with the future of our country, the future of Russia. It is our obligation to go through with these plans.

I want everybody to understand this very well and to be ready for hard and intense work. Now, let us proceed to the discussion of issues on our agenda.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58894






Meeting with Alexander Osipov



Late yesterday evening, Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Alexander Osipov. The President informed Mr Osipov of his decision to appoint him Acting Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory.



October 25, 2018 - 09:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







Alexander Osipov, in turn, informed the President of plans to implement a number of socioeconomic projects.




Alexander Osipov:

The implementation of large projects is an important issue. The work has started on several large-scale projects in Trans-Baikal Territory, including the development of the Bystrinskoye poly-metallic deposit, the Argunskoye uranium deposit and others.

To secure their stable and successful operation, a supporting infrastructure is required, including the construction of social facilities for the personnel of the enterprises that are being established.







I ask for your support as regards the development of the plan on providing social security to the areas of growth. Similar plans have been developed and are currently implemented in the Far Eastern Federal District. If you support the plan, we will develop it and then submit it for approval and financing.

I would ask for your support and assistance in expanding the measures and support mechanisms that are commonly used in the Far East now and have proven their efficiency.







These include creating priority development areas, infrastructure subsidies for investment projects being implemented, and offering land plots of one hectare to residents for free.







Among such measures are also the use of support mechanisms envisaged by the law on the Free Port of Vladivostok, such as the 24/7 work of local checkpoints, where we are experiencing problems at the moment. People and vehicles have to wait for two or three days and cannot complete the formalities on time. This is a tense situation that needs to be resolved.







The support tools used in the Free Port of Vladivostok that can be helpful include the 24/7 work of checkpoints, accelerated procedures for control over transportation vehicles that cross the border, and creating a free customs zone.

There are also electronic visas for entrants, with the procedure simplified and a greater number of tourists arriving.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58895






Alexander Osipov appointed Acting Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory



The President signed the Executive Order On the Early Termination of the Trans-Baikal Territory Governor’s Mandate.



October 25, 2018 - 09:05



Following Trans-Baikal Territory Governor Natalya Zhdanova’s request for an early termination of her powers, the President resolved to accept her resignation.

The President appointed Alexander Osipov Acting Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory until an elected Governor assumes office.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58896






Ceremony to present senior officers and prosecutors appointed to higher positions



The President met with senior officers and prosecutors appointed to higher positions and awarded higher military (special) titles and class ranks.



October 25, 2018 - 14:20 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Comrades,

I welcome you at the official ceremony in the Kremlin. Congratulations on your appointment to higher command positions and the conferment of higher military ranks.

Your experience, the ability to effectively solve tasks and serve as an example for your subordinates receive deserved recognition. I expect that your new powers will allow you to more fully uncover your professional potential and to achieve significant success in strengthening the defence capability of Russia and protecting law and order.







One of the key areas of our common work is developing the Armed Forces. I repeat, Russia is not threatening anyone. We strictly abide by our obligations in the field of international security and arms control. We are always open for constructive partner work in the interests of stability in the world.

At the same time, our duty is to do everything necessary to reliably protect our Motherland from any potential threats. Therefore, we will continue to update the army and navy, primarily under the new State Armament Programme, which has been implemented since the beginning of this year. It focuses on the development and supply of advanced weapons and equipment to the troops. Many of them will soon be ready for mass production. In their tactical and technical characteristics, they are significantly ahead of foreign developments, and some simply have no analogues.







The operational and combat training level of the troops is to be raised. At the same time, it is necessary to fully take into account the experience of the military operation in Syria, the nature of potential threats and to solve increasingly complex and multifaceted tasks. It is precisely such tasks that our troops successfully worked through recently together with the military personnel from China and Mongolia during the most ambitious manoeuvres in the history of our country, Vostok-2018.

Of course, we will develop the best military traditions of our Motherland. This year, a military-political agency was established in the Armed Forces. Its task is to educate the young generation of service personnel using the examples of patriotism, loyalty to military duty and responsibility for the Motherland. At all times, these values have been the moral foundation of the Russian Army and fuelled its victorious spirit. This is how it should be in the future too.







Comrades, the stable development of Russia, the security of our citizens depend directly on the efficiency and quality of work of the security and law enforcement agencies.

I would like to note that in the nine months of this year, Federal Security Service personnel prevented 26 terrorist crimes, including 15 terrorist attacks. These figures testify to the saved lives of our citizens.







It is essential to continue acting with equal determination and efficiency. In close cooperation with the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, we need to gradually lower the level of the terrorist threat, first of all through up-to-date information and careful preventive measures.

This fully applies to all other areas of your work: counteracting extremism and corruption, protecting the state border and counteracting foreign security agencies.







The Foreign Intelligence Service is also facing demanding tasks. Your information on global and regional challenges and developments in hot spots must be as detailed, accurate and as timely as possible.

I would like to note that some areas of the Interior Ministry’s activity saw an improvement in 2018. Together with other law enforcement and security agencies, police officers efficiently ensured security at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.







The Federal National Guard Service also has a wide range of tasks. You must promptly suppress any violation of public order. Please note that it is necessary to significantly improve gun control. I expect from you concrete proposals, including regarding the legal framework.

The priorities of the Prosecutor’s Office bodies include ensuring the social rights of citizens and the legality in spending budget funds, as well as overseeing the implementation of legislation in the housing and utilities sector.







Of course, prosecutors must promptly respond to violations of labour and pension law, citizens' rights to healthcare and education, as well as to abuses of power by officials in the law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

The Investigative Committee staff must focus on investigating the most dangerous crimes.







I would like to note the great commitment of the Federal Guard Service personnel. I hope that you will continue to successfully accomplish the tasks before you, including ensuring the reliable operation of special communications and the hosting of major international events.

Russian rescuers work competently and smoothly. It is important to keep public places under constant control, including educational institutions, shopping, cultural, leisure and sports centres and large transport facilities.







The Chief Directorate for Special Programmes makes a major contribution to the security of Russia. The stable functioning of state civil and military authorities largely depends on the quality of your work.

The Federal Penitentiary Service should also focus on solving priority tasks. One of them is to upgrade the infrastructure of correctional institutions. The conditions of detention of prisoners must meet modern standards, and the security system must be reliable.







Comrades, I am sure you will do everything necessary to effectively solve the tasks that have been set for you.

In turn, the state will continue to strengthen the social guarantees of service personnel.







Thus, from October 1, 2019, taking into account the decision on indexation, the monetary allowance for service personnel and persons of equivalent status will increase by 4.3 percent, and military pensions will also be further indexed by another 2 percent as of October 1, 2019. Thus, the overall increase in military pensions will be 6.3 percent.

I instruct the Government to allocate appropriate resources in the 2019–2021draft federal budget, and I ask parliament members to support the necessary amendments.

In conclusion, I wish you health and success in your service, and happiness and well-being to your families and loved ones.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58902






Meeting with Head of Federal Customs Service Vladimir Bulavin



During the meeting, the President congratulated the Russian customs service staff on their professional holiday.



October 25, 2018 - 15:15 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Bulavin, today is a holiday, Customs Officers’ Day. I would like to congratulate you and the staff of Russia’s Customs Service on your professional holiday and to wish you success, good luck, good health and high spirits.

Let us talk today about several things. The first and most important is transfers to the federal budget. Second, what transformations you consider the most important now and what is on the agenda.

But one of the most important questions is how the creation of a single mechanism for fiscal payment administration is proceeding.



Head of the Federal Customs Service Vladimir Bulavin:

Mr President, thank you for congratulating Russian customs officers. We constantly feel your support and will not let you down.

According to the results of work in the first nine months of this year, it can be reported that we have managed to fulfil the task of transferring funds to the federal budget.

In the first nine months, 4 trillion 55 billion rubles have been transferred. This is 31 percent or one trillion rubles more than last year. Of course, the growth of oil prices has played a role here, as well as the macroeconomic situation, the increase in the weight characteristics of imports, and the rise in the average customs value. Therefore, as head of the Federal Customs Service, I can report to you that this testifies to a certain extent to the effectiveness of the work of the customs authorities.

We face difficult tasks before the end of the year: we must meet the forecast target of 5 trillion 930 billion rubles. This means that we have to collect about 20 billion daily. The job is difficult, strenuous, but we will make every effort to do it.

The current state of the customs service and its further development is directly related to the introduction of digital technologies and the development of telecommunication systems and information resources.

At present– here is my presentation – the information system of the customs agencies includes 81 programming tools and 67 information resources.

Every day, 30 million various messages and records are processed in a single automated information network. We have the ability to automatically maintain information contacts with 32 departments and automatically generate requests for them, and they, of course, make requests for our information resources in the same way. Suffice it to say that during the year we have generated 17.5 million requests for information resources of other federal authorities. This allowed us to accomplish the task you set on concentrating electronic declaration.

In 2018, we are to create three electronic customs and three electronic declaration centres. I must report to you that yesterday at the international customs forum, the first e-customs office in Nizhny Novgorod of the Volga Federal District was launched.

In 2020, we will have eight e-customs offices located in federal districts and eight electronic declaration centres: three marine electronic declaration centres, one aviation, one energy, one excise, and electronic declaration centres of the Moscow Region and Kaliningrad Region customs services.

What benefits will it have? Up to now, we have had 672 customs clearance points – but now there will be 16. There is a fundamental point: if, as a rule, these 672 customs clearance centres were located on privately owned premises, the 16 electronic declaration centres will be located in state-owned facilities. This significantly increases the level of manageability and the efficiency of handling customs payments, reduces the administrative burden on business, and most importantly, we disclose the personal contact between the issuing inspector and customs applicant and significantly reduce corruption risks.

This year we did a lot to simplify the customs clearance procedure and make it faster in order to meet businesses’ expectations. There is a special section in our comprehensive programme to develop the Federal Customs Service until 2020 that is entitled Ten Steps Towards Facilitating Business. We have already taken these steps.

Suffice it to say that this year our automated system registered 1.5 million electronic customs declarations and cleared 250,000 of them, that is, without the involvement of a customs officer. We plan that by 2020 the automated system will be able to register 99 percent of all customs declarations and clear 80 percent of all customs declarations for risk-free shipments. The average registration time for one customs declaration is three minutes, and the average clearance time is five minutes. I believe this is quite fast, taking into account the total amount of customs declarations we have to handle.

We also worked hard on expanding the range of My Account services we provide to those who are involved in foreign trade. Currently, exporters and importers while on holiday, at the office or at home can file a customs declaration in electronic form, consult customs officers about issues that might arise, submit accompanying documents in electronic form, archive these documents, if necessary, and check their current account balance or the amount debited from the account. There are quite a few new services we have presented, and we plan to further expand the range of these services.

It took us two years to introduce, practically from scratch, the electronic clearance system for transit shipments going through our country and, as of October 1 of this year, 99.7 percent of all transit customs declarations are processed electronically.

Mr President, you know we had a problem with tracking transit shipments through our country, as it was often the case that goods remained in the Russian Federation while relevant documents were registered as they should in a neighbouring country.







Vladimir Putin:

These are member countries of our Union.



Vladimir Bulavin:

Yes, they are.

There is a pilot project underway for a month now to track transit shipments through our country. We make sure that vehicles have hinged seals that allow us to track the trajectory of a moving vehicle and see to it that it follows the designated route.

Our colleagues from Kazakhstan have joined the pilot project, and we have also reached relevant agreements with our Belarusian colleagues, as well as our other colleagues in the Customs Union. In general, the pilot project has been showing good results.



Vladimir Putin:

Very good, this will also safeguard their interests.







Vladimir Bulavin:

Yes, of course.



Vladimir Putin:

Good, thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58904






Meeting with permanent Security Council members



Vladimir Putin held a meeting with permanent Security Council members.



October 25, 2018 - 16:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow







The participants held a detailed discussion of strategic stability, including in the context of the intention of the US to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) and other aspects of Russian-American relations.










The participants focused on the current situation with the Syrian reconciliation process with due account of preparations for the meeting between the leaders of Germany, France, Turkey and Russia scheduled for Saturday in Istanbul.










The participants touched on the situation in Krasnodar Territory after the heavy rains and flooding.







The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58906






About establishing foundation for preserving and studying native languages of the peoples of Russia



The President signed Executive Order On Establishing the Foundation for the Preservation and Study of the Native Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.



October 26, 2018 - 09:55



To create conditions for the preservation and study of the native languages ​​of the peoples of the Russian Federation, which are part of Russia’s national treasure and historical and cultural heritage, the President resolved to deem it expedient to establish the Foundation for the Preservation and Study of the Native Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.

The founders on behalf of the Russian Federation are the Ministry of Education and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. The Foundation’s assets are made up of contributions from the federal budget, voluntary property contributions and donations, and other sources in accordance with Russian legislation.

The relevant instructions have been given to the Government of the Russian Federation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58914






Visit to Museum of Nature and Man



During his working trip to the Urals Federal District, Vladimir Putin visited the Museum of Nature and Man. The President learned about the activities of the research and cultural facility and toured the historical and ethnographic exhibitions.



October 26, 2018 - 16:20 - Khanty-Mansiysk







The Museum of Nature and Man is the oldest museum in Khanty-Mansiysk. It was founded in 1932 and opened on November 4, 1936. The Link of Times permanent exhibition comprises three sections: The Rhythm of the Biosphere, Historical Times, and Mythological Times. It features the history of the exploration and development of the region from ancient times to present day, the original culture of its indigenous people, as well as the animals and plants of Yugra.




























Over 120,000 people visit the museum every year. The facility also has its own archives, a research library, restoration shops and a children’s art studio.

























The President toured the museum, signed the distinguished visitors’ book and met with honorary citizen of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra, local storyteller, poet and keeper of local traditions Maria Voldina, who presented Vladimir Putin with a commemorative gift.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58920






Meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations



Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations held at the administration centre of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra.



October 26, 2018 - 18:15 - Khanty-Mansiysk






The meeting participants discussed current issues related to Russia’s state ethnic policy, the influence of geographic and demographic development on interethnic relations, and additional measures to protect the native languages of the peoples of Russia.

Main reports were made, in particular, by Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Igor Barinov, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs Oleg Melnichenko, and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science Vyacheslav Nikonov.

The Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations was established under Presidential Executive Order No. 776 dated June 5, 2012. The Council has had 10 meetings, including four external meetings (Saransk in 2012, Ufa in 2013, Astrakhan in 2016 and Yoshkar-Ola in 2017).








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Colleagues, good afternoon,

We are continuing the tradition of holding on-site meetings of this Council, and today we are meeting in Khanty-Mansiysk. First of all, I would like to thank the people of Yugra for their hospitality.

The Governor, the Plenipotentiary Envoy and I have just visited the local museum. The museum is already 80 years old and very interesting; the people who work there are very helpful and dedicated, which is very important.

The Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area is a leading centre in the Russian fuel and energy sector, as everybody knows.

People from various ethnic groups from all across Russia have explored and developed it. They worked, made friends and made families.

This is really an outstanding example of interethnic harmony, and we should be – and we are – proud of this.

I think there are 140 ethnic groups living here, I have just been told at the museum…



Remark:

124.







Vladimir Putin:

124 ethnic groups.

The unique traditions, culture and customs of the indigenous peoples living here in Yugra, as well as in many other Russian regions, are our common treasure.

Protecting their rights and preserving their identity are among our priorities. This is envisaged by Russia’s State Ethnic Policy Strategy.

Let me remind you that this basic document was adopted six years ago and, of course, it should be developed and revised. Today we will discuss which amendments are necessary considering our experience and the problems that arise in this area anyway, and we have to address them.

I believe it is important that the changes are not simply formal. They must increase the effectiveness of state and local bodies as well as civil society organisations working in ethnic policy.

We have discussed this many times, and I have said many times that this is a very sensitive and delicate area where there must be no mistakes or unprofessionalism, and there should be no formal approach.

I am talking about the historical, humanitarian and civilizational roots of our statehood, about the national security and the unity of the Russian Federation.







It is obvious that the State Ethnic Policy Strategy must comply with the goals and tasks set out in the Address and the May Executive Order as well as other strategic planning documents, including in Russia’s geographic development. I know that the Presidium has already discussed this matter, too.

I believe that we should base and carry out our socioeconomic plans with consideration for the cultural, historical and ethnic peculiarities of our regions and in an open dialogue with the people.

National and cultural associations must play an active part in discussing the key issues related to the development of cities, villages and regions in general. Moreover, we already have created formats for this kind of constructive dialogue.

Similar to the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, advisory councils have been created in almost all our regions. As we agreed, specific officials have been identified at the regional and municipal levels. They will be in charge of interethnic relations and interaction with the ethnic and cultural associations.

Of course, it is critical that competent, properly trained and interested people that are familiar with the culture and languages ​​of the peoples of Russia, the history of our country and our regions – which has had fairly complex chapters – do this kind of work. We must keep this in mind.







That is why, based on the results of our Council’s previous meetings, instructions were issued to develop a professional standard for training specialists in ethnic and religious relations. This was approved this summer.

This is an important, but only the first step. We need to build an integral system, including a phased-in training and retraining system for the staff that we need in order to ensure the high-quality implementation of state policy on interethnic relations. I want the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration to be involved in dealing with this.

Also, with account taken for changes to the State Ethnic Policy Strategy, we will need to quickly draft a 2019–2021 action plan for implementing it and to review the corresponding state programme.

Mr Mutko, please resume the work of the interdepartmental working group on ethnic relations on a regular and ongoing basis; it has not convened for several years now.







Colleagues, our Council deals with extremely complex and diverse issues. Civil society institutions have a great role to play in addressing these and preserving the ethnic and cultural and linguistic wealth and historical heritage of all the peoples of Russia.

The state will always be supportive of such a constructive approach. We will discuss specific forms of assistance separately, including with the Foundation for the Preservation and Study of the Native Languages ​​of the Peoples of Russia, which is now being created. This is all the more relevant as 2019 was declared the International Year of Indigenous Languages by the UN.

Let's start discussing the proposed items.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58922






Meeting with Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area Natalya Komarova



Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra Natalya Komarova.



October 26, 2018 - 19:30 - Khanty-Mansiysk







The Governor reported to the President on the socioeconomic situation in the region, speaking, in particular, about the investment attractiveness of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, relocation of people from dilapidated housing, and the development of healthcare.










Earlier Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations and visited the Museum of Nature and Man.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58924






Meeting on flash flooding relief operations in Krasnodar Territory



Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev and Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Kondratyev on flash flooding relief operations in the region.



October 27, 2018 - 11:40 - Sochi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

I have asked you to come here to report on emergency situation relief efforts in the Krasnodar Territory.

Unfortunately, lives have been lost. The infrastructure is significantly damaged, and in some places people still have no electricity.

Please report on how the relief efforts are proceeding.

Moreover, we must do everything to help people, and if you need help from the federal centre, from Moscow, please let us know.

Mr Zinichev, we will start with you, please.







Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev:

Mr President, a set of preventive measures had been taken before the emergency, which has let us escape more severe consequences. They included alert messages, the evacuation of people to temporary shelters with catering, drinking water, medical aid and counselling.

Headquarters were set up and the task force was built up. Currently the task force comprises 1,460 people, including 400 from the Emergencies Ministry: a Rostov rescue centre’s unit was redeployed. Now we have launched relief and recovery operations.

Our priority as of now is certainly water and electricity supply. On the whole, work is underway, there is sufficient personnel and resources.



Vladimir Putin:

Some of the facilities are reconnected on a band-aid circuit scheme, aren’t they?



Yevgeny Zinichev:

Yes, they are.







Vladimir Putin:

How long, according to your estimates, will it take to restore power in full?



Yevgeny Zinichev:

Concerning electricity supply, everything is practically ready there but it is impossible to turn the electricity on because the substations are submerged, and houses are damp. We will be launching electricity as soon as the substations are ready and will be drying residences straight away because winter is coming.



Krasnodar Territory Governor Veniamin Kondratyev:

As of now, it is safe to say that electricity supply to communities has been completely restored, even to streets, but houses are not connected yet.



Vladimir Putin:

Why should people be happy that something has been restored when there is no electricity in their homes?



Veniamin Kondratyev:

They need to be dried up because the conduits are wet; everything is soaked. If we connect electricity to houses now, it can cause accidents, God forbid.







Vladimir Putin:

That is a different matter.



Veniamin Kondratyev:

This is why our task is – we have connected the mains whereas now, thanks to the Emergencies Ministry, we are bringing in blow heaters to the houses to dry them, and then we will turn on electricity.

Water supply: the issue has been resolved save for two communities. The main one is Tuapse, and we have to admit that water pressure was not sufficient to conduct operations throughout the day yesterday but temporary water supply will be turned on by tomorrow morning. This cannot be done sooner than tomorrow morning due to the width of the river, the existing water supply pipeline networks have been completely destroyed, so even though it is temporary, time is needed until tomorrow morning to make it with due quality.

The key priority today is to restore the normal rhythm of life, normal way of life.



Vladimir Putin:

Were many residences destroyed?



Veniamin Kondratyev:

Water flooded approximately 2,364 houses.



Vladimir Putin:

Please identify the degree of damage jointly with the Emergencies Ministry.



Veniamin Kondratyev:

About 5,500 people were affected.







Vladimir Putin:

We must assess the damage and so on and identify the recipients and the amount of assistance.



Veniamin Kondratyev:

Commissions are now actively doing that, making records. Payments for damages already began this morning. The territory’s budget allocates around one billion rubles, more or less, the exact figure will be seen later.

I think, the commissions will have visited everyone by tomorrow evening, and then we will have a more exact picture of the compensation amounts, compensation of expenses for restoring damaged property – completely or partially damaged.



Vladimir Putin:

Have you actually been there?



Veniamin Kondratyev:

I came here directly from the flood area. Together with the Prosecutor of the Territory, I made rounds of the streets in Tuapse, in the Apsheron District until 10 pm last night.



Vladimir Putin:

All right.

If any extra help is needed, report to me at once.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58929
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Greetings to participants of International Congress for 200th anniversary of Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the International Congress dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies.



October 29, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Over the recent years, global political and economic activity has been focusing more on the East. In this environment, the role of the Russian school of oriental studies in providing expert support for foreign policy decisions and promoting Russia’s strategic interests as well as positions in the world is becoming significantly more important.

This congress has brought together in Moscow a representative composition of major scholars, experts and political leaders from various countries – the true elite of scientific and social thought. In the course of open, constructive discussions and round tables, you will be taking on the most relevant matters concerning modern oriental studies and outlining the prospects for further joint work. Today, of course, you also have a great opportunity to congratulate your colleagues on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies.

This unique, world-renowned research centre is rightly known for its rich history and a stellar assembly of research scientists who established the traditions of a dedicated service to the chosen cause.

It is encouraging to see the current staff deeply respecting the creative and spiritual legacy of their predecessors, and striving to maintain the highest possible professional standards that they set. Your fundamental research, as well as, fruitful expert and advisory work, have great scientific importance.

I would like to point out the significant contribution this institute has made in the field of training highly skilled professionals and the development of international humanitarian cooperation.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58947






Greetings to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 95th anniversary of Republic of Turkey



The President sent his greetings to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.



October 29, 2018 - 10:10



“The foundation of friendly and neighbourly relations between our countries was laid in the early days of the Republic of Turkey,” the President of Russia wrote in his message.

Vladimir Putin went on to point out that Moscow and Ankara continue to develop their constructive cooperation in all spheres to this very day, and have been effective in addressing urgent regional as well as international matters in the interests of the peoples of both countries and the entire continent of Eurasia.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58942






Condolences to President of Indonesia Joko Widodo



October 29, 2018 - 11:30



Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to President of Indonesia Joko Widodo on the death of passengers and crew in a plane crash off Java.

“People in Russia share the grief of those who have lost their family and loved ones in this tragedy and wish them courage and tenacity at this hour of hardship,” the President of Russia wrote in his message.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58944






Greetings to Jair Bolsonaro on winning presidential elections in Brazil



Vladimir Putin sent Jair Bolsonaro a message congratulating him on winning the presidential elections in the Federative Republic of Brazil.



October 29, 2018 - 13:15



Vladimir Putin praised the significant experience of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various spheres that Russia and Brazil have acquired as part of their strategic collaboration.

The President of Russia expressed confidence in the further promotion of the entire complex of Russian-Brazilian ties as well as constructive cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS and other multilateral organisations in the interests of the Russian and Brazilian people.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58946






World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad



Vladimir Putin addressed the 6th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad.



October 31, 2018 - 13:30 - Moscow






During his address, the President announced the approval of the State Migration Policy Concept of the Russian Federation for 2019–2025.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, friends,

I am delighted to welcome the participants of the 6th World Congress of Compatriots.

It is symbolic that this Congress has met ahead of the National Unity Day. This holiday was established to celebrate the glorious deeds of our forefathers and unbreakable bonds between all generations that remain loyal to their homeland and uphold their traditional values and common ideals irrespective of the country they live in.

Over 700 people from many countries are attending this Congress. At the same time, all of you together represent the tight-knit community of Russian compatriots and the huge united Russian world, which was never based exclusively on ethnic, national or religious principles. It has brought together and united all those who are connected to Russia spiritually, who feel a spiritual link to our homeland, and who consider themselves to be Russian speakers and the carriers of Russian culture and history.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your involvement in the life of Russia, for your invariable support and for your solidarity. We are grateful for your contribution to the promotion and advancement of our rich historical and cultural heritage and everything else that constitutes our national Russian identity.

An important role in this is played by Russian cultural institutions abroad: theatres, libraries, and museums. Many of them are created and supported by our compatriots abroad.

I cannot fail to note the role of the media. Without them, many useful initiatives to expand the Russian-speaking space would not have the desired effect.

I would like to sincerely thank philologists, teachers, literary critics and enthusiasts who help us in organising the international celebrations of our outstanding writers’ anniversaries: Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, Alexander Solzhenitsyn and many others.

I am also pleased to announce that a modern, state-of-the-art building of the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russian Expatriates has been built in Moscow. Its collection is now being finalised. Compatriots donated priceless relics, evidence of dramatic events in the history of our country to the museum.

The museum will open its doors to visitors in spring 2019, and I am sure it will become one of the leading intellectual and cultural centres of Russia, a platform for fruitful dialogue with our compatriots all over the world.

Friends, all of this is especially important now that we are dealing with the issues that will directly affect the future of Russia and other countries. The international situation is far from simple. Tensions and unpredictability are growing. The foundations of international law are being eroded, and long-term agreements between states are crumbling.







Russophobia and, regrettably, other forms of extreme aggressive nationalism are being employed. There is no concealing the fact that a war on memorials and the Russian language is underway in Ukraine, the Baltics and several other countries. People are being intimidated and even terrorised. A natural desire to preserve one’s ethnic roots is denounced as a crime and a form of separatism. The freedom of speech and the right to keep up one’s traditions are defied. Some of our compatriots have been denied the right to practice their professions for political reasons.

Many people are feeling the consequences of this harsh pressure.

We will firmly defend your rights and interests, using all the available bilateral and multilateral mechanisms at our disposal. We will continue to provide assistance to the Foundation for Supporting and Protecting the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad, which has helped establish 26 legal aid centres in 20 countries. It has allocated grants to some 200 projects and organised over 50 events, including courses for young human rights advocates. Professional legal assistance has been provided to over 70,000 people, including in such trouble spots as Syria, Yemen and Libya.

As I said, the preservation and promotion of the Russian language is among our priorities. Towards this end, the Federal Agency for the CIS Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) alone helps some 5,000 preschool and secondary school teachers receive advanced training every year.

Measures are being taken to support Russian language teachers. Starting in 2017, Russia’s Education Ministry sends Russian language teachers to six cities in Tajikistan and provides assistance to the Alexander Pushkin Russian-Turkmenistani School in Ashgabat.

The Pushkin Institute Partner Network has been established to facilitate access to Russian language tuition programmes. Over 80 language centres around the world have been created within the framework of this partner network.

We are increasing the delivery of textbooks, fiction and teaching aids to educational establishments. Youth Olympiads are held regularly, and their winners are invited to study at the top Russian universities.

I would like to highlight the efforts of the Russky Mir Foundation, which annually organises large-scale assemblies in Russia. This year’s assembly is scheduled for November 2–4 in Tver.

The Foundation has established over 250 Russian Centres and “Russian World rooms” in 70 countries, including 12 in the past three years. One of them is located at the University of Damascus in Syria. Over one million people were involved in the Foundation’s events in 2018.

We do not want young compatriots living abroad to lose their roots, their Russian essence and their ties with the Motherland. Therefore the youth is among the most popular areas of focus in our work.

We would like as many young compatriots as possible to visit Russia, learn about its achievements, its life today, to meet with their peers and launch joint projects and initiatives.







We help young people establish contacts, including business and professional contacts, and to join the volunteer movement. The 2017 World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi played an important role in this respect.

Educational trips to historical sites, including Hello, Russia!, the World Games of Young Compatriots and the Workshop of Meanings online educational resource remain highly popular.

I would like to emphasise that since early 2018 our compatriots are free to take part in the Leaders of Russia competition of next generation leaders. This is a good opportunity to receive quality professional training and to realise one’s ambitions.

I must also say a few more words about the efforts of the Russian Orthodox Church and other traditional national confessions, including Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. I can see many representatives of these religions in this hall, and I would like to welcome them. I want to thank them for their efforts to strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties between our compatriots abroad and Russia. Unfortunately, some are now trying to sever these ties, one way or another, and to force these people to stay in their respective countries. I would like to note one thing: political intrigues in this sensitive sphere have always spelled dire consequences, primarily for those who are doing this. It is our shared duty (to the people, in the first place) to do everything possible to preserve spiritual and historical unity.

Friends,

Russia has a strong economic and humanitarian potential. And, as I said in the Address to the Federal Assembly, its positions and role in the world are determined by the people and the conditions that we create for their self-fulfilment and creativity.

We are facing large-scale tasks to ensure breakthrough, sustainable long-term growth. I am sure that our compatriots can make a great contribution to this constructive work.

We are primarily counting on your involvement in promoting cooperation projects with Russia. However, frankly, circumstances could develop in different ways. Therefore, we will be happy to see those who want to come to us on a temporary basis, as well as those who apply for citizenship and permanent residence in Russia. As for those illegally persecuted, those in danger, we will make every effort to ensure their protection and provide a shelter.

Today I have signed a new edition of the State Migration Policy Concept. It is aimed, among other things, at creating more comfortable conditions for our compatriots from abroad to move to Russia for permanent residence, as well as at creating clear rules for entry and entitlement to residence, work, and Russian citizenship.

We have removed many problems and bureaucratic barriers in this sphere that our compatriots have rightly mentioned. In any case, I hope we have tried to remove them and de-bureaucratise the system. We still need to see how it works in practice. We will continue moving in this direction.

Furthermore, we will continue to improve the state programme to facilitate the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation. Allow me to note that about 800,000 people have moved to 66 Russian regions in the past 12 years that the programme has been in force.







We can see that in recent months, the number of people wishing to return to their homeland has been growing. We will continue to facilitate the process of adaptation, to simplify procedures, together with regional and local authorities, businesses, and public associations, to work on improving the quality of life of displaced persons, to create jobs for them, and to improve the conditions for doing business.

I know first-hand that there are still many problems here. We will analyse these problems together and get rid of them.

Friends,

In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that we genuinely want you to be successful, prosperous and happy. And whichever country you live in, we are always ready to give you every possible support.

We know that you are doing all you can to strengthen the Russian world, and to establish a constructive dialogue between countries. I would like to assure you that this is our common goal.

I would like to wish the Congress participants fruitful work and interesting discussions. All the best to you and your families.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59003






Talks with President of Moldova Igor Dodon



Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon who arrived in Russia on an official visit, to discuss Russia-Moldova interaction in trade, the economy and culture, as well as important regional issues.



October 31, 2018 - 14:45 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues,

I am very pleased to see you.

To begin with, I would like to note that we attach great importance to promoting Russia-Moldova relations. We consider Moldova to be one of our priority CIS partners. Thanks to your personal efforts, the situation has been improving recently, especially in terms of trade and economic relations. Many new winemaking and agricultural companies work specifically in the Russian market.

Last year, imports from Moldova to Russia grew by over 40 percent, and this trend continues unabated with imports climbing another 14 percent in the first half of 2018. In general, our relations in this area are developing steadily. I hope this will continue into the future.

We will have an opportunity to discuss the entire range of our relations.

We are very pleased to have you here. Welcome.







President of Moldova Igor Dodon:

Mr President, colleagues,

Moldova and the Russian Federation enjoy traditionally friendly and brotherly strategic relations. This is how it was, it is, and will be, and no one, I am positive, will ever be able to destroy them.

We have good partnership relations in at least six areas. We have common interests when it comes to our spiritual values. We share the same values, and the Moldavian Church is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. I have just met with His Holiness [Patriarch Kirill] and discussed the situation in Moldova.

Our nations share centuries-old history. We have close economic ties.

You mentioned the growth in trade during this and last year. We managed to turn around the 2013–2016 trend, and there has been an increase in trade over the past two years.

With regard to apples, grapes and the like, the Russian market accounts for up to 80–90 percent of Moldova’s total exports. Exports of other items, such as wine, remain minor, as we have not had the chance to regain our former volumes yet.

Russia remains the number one investor in Moldova in its 27 years of independence.

The fourth important area has to do with the fact that more than half a million of our citizens work in Russia, transferring over $1 billion to their families every year.

The fifth is that, of course, Russia is our strategic partner in the Transnistria issue. You are aware that I have met four times with the leader of Transnistria over the past 18 months. These contacts are continuing, and we will meet again before the end of the year. I want to note once again that Russian peacekeepers are the guarantors of peace on the Dniester River. That is what the overwhelming majority of citizens on the left and on the right bank think.

The sixth is, of course, we have good cooperation at the multinational level. I mean the CIS, and I want to thank you once again for the fact that, upon your initiative and with your help, we have obtained observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union. This is our first experience. We have already participated in two of the working group meetings at the presidential level, and we will definitely participate in this format. We find it very interesting.

I want to thank you for your openness. I want to confirm the position of the Moldovan leadership and the majority of Moldovan citizens. We are striving to deepen our strategic partnership with Russia. Yes, we want to be friends with everyone, but we will not be friends with anyone just to oppose someone. You are aware of my position. We will defend this position, and I am sure that things will work out well for us.

Thank you very much.







Vladimir Putin:

It was your initiative to move closer to the EAEU. I think these actions helped increase the exports of Moldovan agricultural products to the Russian market.

As for the wine making supplies and wine from Moldova, the numbers are growing.







Igor Dodon:

They are.



Vladimir Putin:

Last year, 14 million litres were imported, whereas in the first half of this year 8.5 million meaning that we will see a significant increase by the end of the year. We will continue with this.

I think your visit today will also be beneficial for our relations.







Igor Dodon:

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59006






Meeting with German business community representatives



Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with representatives of major German companies – core members of the German Eastern Business Association.



November 1, 2018 - 16:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow






The meeting participants discussed the current state of and development prospects for Russian-German trade and economic relations, the implementation of joint projects, including in energy, industrial cooperation, the digital economy and agriculture.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

I am very pleased to welcome members of the German Eastern Business Association, leading German entrepreneurs and our colleagues and friends.

This is the third meeting held in this format. I hope that today’s meeting will also prove useful, and we will have a sincere and business-like discussion of the current issues related to Russian-German trade and investment cooperation and prospects for further development.

Our regular direct contacts have practical importance, above all because Germany is one of Russia’s largest economic partners; the second largest after the People’s Republic of China.

Bilateral trade grew 23 percent to $50 billion in 2017, increasing another 24 percent in January-August. German investment in various sectors of our economy now exceeds $20 billion. Accordingly, Russia’s investment in the German economy is $9 billion as of today.

There are about 5,000 companies with German capital in Russia with about $50 billion in total revenue. Industrial sites are being built and modernised as a collaborative effort. Autos, agricultural equipment, trains, electrical equipment, and other high-tech products are being manufactured with the latest German technology.

For decades, our countries have been effectively cooperating in the energy sector. Russia’s supplies to Germany cover about a third of Germany’s natural gas and oil needs. Many landmark projects, such as the legendary Gas for Pipes and Nord Stream projects, have made a significant contribution to ensuring energy security not only of the Federal Republic of Germany, but all of Europe. The construction of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline system is well underway.







We highly appreciate German business’ commitment to cooperation, your pragmatism and constructive attitude, and hope that business ties between our countries will continue to expand progressively even amid the current difficult political and economic international situation.

We are convinced that investment and trade not only bring tangible profits to all the participants in this process, but also securely improve relations between our states. Based on the opinion of the business community, work continues in Russia to improve the legislative framework and law enforcement practices.

We will remove unnecessary administrative barriers and invest heavily in the infrastructure; in a word, we will do our best to make sure that foreign investors, including German investors, feel comfortable in our country.

Foreign entrepreneurs can receive assistance from the Russian Direct Investment Fund and have access to much government support provided they localise production in Russia, which, frankly, is not practiced much around the world.

Practical assistance in exporting Russian-made products is provided by the Russian Export Centre. Special economic zones and priority development area have been created in many Russian regions. Investors receive benefits that allow them to drastically, by up to 30 percent, reduce their capital costs.

Notably, the Russian economy is on the rise. In January-September, industrial output increased 3 percent, including the manufacturing industry, up 3.3 percent. The output of agricultural products increased by more than 20 percent over the past five years. Russian exports of food and agricultural raw materials increased 21 percent last year, exceeding $20 billion, further growing by another third in January-July.







Our agricultural exports have outpaced military equipment exports in terms of money. Our military-industrial complex exports stand at $15 billion, whereas agricultural exports, as I mentioned, totalled $20 billion. Our country is the largest supplier of wheat to the world market.

Unemployment remains at a record low of 4.5 percent. Indeed, inflation is slightly up from 2.5 percent in 2017 at 3.5 percent this year. The financial market remains stable. We have a trade surplus of $180 billion and a positive current account value of $100 billion.

Please note that the current account value is somewhat lower, by $80 billion, because it includes services and various kinds of payments, including dividends, some of which you received.

This means that our foreign investors, our friends and colleagues work in an open market, without restrictions on the movement of funds and capital, which, in my opinion, creates very good, favourable environment for the further development of business activities in Russia.

The relatively low external debt, the Central Bank’s growing reserves, its foreign reserves and the Government’s reserves are creating a very stable macroeconomic situation. Investment in core assets of enterprises and organisations has increased by 3.2 percent, freight turnover has gone up by three percent and retail trade by almost three percent, or to be precise by 2.7 percent, which points to the growth of domestic demand.

We are doing much for the country’s dynamic technological development. We have launched the Digital Economy programme under which we plan to increase labour productivity by 30 percent by 2024.

Of course, this is a very ambitious goal. We realise this full well. But we must set such goals if we want to achieve something at all. We must make the economy’s innovative sectors create over 10 percent of Russia’s GDP.

All the afore-mentioned figures are not just dry statistics but evidence of the sustainability of key macroeconomic indicators and the improving business climate in Russia. We have gone up several points in the Doing Business ranking. What is our rank now?







Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin:

31st.



Vladimir Putin:

We have risen to the 31st place, which allows businesses to feel confident, to build and implement long-term development plans.

Colleagues, you see at this meeting many senior officials of ministries and departments, members of the economic bloc of the Russian Government and heads of major national companies. We are ready to discuss the subjects that are vital for you and review specific proposals on stepping up bilateral cooperation.

And, of course, as always it is important for us to know your opinion, the opinion of our German colleagues on what is still complicating business in Russia. Such problems are bound to exist. What additional assistance can the state, the Government of the Russian Federation render to investors working in Russia?

Let’s have an open and engaging discussion, as we are used to here. I am pleased to give the floor to the Chairman of the German Eastern Business Association MrWolfgang Buechele. Please.







Chairman of the German Eastern Business Association Wolfgang Buechele (retranslated):

Mr President, ministers, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a great honour for us to meet with you again in Moscow. On behalf of the German Eastern Business Association and the representatives of German enterprises in attendance, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to get together and talk.

For all the crises and conflicts, business has turned out to be the strongest link binding Russia and Germany, Russia and the European Union. Starting from 2017, our bilateral trade has again been on the rise. In 2017, trade hit 55 billion euros in absolute terms, and we hope it will again exceed 60 billion euros this year.

Let me remind you that in 2012 we reached a record high – 80 billion euros. In other words, we are once again on the right path to growth. Certainly, as representatives of business, we would like to grow at an even faster pace. I believe that we are on the right track to implement our joint projects, promising projects that we are planning to discuss at length today.

Just a month ago, representatives of the St Petersburg Dialogue gathered here, in Moscow, to discuss the future of German-Russian relations. German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier, in his speech at the gathering, spoke about prospects for creating a common European space of prosperity.

Promoting economic growth in Europe and Eurasia is our common goal on which Russia and the European Union need to work together. The German Eastern Business Association is convinced of this and is trying to build bridges. Therefore, we need to focus more on joint standards, certification and ways of easing customs and visa barriers.

This would be the first step on a long path towards creating a joint economic space of the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. In the interests of our descendants, we hope that this prospect will become a reality some day.







The European Union and Russia are facing similar challenges on many major issues. Guided by global trade rules and a strong multilateral organisation like the WTO, we both need nuclear security in Europe, climate protection, stable access to energy resources, and we would like to make joint investments in resource projects. And finally we need to handle the challenges posed by the digitalisation of the economy.

It is no secret that we, Europeans, have to redouble efforts in such areas as artificial intelligence, blockchain, unmanned transport, 3D printing, supercomputers, and biotech. I worked at Exyte AG and I can say that the projects to build up-to-date semiconductor production facilities are mostly implemented in China and the United States and very rarely in Europe. Today, China is becoming our global competitor in all spheres; the United States is focused on its America First strategy.

Modern and innovative enterprises from the European Union and Russia must work together to secure an adequate place for Europe in the competition for global markets. I hope that we will take a big step in this direction today.

Our meeting will focus on five areas: developing cooperation in healthcare, increasing labour efficiency and productivity. Mr President, you have just mentioned this important issue. We want to talk about further developing our energy ties, joint initiatives related to the digital economy, as well as cooperating in the agricultural sector and food production. These are big challenges we face, and we should spare no effort to achieve our goals.

In closing, I would like to mention the concerns that we have to contend with and that can result in problems. The situation with reciprocal economic sanctions, sadly, has not changed, in particular with US sanctions, and they have to be handled with the utmost seriousness. We have to expect tougher sanctions. We are deeply concerned that these sanctions are worded vaguely and ambiguously, and it is very difficult for certain enterprises to see whether they will be affected or not.

Mr President, you said that we still operate 5,000 companies here in Russia. That is, in these difficult times, the number of companies has decreased, but the quality has improved significantly.







Our trade is on the rise, but prospects and forecasts for the coming months, as I mentioned, are marred by additional sanctions. We hope we can find a way to deal with this.

These sanctions may apply to both Russian and German companies. Separate sanctions are imposed by the United States extraterritorially. We have heard about them and, unfortunately, now have to deal with them.

At this point, we see that most of the issues are related to ​​financing projects, since global banks subject projects to in-depth screening and tend to make negative decisions about financing them, without considering the sanctions.

We all want changes for the better, but there are still lots of reports about cyber attacks and special service operations. While we very much hope and strive for improvement, all this, of course, makes the prospects for improving the situation bleaker.

We also hope, despite the problems, that the Nord Stream 2 project, currently under construction, will be seen to completion within the deadlines. Nord Stream 2 is important because Germany is about to abandon the use of nuclear energy and will no longer use electricity generated from brown coal. So, we need additional natural gas not only from Nord Stream, but also gas delivered through Ukraine, in order to achieve our climate goals and provide Europe with competitive and clean fuel.

I would like to say openly that German and Russian companies will see improvements if political relations improve. Then, we will have another détente process, which assumes many participants.

Russia is a powerful and influential country. Of course, you will not be surprised if we say that we hope that Russia will contribute even more actively to international detente. This is our request. This will be good for Russia, Europe and the global economy in general.







We also positively assess the fact that politicians from our countries are meeting often now. A major summit on Syria was held several days ago. The chances of detente are improving, and this is the right approach.

As businesses, we are willing to contribute to building confidence. In this sense, we, of course, are waiting for the projects that we will be able to implement next year in conjunction with our partners.

At the upcoming St Petersburg International Economic Forum, we, the representatives of German businesses, would like to play a prominent role. We hope that representatives of the German establishment will take advantage of this forum in 2019.

I would like to thank you for meeting with us. If I may, I will now let the members of our delegation speak.







Vladimir Putin:

Let's get to work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59016






Greetings to participants of Amateur International Boxing Association Congress



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the Amateur International Boxing Association Congress underway in Moscow.



November 2, 2018 - 10:45



The message reads, in part:

“Your representative organisation, which brings together over 200 national boxing associations, rightly enjoys immense respect in the international sports community. For many years, it has been successfully promoting boxing, making this spectacular and dynamic sport more accessible to people from all over the world. To excel at boxing, it is not enough to be in good shape; boxing also demands willpower, strength of character, teaches you to respect your opponent, to absorb the punches and succeed.

I am sure that in the course of the congress, you will discuss a whole range of issues concerning the development and prospects of modern boxing, exchange opinions and make suggestions on solving relevant problems on a highly professional and expert level.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59026






Russian-Cuban talks



The Kremlin hosted talks between Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the Cuban State Council and the Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, who arrived in Russia on an official visit.



November 2, 2018 - 15:50 - The Kremlin, Moscow







The agenda included the current state of the Russian-Cuban strategic partnership in various spheres and prospects for further enhancing it, as well as current international and regional issues.
















Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez signed a statement on common approaches to international affairs.
















They also gave statements for the press.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59028






Beginning of the meeting with Chairman of the Cuban State Council and the Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez



November 2, 2018 - 14:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Chairman, friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Moscow.

This is your first time you are visiting a country that is not in your region and the first visit to the Russian Federation as head of state. I am very happy to see you and to have the opportunity to continue our dialogue, which began some time ago.

To begin, I would like to ask you to convey my best wishes and greetings to Comrade Raul Castro.

Relations between Russia and Cuba have been developing for decades, and since the very beginning, they had a special strategic nature. We are united by friendship, mutual support and assistance.

We recently managed to somewhat improve trade and economic relations as well; in 2017, their growth was 17 percent. We will speak more about this today, as well as about other areas of our interaction.

We are very happy to see you. Welcome.



President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez (retranslated):

Thank you very much, President Putin.

It is a great honour for us to be here on this visit and to meet with you. We can continue discussing the issues that we began talking about during my previous visit. I would like to say that I have brought a brotherly hello from Army General Raul Castro Ruz.

This visit is crucially important to us. This year marks four years since your visit to Cuba in 2014 and two years since my visit here as First Deputy Prime Minister.

Therefore, this visit as Chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers shows there is continuity in relations between the Cuban Revolution and the Russian Federation.

This continuity has all the guarantees of existing given how our relations developed and that they are brotherly, as you said.

We will preserve the legacy we received from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, as well as the contribution you made to these relations.

Your visit to Cuba four years ago was a major milestone and a new step in the development of bilateral relations. It was followed by the active work of our bilateral intergovernmental commission. We made good progress in a series of directions that are strategic for the development of our country. The level of our relations is quite high at all levels, especially in politics.

Taking into account the great importance of your visit, we would like to invite you in 2019, on the fifth anniversary of your visit to Cuba.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/59029






Press statements following Russian-Cuban talks



November 2, 2018 - 16:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to welcome the Chairman of the Cuban State Council and the Council of Ministers to Russia.

Let me note that this is Mr Diaz-Canel’s first official visit to Russia since he assumed office as head of state.

We have held detailed talks, including with the participation of key ministers, discussed the entire range of issues related to bilateral cooperation and examined topical matters on the international and regional agendas.

The atmosphere of the meeting was friendly, businesslike and constructive. This characterises the Russian-Cuban dialogue. Our nations are linked by strong ties of many years of friendship, mutual sympathy, respect, solidarity and support.

The joint statement we have just signed reaffirms the strategic and allied relations between our counties.

Naturally, we gave a great deal of attention to economic cooperation. Let me note that bilateral trade grew by 17 percent last year.

Of course, these are modest figures and volumes in absolute terms, but we know what we need to do next. This is why Mr Diaz-Canel and I have instructed the intergovernmental commission, which had a regular meeting in Havana this week, to outline concrete measures to increase bilateral trade and expand investment cooperation.

We have accumulated positive experience in the energy industry. Russia’s oil and petroleum product supplies make a weighty contribution to the resources of the Cuban economy and guarantee energy security. Russian energy companies successfully operate in Cuba. Rosneft is conducting a geological survey on the Cuban continental shelf and modernising the country’s refineries. Zarubezhneft is developing a large offshore oil field. Inter RAO is building four new energy units for a Cuban thermal power plant.

There is mutually beneficial industrial cooperation. Russian companies are involved in the technical refurbishing of Cuban factories that produce metal and nickel products and nitrogen fertiliser. We are cooperating on the production of innovative on e-of-a-kind medications. Russia is offering Cuba assistance in building transport infrastructure facilities. Today we talked about renovating the Cuban railway system, which should triple passenger traffic and double cargo shipments throughout the country.







We are preparing for the deployment of a Russian GLONASS ground station in Cuba. As a result, our Cuban partners will get access to extensive technical capabilities for Earth remote sensing and satellite and telecommunications services.

Overall, I would like to stress that Russian businesses are willing to participate in the large-scale modernisation of Cuba’s national economy. Specific projects will be discussed today during President Diaz-Canel’s meeting with our leading business people.

Of course, we also covered the development of cultural and humanitarian links. Our plans include opening a branch of the Russian Museum in Cuba that would become the first multi-purpose centre for learning the Russian language, Russian arts and culture in Latin America.

I also want to mention that Russia is providing assistance in restoring the gilt on the dome of the El Capitolio in Havana, which houses the Cuban National Assembly. We plan to complete the restoration by the 500th anniversary of Havana next year.

We intend to continue to assist in the training of highly skilled Cuban professionals in various fields. As a reminder, about 30,000 Cubans have received higher education in our country. Currently, 250 Cuban citizens are studying at Russian universities.

Cuba has always been and certainly remains one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists. Last year, about 100,000 Russians visited the republic. In December, an updated intergovernmental agreement will take effect establishing a simplified entry procedure on both sides, simplifying mutual visa requirements.

When discussing the global and regional agenda, the participants noted the proximity of the two countries’ positions on the most important issues. They also reaffirmed mutual interest in further coordinating their joint steps on the world stage.

Russia and Cuba have always supported and continue to support strict observance of the key principles of international law stipulated in the UN Charter, including respect for the sovereignty and interests of all states, the unacceptability of power politics, the use of unilateral sanctions and interference in internal affairs.

We agreed with our Cuban friends to deepen cooperation in the fight against transnational organised crime, including in cyberspace, illicit drug production and trafficking, and other present-day challenges and threats.

Our Cuban friends fully share Russia’s commitment to deepening dialogue with regional organisations and integration associations of South America and the Caribbean and will provide us with the necessary assistance.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr Diaz-Canel and all our Cuban friends and colleagues for the substantive and productive discussion. I am confident that the agreements reached today will help further strengthen the friendly ties between Russia and Cuba.

Thank you.







Chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez (retranslated):

President Putin, ladies and gentlemen,

For us, this visit symbolises the continuation and continuity of the Cuban Revolution. Being faithful followers of the legacy of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Army General Raul Castro Ruz, we maintain and constantly work to strengthen relations between Cuba and Russia. This alone accounts for the importance of this visit, which, I am confident, will become a milestone in our relations.

Notably, yesterday, when we arrived in Moscow, the capital of the country that stood up for Cuba from the first years of the revolution, it was here that we learned the news of Cuba’s victory at the UN, which makes this visit particularly important. I think that coincidences in history occasionally pinpoint moments that are important to everyone.

I had productive talks with Mr Vladimir Putin, which were another confirmation of the great state of bilateral relations.

We recalled with satisfaction Mr Putin’s productive visit to Havana and our meaningful meetings, when I had the honour to greet him at the airport upon his arrival in our country. Since then, we have maintained and expanded our exchanges at the highest level.

We noted the importance of bilateral relations and the opportunities for further development.







We are very pleased with the numerous instances of shared vision on international issues, especially with regard to protecting peace and the role of international organisations, as well as close cooperation at various international platforms and organisations.

I am grateful for Russia's steadfast stance against the commercial, economic and financial embargo, which is causing damage to my country. We plan to expand our trade and economic ties and bring them to the high level that we enjoy in the political sphere. Joint projects in energy, transport, the steel industry and biotechnology have an important place in our plans for economic growth and great potential.

I am grateful for President Putin’s willingness, since the start of my mandate, to assist in promoting Cuba’s industrial development. This is realised in Russia's participation in Cuba’s socioeconomic development projects until 2030 and beyond.

I reiterate the importance of the bonds of friendship that exist between our countries, which form the foundation of bilateral relations. The joint declaration that we signed envisages all aspects of our relations in the economic, political and social spheres, which Mr Putin also mentioned, and serves as confirmation of our continued future relations.

I conveyed to President Putin the invitation by the Cuban government and the people to come to our country on an official visit next year, which marks the fifth anniversary of his previous visit to our country in 2014.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59031






Greetings on the opening of the 2018 Women's World Chess Championship



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the competitors, organisers and guests of the 2018 Women's World Chess Championship knock-out tournament.



November 2, 2018 - 17:00



The message reads, in part:

“We are proud of the history and the wonderful traditions of the Russian chess school as well as our outstanding winners and champions. Therefore, we are sincerely glad that an event of such a scale is again being held in Russia, the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, which is truly famous for its rich experience in organising similar impressive sports events.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the world's strongest female chess players will challenge each other at this tournament. During the preliminary rounds, they already demonstrated their extraordinary abilities and played beautiful and thrilling games. And, of course, the format of the tournament itself requires the competitors to be exceptionally self-composed, concentrated and result-oriented.

I am convinced that the championship will be a wonderful, memorable event and a real pleasure for all connoisseurs of this special, intellectual sport.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59050
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Meeting with head of Aeroflot Vitaly Savelyev



The President had a working meeting with General Director of Aeroflot – Russian Airlines Vitaly Savelyev to discuss the company’s performance and development plans for the next five years.



October 29, 2018 - 13:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Savelyev, when you told me about Aeroflot’s development strategy some time ago, you spoke about the creation of regional hubs. Let us begin with this plan, and then we will discuss transportation as well as other subjects.



General Director of Aeroflot – Russian Airlines Vitaly Savelyev:

Mr President, I have prepared a short presentation. I would like to say a few words about our plans for the next five years.

Aeroflot will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023, which is in five years, and we wanted to focus above all on the key projects we can implement by that deadline.

The first objective is to transport between 90 and 100 million passengers. It is a feasible target – I will tell you why – and our top priority.

Secondly, we want to increase connecting traffic from Southeast Asia, which is a challenge we can deal with. This is why we need a regional hub. Under your May Executive Orders, which highlight the development of transportation facilities specifically in central Russia, we propose creating four basic sites, one of which will be developed as a hub. I would like to tell you about it.

Another target is to build and use 200 Russian-made aircraft, including the MC-21 and 100 Sukhoi Superjet craft we already have contracts for, plus the 50 aircraft at our disposal.

Of course, we confirm our priority policy, that is, the continued digitalisation of our company so that we will comply with the best international standards available.

Let me move on. This slide, Mr President, shows that not long ago, in 1990, Aeroflot was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. We provided services to 139 million people; this record has been broken recently after the merger of two US companies, US Airways and American Airlines. Nobody could break the record until then. This was in 1990. As you see, in 1994 the traffic dropped to 3.1 million. It means that Aeroflot broke into 300 companies at the time, and in all, our airlines serviced some 30 million passengers. These significant losses happened during the collapse of the Soviet Union.



Vladimir Putin:

In 1994?



Vitaly Savelyev:

Yes, just recently.



Vladimir Putin:

3 million people in all?



Vitaly Savelyev:

Yes, 3 million by Aeroflot and 30 million in total.



Vladimir Putin:

And in 1990 it was 139 million?







Vitaly Savelyev:

Yes, it was a single company and it serviced that many passengers.

I joined Aeroflot in 2009. Together with two affiliates, the company carried 11.1 million people. In 2017, we were officially included in the top-20 global carriers. As Aeroflot Group we ranked 19th with 50.1 million passengers. This year we will increase the number to 56 million people. We need to reach this point (we call this chart “the smile”) to recreate this “smile” so that Aeroflot is again a global airline and takes its place among the top-10 airlines. There are mergers and acquisitions on the market and we really want to stay there. This is our number one task.

What potential do we have to achieve that? This is the next slide. The left part of the diagram shows that the global market’s annual growth is some 6.5 percent. The European figure is a little bit smaller, because the market is denser, with 4 percent. But in both cases, the main growth drivers are low-cost airlines. I will tell you more about our Pobeda low-cost airline that is developing successfully and is already in the top 10 in Eastern Europe in terms of passengers carried, due to your support. This year, it will carry over 7 million people. This is a serious foundation and we will continue working in this field.

We see that the market is growing and low-cost airlines are operating there. What will happen to our Russian market? Despite the current situation, the growth rate was 10.4 percent until last year. According to experts, in 2017 all airlines carried 124 million Russians, and Russian airlines alone carried 105 million people. There is a 6.4 percent growth; therefore, it is possible to reach 189 million by 2023. This is why we want at least a half, so that it would not exceed half of the controlling stock, the market share. Nevertheless, we can consider this number and take on half.

What was the growth rate? Here is an important index: the global market grew 1.7 times between 2009 and 2017. The Russian market grew 2.2 times. In this period of time, Aeroflot grew 4.5 times, so that our growth rate has been increasing steadily despite all the crises that happened in the nine and a half years that I have worked there.

Why do we need a new strategy? We have achieved the goals we set in 2009. Back in that year, we ranked 68th in terms of passenger traffic, and now we rank 19th. In Europe, we took the 15th place, and now we are in 5th place, not considering two low-cost airlines, Ryanair and EasyJet, these are different projects. Proceeding from this we decided to take up new goals for the next five years, so that we can load the company and it would show even better results.

What would it be, 90–100 million? It was 33 last year, it will be 36 this year, but 52 million is the limit and we believe we should not exceed it because Aeroflot belongs to the premium market segment. Let me remind you that our fleet is the youngest in the world: over 100 aircraft. We want to stay in the premium segment.

As for Pobeda, which has already carried five million this year and will carry seven, we need to load it significantly. The growth rate will be very high and we can reach 25–30 million passengers by 2023 as part of the development of this low-cost airline.

I will elaborate on Rossiya Airlines further. We would like to keep it and make it a social company, because we inherited no new craft from Transaero, and it is very difficult to compete with such craft. Considering the social load and social transfers we make, we would like to retarget these aircraft. We have upgraded them and added new economy class planes because fixed-price tickets are only available in the economy class. This is why we will use Rossiya Airlines. Aeroflot will fly too, but mostly Rossiya. And Aurora, a regional company that will double in size by 2023.



Vladimir Putin:

In the Far East?



Vitaly Savelyev:

Yes, it operates in the Far East. There was a merger between Vladivostok Air and SAT Airlines.

Thanks to your support, Mr President, Pobeda is developing successfully. Last year I told you that one million passengers have used Pobeda since 2014, when we established Dobrolyot, which is now under European sanctions. So, two million customers who had never flown before used Pobeda by this year. I mean people who only travelled by railway or car before.

This means Pobeda is popular. It is complicated, it has many issues and complaints, but its flights are 94 percent full, and it has been producing 3.5 billion of net profit per year for two years now. According to the business plan, our investment in Pobeda should have been $100 million. We have invested 50. Two expert estimations, a direct comparison and a mathematical model, show that it is worth $612 million today. It will continue to develop successfully.

This slide shows that we are increasing our proportions: we have adjusted Aeroflot’s schedule based on the fact that jet fuel has become more expensive; in order for airfares to remain stable and to keep fuel rates flat, we have redistributed the load a bit. If Aeroflot takes 56 percent of the Far East, and Rossiya takes on 44, the proportion will be reversed: Rossiya will fly a bit more and Aeroflot a bit less in order to use Aeroflot planes in the Asian markets. But this will mean a 9 percent increase in base airfare sales to the public in general. And, as always at the end of the year I have a letter on flat rates that I would like to discuss with you separately.

This slide shows our unique location. This spot in Southeast Asia shows about 520 million tourists constantly going to Europe. We want to take a bit of this. If you look at this diagram, it shows that the distance to Europe is much shorter if you travel through Russia. And Aeroflot has the lowest prices; we have already worked on that. This is why we can hope that we will win this traffic.

For the second year in a row, we have become the favourite foreign company in China. We have beaten Qatar Airlines, and that is a five-star company. Today we are the number one carrier for the destinations shown here. This is why we can really increase passenger traffic, which is very important for our financial and industrial stability, from 5 million to 10–15 million. This is quite possible.

And now back to the hubs. We want to fly from Moscow. Of course, Sheremetyevo is our home base, but we are successfully growing, and Sheremetyevo is being developed, too. Nevertheless, we can see that there will be a limit for us there. Today about 85 percent of our traffic is through Sheremetyevo. But we would like to discuss four locations: Sochi where we will create a hub instead of just a destination; Yekaterinburg will be another hub, and Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk.

We are currently in talks with the airports. And we hope for either Krasnoyarsk or Yekaterinburg (this is exactly the distance from China from where we will pick up passengers: either from Krasnoyarsk to Europe or from Yekaterinburg to Europe). We will build a hub in one of these cities, with a transit schedule and transiting traffic. We will increase it step by step and, without flying to Moscow, we will be able to…



Vladimir Putin:

And Vladivostok?







Vitaly Savelyev:

We continue developing Vladivostok; our regional company, Aurora, which will make regional flights, will be based there. This is why Vladivostok will also become a hub; we will double the traffic and will also develop Khabarovsk. This concerns regional flights.

As for domestic technology. We already have 50 Sukhoi Superjets in our fleet today, and we have just signed an agreement for another 100 jets in your presence in Vladivostok.



Vladimir Putin:

I do remember.



Vitaly Savelyev:

And we are waiting for 50 MS-21 jets. We hope to start using all these 200 jets by the year 2023. We will have to get rid of some of the fleet, but about 190 domestic aircraft will be in operation by then. We do hope that all our plans will come true.

And the last point is digitalisation. I can tell you that we have retained our positions when it comes to this. As for business processes that are digitised, and the Aeroflot services, we hold the fourth place. That is, we maintain our position.

What will happen if we do all this? We will transport about 90–100 million passengers, and 10–15 million international transit passengers; the total fleet will comprise 520 craft, 190 of which will be domestically produced. Group revenues will be 1.3 trillion rubles, and market capitalisation, according to our estimates, may grow to 400 billion rubles.



Vladimir Putin:

What about passenger traffic this year?



Vitaly Savelyev:

Passenger traffic is increasing. This year we will transport 56 million people compared to 50 million last year. Aeroflot will grow by about 10 percent, and the entire group by 11.8. But Pobeda will show substantial growth. Of course, it is in great demand. Wherever it flies, prices fall instantly by 25 percent. Pobeda is tough, but all the governors want it to fly, because, after all, Pobeda is in great demand with those who cannot afford to fly with bigger companies. Therefore, we will develop it.



Vladimir Putin:

Let me see you proposals on flat rates, please.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58945






Congratulations on 100th anniversary of State Museum of Oriental Art



Vladimir Putin congratulated the staff of the State Museum of Oriental Art on its 100th anniversary.



October 30, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads in part:

“Russia is rightly famous for an entire galaxy of talented researchers, archaeologists and art critics who founded the national school of Oriental studies, accomplished a great deal to continue and expand its legendary traditions and are sincerely dedicated to the mission of educating the public.

Their heroic and vitally important work made it possible to create a research basis for establishing a unique museum that primarily stores objects of Oriental art, as well as studies and popularises them.

Over the years, the museum has evolved into a major research and educational centre known far beyond Russia’s borders. It has become one of the most valuable landmarks of our immensely rich historical and cultural heritage.

The museum now employs extremely skilled specialists, organises fascinating lectures, guided tours and exhibitions that acquaint visitors with national customs and traditions of Oriental nations. And, of course, it is important that you always pay great attention to children and teenagers.”

Established on October 30, 1918, the museum ranks among the largest cultural and educational centres that represent the art of the Far East, the Middle East, as well as Central Asia, the Caucasus, the South Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Buryatia, Chukotka and other regions. In all, the museum has 147,500 artefacts. Its collection includes paintings, graphic art masterpieces, sculptures and applied art exhibits from over 100 countries, including Japan, China, Korea, Iran, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Mongolia.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58967






Meeting on 25th anniversary of Russia’s electoral system



Vladimir Putin met with members of the Central Election Commission, heads of regional electoral commissions and former CEC chairpersons in the Kremlin’s St Catherine Hall. The meeting was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Russia’s electoral system.



October 30, 2018 - 18:00 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues, friends.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. I think you will agree with me, everyone here is an adult and remembers how it was.

The Constitution was born with great pains, when our country faced the launch of aggression by forces of international terrorism, an incipient civil war in the Caucasus and a very severe internal political crisis, which led to clashes in our capital and loss of life.







However, its adoption was a turning point where Russia clearly chose to be a free, sovereign, law-based and democratic state, in which the people exercising their rights, primarily through free elections, are the sole source of power.

The first Central Election Commission was formed in the run-up to a popular vote on the draft Constitution and elections to the Federal Assembly. The history of Russia’s modern electoral system dates back to that event.







The challenges our country was dealing with determined the way it was formed and developed. However, all changes in the electoral system have always sought to reinforce the institutions of democracy and expand popular representation in our political system.

A full-fledged legislative framework was put in place over the years. It regulates the organisation and holding of elections at various levels and, most importantly, provides guarantees that the electoral rights of Russian citizens are protected.







There have been 14 elections, seven to the State Duma, and seven for the presidency of the Russian Federation; there have been over 1,000 elections to regional governments and over 100,000 municipal elections. Election commissions at all levels have accumulated vast practical experience, and, importantly, elections are now widely popular with our citizens.

They see elections as a natural and necessary form of participation in the life of our state, not just as their undisputed right, but also as a way to have real influence in shaping the development priorities of their region, city, village and our entire country.







Much credit for that goes to the Central Election Commission, which has always set high standards for election procedures. I want to thank all the CEC members who have served and all its chairs for their professionalism and responsibility.

Our electoral system is constantly being improved. This is an objective process for a multi-level, complex organism such as Russia, which must adapt to a growing political culture and the emergence of modern technologies, meet the needs and expectations of society, its level of development and the accountability its members feel for the state of affairs in their village, city, region, and in Russia in general.







Any changes in the electoral system should strengthen the principles of openness, honesty and transparency of the entire election process and its freedom from any interference, both internal and external. I should note that no one has the right to block citizens' free expression of will and distort their choice expressed at the election.

Any illegal interference with the election process, with social and political life, as well as attempts at foul play should be swiftly suppressed. The electoral system can only work if people trust it and know that their voice will be heard. We absolutely must cherish this trust, and respect and appreciate our citizens' opinions and choices.







Colleagues,

An election is always a very tense and uneasy time, for not only candidates and political parties, but also for you, your colleagues, for election commissions, and you know this better than anyone does.

Today, our electoral system includes nearly one million election commissions of various levels. Their work is highly important for our society. To emphasise once again, the strict observance of legal procedures and the stable and democratic development of our society and the country depend on their professional and personal qualities, honesty, integrity and professionalism.

During any election, election commissions are at the focus of attention of candidates, observers, citizens, and media. They are expected to operate in a precise, coordinated, prompt and unbiased manner. I am confident that our electoral system and the people involved in it are fully capable of doing what is expected of them by society.

Friends, colleagues,

I congratulate you on the 25th anniversary of Russia's electoral system. I would like to wish you success and well-being.

Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58972






Meeting with former governors



Vladimir Putin met with former regional governors.



October 30, 2018 - 18:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

I wanted to see you in order to, first, thank you for your work. Clearly, some of you managed to run a campaign and win, others did not, and still others chose to finish their work in this capacity for a number of reasons.










However, you and I know how difficult and diverse the work of a regional leader is, large or small it does not really matter. The size of the region is not important.










What matters is how a person does his job, how genuine is his desire to improve the life of the people in a particular territory, so that the people can feel positive change in healthcare, housing and utilities and environmental protection. This is all becoming increasingly important and relevant. It is an enormous responsibility to your regions and our country in general.










I want to wish you success in your work, and I am grateful to you for the work you have done. I am confident that you will manage to succeed; in any case, I will strive to make this happen, make good use of your skills and life and professional experience in other areas.







I propose discussing this now. Thank you once again for your efforts to develop our country.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58973






Launch of the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field



Vladimir Putin took part via video linkup in the launch of the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field in Yakutia.



October 31, 2018 - 10:50 - The Kremlin, Moscow






The Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field is located in the Oleneksky District of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), 170 km from the processing plant of ALROSA’s Udachny Mining and Processing Division.

Also taking part in the ceremony were First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolayev and ALROSA CEO Sergei Ivanov.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the launch of the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field.

There is a lot of hard work ahead of us, although much has been done already. The launch of this field will certainly reinforce the positions of ALROSA, our leading diamond company, as an international leader. It currently accounts for 27 percent of global diamond production. The launch of the new field is an important and positive event not only for the company, but also for Yakutia, the Russian Far East and the rest of Russia.

The Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field will be the main employer for the nearby mining and processing plant and the city of the same name. New jobs will be created, increasing payments to all budgets, including the budget of Yakutia. However, one of the priorities during such projects is environmental protection. I know that the necessary tests have been conducted, yet I ask you to pay special attention to this aspect, along with such issues as health and workplace safety of all those who work or will work at this facility.

It is a huge field. Several kimberlite pipes will be mined there. This project is designed to last until 2040 or 2042. Much will need to be done here. But there are also positive sides to it, because, as I said, this project will contribute to the sustainable development of Yakutia and the whole of the Russian Far East.

I congratulate you on the launch of this huge project and wish you success.

Mr Siluanov, please.







First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov:

Thank you, Mr President.

This is, indeed, the first project of this scale in Russia’s contemporary history. The field was discovered over 60 years ago, yet work began here only in 2015. It is true that this field will produce over 2 million carats of diamonds a year, or some 7 percent of ALROSA’s diamond production.

You mentioned the budget. Indeed, we have invested only 5 billion rubles but expect some 180 billion rubles of revenue from this field during its life. Half of this money will go to Yakutia’s budget and will be spent on attaining the goals facing the republic. Importantly, this field will create over 800 new jobs, which is very important for the region.

Overall, we have a positive view on the company’s performance. It has reported solid financial results. It is a highly efficient company that creates new jobs. I think that the launch of the new field is very important for the performance of this major company, a global company with high international standing.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Mr Ivanov, go ahead please. You have the floor.



ALROSA CEO Sergei Ivanov:

Mr President,

We are based in the Arctic Circle, 170 kilometres away from the town of Udachny. This is ALROSA’s northernmost fundamental diamond deposit containing more than 44 million carats. We plan to extract up to 3 million tonnes of ore per year for the next 20 years, and to enrich about 2 million carats of diamonds. Due to our company’s technological needs, special trains with a lifting capacity of 95 tonnes were designed, which will transport the ore to the processing plant.

Production at the deposit uses the most advanced technologies and the share of Russian suppliers has been maximised. Total investment in the project will amount to about 60 billion rubles; effectively, 16 billion rubles have already been invested.

With your permission, I will now give the floor to Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolayev.







Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolayev:

Mr President, friends,

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a region with unique natural, economic and human resources. Today's event once again shows that Yakutia is developing, and is directed towards the future.

I would like to thank ALROSA for using the Far East development mechanisms we are implementing on your instructions, Mr President, to launch a large-scale production in extreme climatic conditions in such a short time. This is more than just another ALROSA production development project, but 800 new jobs for the local people, additional tax revenues, and stable work of ALROSA for decades to come.

It is doubly gratifying that ALROSA complies with all the ethnological and environmental expertise requirements while implementing this project.

Mr President,

We will continue monitoring these issues. During the preparations for launching the project, ALROSA signed an agreement with the national Evenk Oleneksky District of Sakha (Yakutia) to provide annual support in the amount of 100 million rubles to preserve the original habitat of the minorities of the Far North. I am sure that ALROSA will continue to develop for the benefit of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and for the benefit of our great Motherland, the Russian Federation. Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Mr Nikolayev, how long have you been serving as the acting head of the republic?



Aisen Nikolayev:

Five months, and Mr Ivanov for one year.



Vladimir Putin:

I am talking about you. You see, five months, and you already have a chance to help launch such a large project. Moreover, the plant is called Udachny, and the town involved in the project, Udachny [the Russian for “lucky”]. It is a good name. I hope you will be lucky with all your work as well.

Go ahead, please.







Aisen Nikolayev:

Thank you, Mr President.



Sergei Ivanov:

Mr President,

Please give your go-ahead for the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field to begin commercial operation and carry out the first explosion.



Vladimir Putin:

Go ahead.

I congratulate you and wish success to you and to all the employees of your company. All the best! Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58977






Executive Order on Russia’s state migration policy concept for 2019–2025



The President signed Executive Order On State Migration Policy Concept of the Russian Federation for 2019–2025.



October 31, 2018 - 13:20



In light of the need to update the goals, tasks and key priorities of the Russian Federation in the area of migration, the President resolved to approve the State Migration Policy Concept of the Russian Federation for 2019–2025.

Relevant instructions have been issued to the Government.

The authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local governments have been instructed to comply with the provisions of the concept while conducting activities in the sphere of migration.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58986






Congratulations to employees of the Federal Bailiff Service



Vladimir Putin congratulated employees of the Federal Bailiff Service on their professional holiday, Bailiffs’ Day.



November 1, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Celebrating this day, you are honouring veterans of the Federal Bailiff Service, highly qualified professionals who made a serious contribution to the efficiency of the Russian judicial system, strengthening of the law and order in the country, and protection of constitutional rights of Russian citizens.

Devotion to duty, competence, impeccable reputation and responsible attitude remain the main characteristics of a true professional in your field.

It should be noted that employees of the Federal Bailiff Service are continuously involved in vitally important public, patriotic and educational projects.

I am confident that you will continue to faithfully perform your duties, to act unfailingly and promptly and to successfully solve the tasks faced by the service.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59012






World Russian People’s Council



Vladimir Putin attended a plenary session of the World Russian People's Council marking the organisation’s 25th anniversary. The forum will review the Council’s 25-year-long efforts to facilitate public dialogue and Russia’s civilisational development.



November 1, 2018 - 13:40 - Moscow






Representatives of all branches of government, leaders of public and religious associations, researchers, teachers, cultural workers and delegates of Russian communities from the former Soviet republics and beyond were invited to participate in the Council’s work.

The World Russian People’s Council international public organisation was established in May 1993. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has been heading the Council since February 2009.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Your Holiness, friends.

Please accept my heartfelt greetings to the 22nd World Russian People’s Council. You know, here is what I was thinking just now.

A lot has changed in the life of our country and our people. This Kremlin hall that used to be unofficially known as the Palace of Congresses is now hosting the Russian People’s Council. This is indeed a sign of fundamental change in our society.







Established under the aegis of the Russian Orthodox Church, for the past 25 years, a quarter of a century, this forum has played a significant part in the public and social life of Russia and the entire Russian-speaking world by actively promoting solutions to social, educational and humanitarian problems, preserving the interethnic and interfaith accord, and educating young people based on the values of patriotism and civic consciousness.

It is important that representatives of all power branches and different political forces as well as cultural activists, education professionals and the clergy of traditional religions take part in the work of the council.

At the same time, you never set narrow ethnic or other limits and are always open for an interethnic, intercultural and interfaith dialogue. These traditions – the traditions of mutual understanding – have always strengthened our large family, the people of Russia.







Let me also note your active support of our brothers abroad. I mentioned the importance of this work yesterday at the meeting of the World Congress of Compatriots.

In line with the council’s motto – created to unite – you do a lot for national consolidation. I am confident that only a unified and close-knit society is able to face the most serious historical challenges, achieve real breakthroughs and amazing results, counter any pressure from the outside and protect our sovereignty and spiritual and historical bonds.

We can see what efforts are being taken today to “reformat” the world and destroy the traditional values and the cultural and historical spaces that have been forming for centuries.







The goal is to create various bleak “protectorates,” because it is easier to rule peoples who are disconnected, have no national memory and are turned into simple vassals, and to use them as bargaining chips.

Unfortunately, we can see this in many regions of the planet, including the post-Soviet space. Crude nationalism and anti-Russian sentiments are also used. Brazen and unbridled interventions are being made into the life of the church. This policy can have very serious consequences. It is dangerous.

I am confident that life will return everything to normal, because it is impossible to make people go against their faith, their traditions, their family and, ultimately, against truth, justice and common sense.







Friends, both today's meeting and most discussions will be dedicated to the civilizational development of Russia and the understanding of its role in the current world order.

These issues are undoubtedly very relevant today. It is now being decided how the world will look in the future, in the coming decades.

Will this be a world of monologue and the rule of force, or a world of dialogue and mutual respect? How well will technology combine with ethical and moral values?







There are more questions than answers so far. But there is one thing I am certain about: the voice of Russia will resound with dignity and confidence in the future world.

It is defined by both our tradition and internal spiritual culture, our identity and finally, by the history of our country as an authentic civilisation, a unique one, but one which does not assertively and aggressively claim its exceptionalism.

Because it is impossible to imagine the history of humanity without such unique civilisations as India, China, Western Europe, America and many others. It is really a multifaceted complexity where each facet supplements and enriches the others.







I would like to remind you of the words said by a prominent Russian thinker of the 19th century, Nikolai Danilevsky: no civilisation can call itself supreme, the most developed one.

Today the understanding of the complexity of civilizational development is the foundation for the multipolar world and for defending the principles of international law.

The weight, the influence of the poles on the common development, of course, will be determined by their economic, scientific, cultural, spiritual and human potential.







This is why our common efforts are so important, for they are aimed at uniting, consolidating the work of civil society and the state. This is what our ancestors called a council intellect, a council experience.

I would like to thank Your Holiness for the big contribution to the activity of the council, and its participants for the mission that you have been doing for the past 25 years, a very important mission for our society and the state.

I wish you success.

Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59013






Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of Moscow Duma



Vladimir Putin congratulated the participants, organisers and guests of the ceremony dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Moscow City Duma.



November 1, 2018 - 19:00



The message reads, in part:

“I am pleased to note that over the past years the Moscow parliament has done substantial work to enact extensive legislation that provides for the development of Moscow as a modern and people-friendly city. The legal framework is in place for reforms in the economy, healthcare, culture and various spheres of city management.

And, of course, the interests, problems and hopes of Muscovites are always the focus of deputies’ attention. I mean such socially important programmes as support for veterans, families with children and youth.

Today the Moscow Duma faces new but important challenges, first of all, protecting the environment and implementing the large and timely housing relocation project while preserving the historical appearance of Moscow.

I am confident that the competence, responsible approach and close cooperation with executive bodies, political parties and public organisations will continue to help you do as much as possible for the prosperity of Moscow and the entire country.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59020






Greetings on 100th anniversary of Russian Academy of Sciences Ioffe Physical Technical Institute



Vladimir Putin congratulated the participants and guests of a festive event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Ioffe Physical Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.



November 2, 2018 - 11:00



The message reads, in part:

“The creation of this legendary institute was a crucial event in the life of the Russian academic community and the entire country. The progressive principles, bold ideas and unique team spirit were the foundation of the institute and brought about an entire constellation of prominent physicists, including Nobel Prize winners.

It is important that today your creative team strives to multiply the notable traditions of your predecessors, is engaged in advanced fundamental research and addresses relevant applied tasks. This approach plays a very important role in the active development of the institute and its further fruitful activity for the benefit of Russia.”

The Ioffe Institute scientists address almost all areas of contemporary physics. The institute became world famous for its work on solid state physics, semiconductors, quantum electronics, astrophysics, plasma physics and physical gas dynamics. Papers by the institute’s researchers on space physics and cosmology, as well as controlled thermonuclear fusion are also well known.

The institute’s scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice. In 1956, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to academician Nikolai Semyonov (together with Cyril Norman Hinshelwood) for “their research into the mechanism of chemical reactions.” In 2000, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Director of the Ioffe Institute, academician Zhores Alfyorov (together with Herbert Kroemer and Jack St. Clair Kilby) for their work in “developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and optoelectronics“, which laid the foundation of contemporary information engineering. Nobel Prize laureates Lev Landau, Pyotr Kapitsa and Igor Tamm began their careers at the Ioffe Institute.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59030






Report on results of monitoring 2017 Russian law enforcement practice published



The report on the results of monitoring 2017 law enforcement practice in Russia was written in execution of Presidential Executive Order No. 657 of May 20, 2011, On Monitoring Law Enforcement Practice in the Russian Federation.



November 2, 2018 - 12:00



The report sets out the results of monitoring the execution of the Constitutional Court’s decisions, resolutions of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the results of monitoring law enforcement practice in various spheres of the Russian Federation’s legislation, including anti-corruption measures, provision of free legal assistance to citizens, the secure operation of defence industry organisations, nuclear, chemical, fuel and energy sector organisations, vital social infrastructure facilities, the transport infrastructure, other critical and potentially dangerous facilities; provision of medications for the population; the state system of issuing licenses for the use of mineral resources; management of production and consumer waste; replenishing the National Depository of National Printed Publications and Audiovisual Products; state oversight regarding the technical condition of self-propelled vehicles and other types of equipment; sequestration of farmland being misused or used in violation of legislation; the activities of private pension funds.

In the course of the monitoring process, federal executive agencies and state agencies in the Russian regions promptly eliminated the flaws revealed in the Russian Federation’s legislation and in law enforcement practice.

The report contains proposals on the need to pass the Russian Federation’s regulatory documents and on measures to boost the efficiency of law enforcement practice and anti-corruption measures.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59021






Ceremonial event to mark centenary of GRU



On the eve of the Day of the Military Intelligence Officer, Vladimir Putin took part in a gala event to mark the centenary of The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia.



November 2, 2018 - 17:20 - Russian Army Theatre, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Comrades, esteemed veterans,

I would like to congratulate you on your forthcoming professional day – the Day of the Military Intelligence Officer, and the centenary of the legendary GRU that is now called the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. It is unclear where the name Main Intelligence Directorate has gone. We ought to restore it.







Intelligence is an integral part of military affairs and war science. This has been the case for centuries everywhere. The current anniversary of our military intelligence naturally turns us to history, giving us an opportunity to recall the courageous and talented people that faithfully served Russia and its people, the heroes of the 1812 war, the Crimean War, World War I, officers of the General Staff, and military agents at diplomatic missions of the Russian Empire, who often risked their lives obtaining precious information that was required for the country’s defence and the protection of its national interests.

All of these are landmarks of our military intelligence, of which we are proud.







I would like to note that, being genuine patriots and state-minded people, many officers of the Imperial Russian Army played a significant role in the development of the new structure of national military intelligence. They realised that there is no greater shame than to betray the Fatherland and their comrades and ensured the continuity of the traditions of the service in times of trouble or revolutionary upheavals.







Military intelligence officers displayed the same fidelity to their duty at the turn of the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR. They managed to preserve the GRU’s potential and the school of career service and professional training.







I would like to express special gratitude and appreciation to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War. On the eve of World War II, during the Great Patriotic War military intelligence created a unique system for the timely collection and transfer of the most valuable information that directly influenced the outcome of major battles in the Great Patriotic War.







To this day, we remember and are proud of the people who worked in military intelligence at that time. No doubt, they are the pride of our intelligence, of our nation. They were of very diverse ethnic origins united by the common rejection of Nazism, its ideology, xenophobia in all manifestations and the exclusiveness of anyone on any grounds.







I would also like to remember those who served in Afghanistan, those who defended Russia from the aggression of international terrorism. Your daring operations, your ability to outmaneuver a strong and experienced enemy in the most difficult of circumstances is an example for new generations to follow.







The most important things they are learning from you are courage, an officer’s honour and selflessness, readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of one’s brothers in arms and Motherland.

We will always remember the heroes who gave their lives in battle for their fatherland. Those who are no longer with us. We bow our heads in memory to them.







Comrades,

The qualitative development of the Armed Forces of Russia is our top priority. I have mentioned this more than once. One of the key areas of this work is certainly strengthening the personnel resources, and the operational and technological capabilities of our military intelligence units.

Unfortunately, the potential for conflict is on the rise in the world. Provocations and outright lies are being used and attempts are being made to disrupt strategic parity. The system of international law is being undermined. All of that plays into the hands of extremists and terrorists who seek to extend their criminal activities to new regions on the planet. This is what they sought to create in Syria – a stronghold of chaos and violence.







But they did not succeed. Military intelligence played a huge role in taking out the ringleaders of the militants, their bases and infrastructure, and should be credited for the surgical destructive strikes delivered by our aircraft and warships. Our intelligence personnel methodically carried out their orders and never retreated, as is prescribed by Russian military tradition.

I will add that military intelligence undoubtedly deserves a lot of credit for returning peace to many regions of Syria, for stopping the bloodshed and opening up a path to accord, and no less important, for the crushing blow we dealt to the terrorists, preventing them from returning to our territory.







Comrades,

As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I certainly know your, without exaggeration, unique capabilities including in special operations. I greatly value the information and analytical materials that are prepared for the country's leadership at the Main Directorate of the General Staff.

I have confidence in your professionalism, your personal courage and dedication. I am certain that you will do everything for Russia and our people.

Once again, I congratulate you on the holiday and thank you for your service. I wish you and your families all the best.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59032






Meeting with leaders of successful socially important projects



November 2, 2018 - 18:00 - Moscow






Before the plenary session of the Fourth Community Forum of Active Citizens, Vladimir Putin met with the leaders of successful socially important projects.

























The President was told about projects for the rehabilitation of cancer patients, work with disabled children, and the preservation of animals listed in the Red Book.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59034






Community Forum of Active Citizens



The President spoke at the Fourth Community Forum of Active Citizens.



November 2, 2018 - 18:10 - Moscow






This year the forum focused on the development strategy of the country and civil society. The forum has been held by the Civic Chamber since 2015, offering a venue for exchanging views and developing solutions between civil society, business, and the authorities.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, friends.

I am very happy to see all of you and to have the opportunity to welcome all of you and thank you for your work.

This is a very good tradition – and it has indeed become a tradition – that we always meet on the eve of our holiday, National Unity Day, a holiday that has many positive implications. This implies that at all times (even before Minin and Pozharsky) it was clear and became obvious in this dramatic period of our history that the power of the people is inexhaustible. What we now call civil society is a great internal creative force. If combined with the efforts of the state, it creates incredible opportunities for national development.







Your current forum is devoted to the analysis and prospects of implementing national projects that have been adopted by the Government in the wake of the Address to the Federal Assembly and the Presidential Executive Order this year. I consider this extremely important. It is important because it can and should pool our efforts in making a breakthrough in Russia’s development.







I have just had the opportunity and pleasure to hear about some of the projects and the people that have created them. What can I say? These are sincere, inherently beautiful and wonderful people that are enthralled by their projects and get others interested in them. They are really helping people, helping to organise remarkable efforts and achieve wonderful results.







I would like to assure you that we will also do everything we can to support your efforts. Let me recall that in the past six years we have allocated an impressive 30 billion rubles for the activities of NGOs. This year we will also earmark 8 billion, the same for next year, and no less in 2020.







On the whole, I hope very much that this work will be expanded, and will include both small towns and rural areas.

Starting this year, we will allot funds for NGO volunteers in rural areas, which is very important and in very high demand as well. I have just had the opportunity to learn about one project like this for the countryside.







Friends, I know that after this meeting, the winners of the contest My Project for My Country will receive their awards. I would like to congratulate the winners and wish all of you success in your wonderful and noble work that our country and our people need so much.

I wish you all the best. Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59033






Greetings to participants, organisers and guests of 12th Russian World Assembly



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to participants, organisers and guests of the 12th Russian World Assembly.



November 3, 2018 - 10:15



The message reads, in part:

“Your forum is traditionally held ahead of National Unity Day, a wonderful holiday– and is always an impressive and memorable event.

Today, the ancient city of Tver is welcoming the Assembly participants, including prominent scientists, cultural figures, artists and journalists from around the world.

I consider the theme of the current Assembly, Universality of Russian Culture, to be relevant and essential. It opens a discussion in the widest possible format on such important issues as the Russian culture’s mission in the world, the importance of promoting and popularising the Russian language, which, apart from being a means of communication, is also a contributor to the preservation of ethnic and cultural identity.

In this regard, I would like to stress the great consolidating role of the Russkiy Mir Foundation and its multipronged activities on high-profile projects in education, awareness raising, charity, and support of our compatriots abroad.

I am confident that the Assembly will run in a creative key, and will contribute to stepping up international cooperation and personal contacts.”

The Russian World Assembly is an international forum held annually by the Russkiy Mir Foundation in different Russian cities ahead of National Unity Day.

This year the Assembly is hosted by Tver, bringing together around 600 participants from 69 countries of the world. The forum’s theme is Universality of Russian Culture.

The Russkiy Mir Foundation was established by a Presidential Executive Order in 2007. It promotes the Russian language and culture and supports programmes for the learning, preservation and development of the Russian language. In the ten years of its existence, the Foundation has rendered support to about 3,000 projects in over 100 countries.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59038






Laying flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky



In keeping with tradition, on National Unity Day Vladimir Putin laid flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky on Red Square in Moscow.



November 4, 2018 - 13:00 - Red Square, Moscow







The ceremony was attended by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Korniliy of Moscow and All Russia of the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia and Chief Mufti of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin, Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the North Caucasus Muslim Coordinating Centre Ismail Berdiev, leader of the traditional Buddhist Sangkha of Russia Damba Ayusheyev, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia Dietrich Brauer, and Secretary-General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia Igor Kovalevsky.
















The President had a brief conversation with religious leaders, representatives of youth organisations and volunteers who took part in the ceremony, wishing them a happy National Unity day.













National Unity Day was established in 2005 to commemorate the events of 1612, when Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky led the people’s volunteer army to liberate Moscow from foreign occupation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59041






Attending exhibition Treasures of Russian Museums



Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia attended the exhibition Treasures of Russian Museums.



November 4, 2018 - 13:20 - Moscow







The President was accompanied by Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov.













The exhibition opened at Manezh Central Exhibition Hall as part of the 17th Church and Public Exhibition and Forum Orthodox Russia – For National Unity Day and will be open until November 25th. Showcased at the exhibition are over 280 of the most important works of art from 50 Russian museums created over several centuries, including works by Valentin Serov and Karl Bryullov, as well as the Our Lady of Tenderness icon from the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery (Pskov-Caves Monastery).










The exhibition opening marks National Unity Day and the church holiday, the Feast of Our Lady of Kazan, established in recognition for helping the country to repel the Polish invasion of 1612.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59042






Reception marking National Unity Day



A reception to mark National Unity Day has been hosted at the Kremlin. As part of the event, the President presented the Russian Federation state decorations.



November 4, 2018 - 14:40 - The Kremlin, Moscow






Linguist, academician and president of the Russian Academy of Education Lyudmila Verbitskaya was awarded a prize for her contribution to enhancing the unity of the Russian nation.

Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals of the Russian Federation to foreign citizens for their special contributions to strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between nations, and preserving and promoting the Russian language and culture abroad.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends, ladies and gentlemen,

I congratulate you on National Unity Day.

This holiday has primarily historical, ethical and spiritual meaning. It marks loyalty to the Fatherland and our willingness to defend it and work for its prosperity.

For Russia, high principles of patriotism have a special value. They are the basis of the invincible spirit of our people, which has surprised and amazed the world many times. The sense of patriotism is a major part of the national culture and the core of our inherited memory.










These traditions have always inspired us to make noble actions and genuine breakthroughs, and create original masterpieces. The exhibition Treasures of Russian Museums once again proves this. I am confident that many present here will attend this exhibition, which is being held as part of the Orthodox Russia series. Once again, I should note the special meaning and relevance of this project, which reflects the unity of the vast cultural space of our millennium-old country.










The exhibition was created with the active involvement of regional museums and art galleries. Its scope and exhibits are truly memorable and impressive, and makes one aware of how rich our country is in talent and how much can be accomplished by Russia's amazing sons and daughters, who are often modest but brilliant, and wonderfully and infinitely gifted.










Friends, our history has had many periods when Russia's future and its survival were the main thing for everyone, and the country's fate was invariably determined by the nation's courage, unity and will.










Today's holiday marks the events that took place over four hundred years ago. Yet, the splendour of the deeds, to which the love for the Fatherland inspired people of various ethnicities and social classes and which united them, never fades away. Those events put an end to disturbances, discords and betrayals, drove invaders from Moscow, restored stable power, and prevented invaders from destroying and weakening the Russian nation and its unity.










The lives of our great ancestors serve as an example, reminding us to take care of Russia, preserve its sovereignty, and cherish peace and accord in its big and multi-ethnic family. Traditionally, today we honour our compatriots who work in this field successfully and indefatigably.










This year, the prize for contributing to the enhancement of the unity of the Russian nation is presented to Lyudmila Verbitskaya. An outstanding linguist, she has done much to develop Russian as a state-constituting language, the language of our culture and interethnic communication. I should particularly note Ms Verbitskaya's educational activities to advocate the Russian language's positions abroad. This is important for promoting traditional values that were cherished by our ancestors and that remain our moral and spiritual basis.










Sadly, Mr Verbitskaya cannot be present here due to health issues, but I am sure I will be able to present the prize to her soon. I wish her all the best and a speedy recovery.










Friends, traditionally, our compatriots have been invited at the reception to mark National Unity Day. Present here are many our friends from other countries. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for your sincere engagement in Russia's life, your respect for the Russian culture and interest for our rich history and contemporary life, as well as for the support and development of educational, business and scientific links, and, of course, for a friendly and open attitude to our country, which helps strengthen understanding between people. Such a mission is very important today, and we greatly appreciate your actions and commitment to advocate peace and justice.

Once again, I congratulate all citizens of Russia on National Unity Day.

Thank you for attention.


<…>


Vladimir Putin:

Friends,

Let me once again congratulate you on the holiday.

I would like to address our laureates with the words of appreciation for their work. They have just reported to us on what they do, how they do it, their attitude toward Russia, its culture, traditions and history. This definitely evokes an image of what we should aspire to. This is the image of cooperation, friendship and interaction. If we base our actions on the things that unite us and not on current contradictions, we will definitely act as Catherine the Great did; not only will we abolish reciprocal customs duties but will also actively move forward for the benefit of our two nations.

My congratulations. Wishing you all the best.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59043
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Greetings to participants of Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the 2018 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in St Petersburg.



November 7, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Please accept my heartfelt greetings on the opening of the Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships.

In the next few days, this event in our northern capital will rally both renowned and celebrated athletes and young people from around the world and will become a true festival of sports for the numerous visitors and fans.

I would like to note that in the past few years St Petersburg has become a large and respected centre of international sports. It has accumulated vast experience of preparing and hosting top league tournaments.

Therefore, the upcoming championships will be held in the best manner possible and will help promote trampoline gymnastics, a dynamic and spectacular sport.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59054






Greetings on opening of international panel conference Challenges of protecting human rights in the Eurasian area: good practice exchange amongst ombudsmen



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to participants in the international panel conference, Challenges of protecting human rights in the Eurasian area: good practice exchange amongst ombudsmen, initiated by the Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation.



November 8, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“Your conference is being held in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document for the protection of human rights around the world and for the work of national human rights ombudsmen.

It is necessary to deepen partner ties and to promote the exchange of practical experience among human rights commissioners from Eurasian countries, primarily in light of intensive integration processes and cross-border trade, investment and migration flows.

You have an intense and broad ranging agenda. You will be discussing many aspects related to the protection of civil rights and liberties in your countries and people’s economic, social, cultural and other interests.

I am confident that you will have interesting and productive discussions and that the ideas and initiatives you advance at this meeting will be put into practice.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59067






Greetings to First Russia-Korea Interregional Forum



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the First Russia-Korea Interregional Forum underway in Pohang, South Korea.



November 8, 2018 - 12:00



The message reads, in part:

“Relations between our countries have advanced to a very high level. We maintain an intensive political dialogue and fruitful cooperation in many spheres.

Interregional ties are playing an increasing role in the development of our bilateral cooperation. Many Russian regions, primarily in the Russian Far East, maintain direct ties with South Korean provinces and cities and are implementing joint projects in trade, investment, healthcare, tourism, fishing and agriculture. This partnership is undoubtedly promoting the economic, infrastructural and social development in our countries’ regions and strengthening mutual understanding and trust between our nations.

I am convinced that your forum will be held in a constructive spirit and will offer an opportunity to exchange practical experience and to launch new promising and mutually advantageous initiatives.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59069






Vladimir Putin arrived in Astana



The President of Russia has arrived in the Republic of Kazakhstan for a two-day working visit.



November 8, 2018 - 14:00 - Astana







On November 8, Vladimir Putin will attend a session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The participants will discuss key international and regional issues and the further promotion of cooperation between CSTO members. They are to sign about 20 documents, including the CSTO Collective Security Council Declaration.







On November 9, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev will address the plenary session of the 15th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum in Petropavlovsk and will visit an exhibition of promising joint tourism programmes. A number of bilateral agreements have been drafted for signing.

Also on the second day of the visit, the two presidents are to hold talks and attend a presentation of the Baiterek space centre project.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59066






CSTO Summit



The President of Russia attended the CSTO Collective Security Council meeting in Astana.



November 8, 2018 - 18:00 - Astana







Vladimir Putin, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Acting Secretary General of the CSTO Valery Semerikov met in restricted format, followed by expanded talks attended by members of the delegations.










During the meeting, the participants exchanged views on the CSTO’s work in the context of ensuring international and regional security. They adopted a series of decisions, including a regulation codifying partner and observer status in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.










The President of Russia updated the audience on the strategic stability and arms control situation in the context of the unilateral decision of the United States to withdraw from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles; the prospects for possible negotiations with the US side on the INF Treaty; the dialogue of participants of the Astana process and the so-called Small Group on Syria that began in Istanbul.










The summit participants devoted considerable time to selecting a candidate for the next Secretary General of the CSTO and agreed to make a final decision on December 6 in St Petersburg.










A range of documents were adopted following the meeting. The heads of delegations of the CSTO member states signed the CSTO Collective Security Council Declaration.










They also signed the Statement of the Heads of CSTO Member States on coordinated measures against parties to armed conflicts on the side of international terrorist groups.










In particular, the documents signed amend the Collective Security Treaty of May 15, 1992, and the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation of October 7, 2002; make personnel changes to the military contingents and special task units of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces; regulate the development of the collective system for controlling illegal migration until 2025; and promote a coordinated information policy in the interests of the CSTO member states.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59068






The President arrived in Petropavlovsk for Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum



Vladimir Putin has arrived in Petropavlovsk, where he will attend the 15th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.



November 9, 2018 - 10:15 - Petropavlovsk







The forum agenda focuses on new approaches and trends in the development of the two countries’ tourism. It has rallied some 500 delegates, including over 250 representatives of Russian ministries and agencies and delegations from 22 Russian regions, which include regional heads and CEOs of large companies.

The previous forum was held in Chelyabinsk in November 2017.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59071






Attending exhibition of joint tourism projects in Petropavlovsk



November 9, 2018 - 11:20 - Petropavlovsk





































Vladimir Putin and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev attended an exhibition of promising joint projects, titled New Approaches and Trends in the Development of Tourism in Russia and Kazakhstan.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59073






Meeting with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev



The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting before the plenary session of the 15th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.



November 9, 2018 - 11:40 - Petropavlovsk








President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev:

Mr President,

I cordially welcome you to yet another region of Northern Kazakhstan.

Yesterday we held a meeting of the supreme CSTO council in Astana. We met all our goals and adopted the corresponding decisions there.







Today we are having our annual interregional meeting between the regions of Russia and the regions of Kazakhstan. We meet to sum up last year's work.

I must note that, with mutual trade about to reach $18 billion this year, the regions account for 70 percent of the total goods turnover.

In addition, we also chose another topic for our agenda – tourism, a theme that has not been explored yet. Elsewhere in the world, tourism accounts for 10 percent of GDP, but in our countries the figure stands at only 1 percent.







Russia is a big country; Kazakhstan is also big. It will greatly benefit both our countries to communicate, to suggest places to go to, to visit for tourists, and it will contribute to a revival of our interstate trade.

So thank you for coming here. Today we will hold a forum. It will serve to improve the rapprochement and better mutual understanding of our peoples and an expansion of trade and economic relations.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Thank you very much, Mr President.

Indeed, this topic is very interesting in the context of the growing trade, because this is an additional niche.







On the whole, our situation is developing positively, and trade is growing. Kazakhstan is Russia’s second largest trade and economic partner in the CIS after Belarus.







Our mutual trade is growing fast, according to our experts, so Kazakhstan has every chance to win first place.

Moreover, our economic relations are very diverse: they embrace high technologies, including space, hydrocarbons and transport. Now we are going to add tourism, which indeed has significant potential for Kazakhstan and Russia.







I would say we should make this palette more interesting, more meaningful. For our part, we will make every effort to make this area of our cooperation come alive as it should.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59074






Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum



Vladimir Putin attended the 15th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum focusing on new approaches and trends in the development of tourism in Russia and Kazakhstan.



November 9, 2018 - 13:45 - Petropavlovsk






Following the forum, a number of documents were signed in the presence of the two leaders. These include a Joint Action Plan of Russia and Kazakhstan for 2019–2021 and a Plan of Measures to Implement the Programme for Interregional and Cross-Border Cooperation between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2018–2023.

The documents that were signed also concern the implementation of the Russia-Kazakhstan Programme for Cross-Border Cooperation and collaboration in the field of tourism.

Additionally, amendments were introduced regarding the lease agreement of the Baikonur Space Launch Centre as well as in the intergovernmental agreement on crossing the Russian-Kazakh state border by people living near to these areas.

Earlier on in the day, the President of Russia and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the exhibition devoted to promising joint projects in the field of tourism.

The leaders of the two states also held a one-on-one meeting to discuss topical matters relating to Russian-Kazakhstani cooperation in various spheres.







President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev:

Mr President, colleagues,

I am glad to welcome you to Petropavlovsk, a regional centre in Northern Kazakhstan. It is with great pleasure that we receive you here as our close partners, colleagues and neighbours. A close neighbour is said to be better than a distant relative. So we are neighbours, we are relatives.

Over time, this forum has established itself as an effective interstate platform, and has become an important institution of political and economic interaction between our countries.

This format has become a model in the post-Soviet space. During these forums, we have signed more than 200 agreements. The implementation of these documents gives a significant impetus to the development of regions as well as entire economic sectors both in Russia and Kazakhstan. In my opinion, our other partners are also adopting our experience. I heard recently that Uzbekistan would like to establish a similar forum.







Friends,

We have already built a clear line of cooperation in almost all areas of the economy. We are actively cooperating in a multilateral format, including within the Eurasian Economic Union, the CSTO, the UN, the CIS, the SCO, the OSCE, and other international platforms.

The Russian Federation is our strategic ally and our most important trade and economic partner. In the first eight months of 2018, our mutual trade exceeded $11 billion; we expect it to reach $18 billion by the end of the year, and the $20 billion target will not be so far off.

It is encouraging that the share of processed goods in mutual trade continues to grow, reaching 82 percent. Russia is the largest market for Kazakhstani exports of processed products – more than $2 billion.

During the years of Kazakhstan’s independence, Russia's foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan amounted to about $14 billion, and Kazakhstan’s FDI in Russia is about $4 billion. These figures clearly confirm our importance for each other. More than 9,000 businesses co-owned by Russia successfully operate in Kazakhstan, and they are represented in all sectors of the economy.

As of today, we have already implemented over 60 large investment projects worth $10 billion. A further 57 projects worth $6 billion are being implemented in the oil and gas industry, mining, and agriculture.







In agriculture, projects worth over $500 million are being implemented. In the chemical industry, Eurochem has invested $1 billion in the construction of a mineral fertiliser plant.

A joint transport and logistics company is operating in the railway and logistics sector, with 57 train connections operating along 15 lines between our countries, not including the transit trains from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The Western Europe – Western Kazakhstan project provides for synergy in road transportation. Our countries execute 210 flights to 38 destinations daily, with 27 destinations added in recent years.

In education, 66 Kazakhstani universities are closely cooperating with 93 Russian universities; over 500 cooperation agreements have been signed. Kazakhstani and Russian medical universities have signed almost 70 joint memorandums.

All of this proves our multifaceted, stable, mutually beneficial and neighbourly cooperation, which fortunately has not stopped after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This is good for both our states in the long term as well as for the prosperity of our people.







Colleagues,

Today’s forum is dedicated to an important, topical issue: new approaches and trends in the development of tourism in our countries. In the current situation, tourism is a key growth driver of the global economy and for creation of new jobs in many countries.

Today tourism accounts for 10 percent of the global economy, 30 percent of service exports and every tenth job. Tourism attracts hundreds of billions of dollars in direct investment. It generates exponential growth in almost all key economic sectors.

Last year the global export of tourism services reached $1.6 trillion. Tourism is a tool for economic growth even in the time of global economic crises.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, by the year 2030, some 1.8 billion people will have visited popular resorts and cities as well as historical and cultural landmarks. Experts also estimate that the tourism industry will mainly grow through the development of new destinations since traditional centres of travel have reached the limit of their recreational potential.

Kazakhstan and Russia must not stay away from these processes. We must efficiently embrace the given opportunities and take systemic measures to improve bilateral tourism. It is important to benefit from our geographic proximity as well as our proximity to China and India, the countries where international tourism is rapidly growing.

We are finalising Kazakhstan’s five-year tourism development programme and expect an increase in the number of travellers to Kazakhstan to 13 million visitors and the creation of over 60,000 jobs. The state programme will be based on the top ten tourist centres which we will mention today. Citizens from more than 60 states are eligible for visa-free travel to Kazakhstan.

We know that Russia is also involved in intensive development of tourism. I would like to specifically point out that bilateral tourism is an important area of our cooperation. Both Russia and Kazakhstan have many attractions that the citizens of our countries have not yet seen, places for recreation as well as sightseeing.

For example, Russians, especially from West Siberia, like visiting the Borovoye resort area, lakes Balkhash and Alakol during the summer months. In winter, they travel to Shymbulak in Almaty, the ski resort, and other places.

In Russia, there are also a great number of regions which we, the Kazakhstani people, are really interested in visiting. Such a high demand must create a quality supply. Despite our joint efforts to develop tourism, there are a number of matters that require consideration.

For example, we need to consider upgrading checkpoints at Russia-Kazakhstan borders to ensure that these are easy for tourists to pass through; improving the tourist transport and logistics infrastructure; promoting tourism in the Caspian Sea region through joint efforts, assisting in space tourism development, and many other issues.

Mr President, I consider it necessary to give an additional impetus to our cooperation in tourism, and our governments must pay due attention to this.

Geographical, historical, social and cultural proximity of our nations provide extremely favourable conditions for doing this job together. I think today we will discuss all these matters and I hope we will have a constructive day.

Mr Putin, allow me to give the floor to you.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues, friends.

I would like to greet all the participants of the 15th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.

I completely see eye to eye with President Nazarbayev. Intense and diverse interregional contacts contribute greatly to the strengthening of friendship and mutual partnership between our countries, to developing the entire scope of Russia-Kazakhstan relations which can truly be characterised as a neighbourly alliance, across all fields.

Just now, the President of Kazakhstan and I discussed the current status of our bilateral links and opportunities for their further expansion. It goes without saying that we focused particularly on trade as well as investments.

We noted that the economies of Russia and Kazakhstan are becoming increasingly interrelated and integrated as the connections and cooperation within industries deepen.

Russia maintains close cooperation with our Kazakhstani partners within the Eurasian Union and the CIS and we continue to work together on eliminating persisting obstacles in the way of free movement of goods and services.

Based on the 2017 results, trade between Russia and Kazakhstan grew by a substantial 30 percent and exceeded, as Mr Nazarbayev pointed out, $17.2 billion. Between January and August of this year, trade increased by another nine percent.

Russia’s investments into the Kazakhstani economy reached $12.2 billion while Kazakhstan’s investments into the Russian economy totaled $3.6 billion. Our countries are implementing multiple projects, including in the sectors related to high technology, i.e. energy, car production, machine engineering, the chemical industry, uranium enrichment and space exploration.

It is important to note that 63 percent of all the transactions between Russian and Kazakhstani economic operators are carried out in national currencies. We hope that very soon this figure will go up to 70 to 75 percent.







We are engaged in extensive cooperation in the field of culture and the humanitarian sector. Last October, Kazakhstan successfully hosted the Days of Russian Culture. We are boosting educational exchanges. Around 72,000 Kazakhstani students are studying at Russian universities.

Notably, to a large extent, the successful development of Russia-Kazakhstani relations is ensured by a proactive and constructive contribution made by the Russian and Kazakhstani regions. Direct interregional contacts are becoming increasingly intense and diverse every single year.

Thus, between January and October, more than 50 Russian regional delegations visited Kazakhstan and dozens of business missions, youth projects, scientific, educational and cultural events were organised.

I want to stress that regional exchanges account for around 70 percent of bilateral trade, which we have already mentioned. The Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions are the most proactive Russian regions when it comes to trade. The annual trade turnover between each of these three regions and their Kazakhstani partners is worth around $1 billion.

The Republic of Altai, the Astrakhan, Samara and Kurgan regions are also expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan. In total, 76 regions of the Russian Federation established contacts with 14 Kazakhstani regions as well as two administrative centres, Astana and Almaty.

We are constantly improving the legal framework of interregional cooperation through more than 400 agreements and memorandums. Following this forum a number of documents will be signed.







Colleagues,

This forum is devoted to the development of tourism between Russia and Kazakhstan. I believe this sector of our bilateral cooperation is very interesting and highly promising.

The tourism sector has a vast economic potential, brings considerable revenues to the federal and local budgets, creates jobs and stimulates small and medium-sized businesses. A great deal is being done in Russia to promote domestic and inbound tourism.

I would like to say that in May we adopted a relevant concept for a period until 2025. It is designed to make the tourism sector effective and highly profitable and give an additional impetus to the socioeconomic development of the regions.

A number of new and attractive resorts, recreation areas and treatment centres are being created in Russia to become the core of tourist clusters. This will certainly benefit our regions, including those that border on Kazakhstan.

By the way, we are implementing several large Russian-Kazakhstani tourism projects. These include the Greater Altai international tourism festival and The Golden Mountains of Altai travel itinerary, which are attracting an increasing number of tourists and are developing into regional tourist brands.

The tourist exchanges between our two countries are growing thanks to these initiatives. Some 3.6 million people travel from Kazakhstan to Russia and some 3 million from Russia to Kazakhstan every year.

I am confident that these figures will continue to grow if our regions introduce novel and increasingly attractive types of tourism, such as cultural tourism.

Just for the record, today we have gathered in Petropavlovsk, a city that can be described as the symbol of centuries-long friendship between Russian and Kazakhstani people. It features a lot of cultural and historical landmarks of both Russia and Kazakhstan.







In general, our countries have rich histories, and are located at the crossroads of ancient routes between Europe and Asia. In this context, we could develop transit routes that would introduce visitors to the national historical and cultural values, traditions and customs of our countries.

There are good opportunities for event tourism as well, first and foremost, due to the upcoming 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. We believe it is important to encourage people to visit landmark and memorial sites in Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as those located in other CIS countries.

The natural potential of Russia’s and Kazakhstan’s border regions, primarily Northern Kazakhstan and the Altai Republic, offer the greatest prospects for innovative projects in the spheres of sports and recreational tourism.

Together, Russia and Kazakhstan started developing marine-based tourism, introducing Caspian Sea cruises that feature stops in Astrakhan, Derbent and Aktau, as well as Baku, Turkmenbasy and Iranian ports. The first of these comfort-class cruise liners is currently being built by Russian companies.

Of course, in order to implement all of these new projects in practice, we need to coordinate the efforts of federal and regional authorities and the business community. Together, we need to modernise transport infrastructure, including air and road infrastructure, invest in the hotel industry, further improve the quality and competitiveness of tourism services and make information about tourism opportunities more widely available. Of course, we should also support the relevant business and public initiatives.

We discussed all these issues of Russian-Kazakhstani cooperation in tourism and various other spheres in detail during the events held as part of the forum. I understand that today ministers and heads of our two countries’ regions will expand on the results of their work and the agreements that they have reached.

I would like to thank Mr Nazarbayev and all forum participants for their active and engaged collaborative work. Next year, it will be Russia’s turn to host the bilateral interregional forum. I would like to invite you all to the Siberian city of Omsk.

Thank you for your attention.







<…>


Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues,

My concluding remarks will be very brief. I would like to repeat what the President of Kazakhstan has just said. He whispered in my ear: “Why should we travel anywhere when we have so much beauty here?”

Of course, the world is full of attractive places. There are world famous tourist destinations such as Rome, Paris and other large cities, Venice, and many more.

We in Russia have St Petersburg, a city of the same class, no less, and maybe even better in some respect, but of course, no other country has such natural diversity as Russia and Kazakhstan; this is obvious.

Today, as a Kazakhstani colleague of ours has said, the world is getting more interested in environmental tourism and event tourism. People from all over the world strive to see unique and environmentally clean places.

In this regard we are the richest people on earth, without exaggeration. We just need to work hard and to take advantage of this trend, to bring enjoyment to our people, promote our countries and develop the economy. We have everything we need for this.

I would like to thank Mr Nazarbayev for initiating our meeting today to discuss the development of tourism. I wish success to all of you. Thank you for your participation.







Nursultan Nazarbayev:

Thank you for your remarks and your proposals on the matter at hand as well as regarding the host city of the next, 16th forum of interregional cooperation. We will prepare for it.

Today we had a constructive and businesslike conversation. We discussed topical issues and tourism opportunities in our countries.

The parties held an interesting exhibition showing achievements and new opportunities in this area. Of course, it could not include everything, but what is on display is very interesting.

In addition, 25 interregional documents and commercial contracts were signed yesterday on the sidelines of our forum. I believe the forum will give a significant boost to bilateral relations and will expand the scope of our cooperation.

Considering everything I have said, Mr President, I suggest we give our governments the following instructions.

First, we must strengthen the coordination of our actions to develop the necessary tourism and transport infrastructure. The relevant bodies, especially governments, must look into this and work out a joint roadmap to develop the road, rail and air transport (so that no one would fly to Kazakhstan via Omsk). It is very important to monitor the potential of tourist flows and provide concrete measures of state support.

Second, we must create conditions for the most comfortable border control procedure for tourists. The infrastructure of the checkpoints and their technical equipment on the Russian-Kazakhstani border do not match the intensity of the flow of people and vehicles yet. It is important for our countries’ governments to address these issues together.

Third, we must develop the architecture for tourism cooperation with the neighbouring Caspian Sea countries by simplifying the visa and migration regime. As the President of Russia said in his speech, cruise liners will operate there, which is very important. Together with our neighbouring countries – Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran, we can get very large tourist flows around the Caspian Sea.







Our neighbours have already begun to explore the Caspian region’s potential. We should step up our efforts to develop mutually complementary leisure and recreation infrastructure in the Caspian region.

Fourth, we should take measures to promote the potential of our medical and educational centres as we have discussed and demonstrated today.

Fifth, we should jointly develop space tourism at such unique places in the world as the Baikonur Space Centre launch pads. By the way, today we heard a report about joint Russian-Kazakhstani work carried out at the new Baikonur launch pad. I think we can develop tourism there as well.

Some of these issues are included (with the ministers responsible for the development of tourism) in the joint plan for next year.

Sixth, this year the Astana International Financial Centre has started operating, following the EXPO 2017. It is a unique alternative to such financial centres as London, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Unprecedented conditions have been created there. Its participants enjoy tax benefits and simplified currency, visa and employment regimes. The principles of English law and the English language are used in the centre’s work.

Both residents and non-residents can take part in the AIFC. The shareholders of the stock exchange and the international financial centre include NASDAQ, Goldman Sachs, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and others.

As of today, the AIFC is already carrying out its first deals on the placement of NPE sovereign Eurobonds in Kazakhstan; Kazatomprom is the first.

In order to boost the centre’s successful development as a business tourism destination, the transport accessibility of Astana is improving, with new direct flights operating to large cities of the world, including financial centres.

We invite you to take part in the centre’s work, which is a unique platform in our region providing broad access to capital as well as a wide range of financial services and investment tools. By the way, we can also find the money to develop tourism there.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59075






Visiting the education and play area at the Schoolchildren’s Palace



Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the education and play area at the Schoolchildren’s Palace in Petropavlovsk where the Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum took place.



November 9, 2018 - 14:45 - Petropavlovsk
















The schoolchildren spoke to the heads of state about what they had developed and about their achievements. In particular, the presidents inspected drones and robots created by the young people from the centre and spoke with representatives from the children’s community and youth technoparks as well as intellectual clubs.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59076






Vladimir Putin arrived in France



The President of Russia arrived in the French Republic for commemorative events marking the centenary of the Armistice.



November 11, 2018 - 12:10 - Paris







The French capital became the venue for major events marking the end of World War I, which ended on November 11, 1918.

A commemorative ceremony will be held at the Arc de Triomphe which will be attended by the heads of state of the nations that participated in the war, and heads of some international organisations.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59086






Commemorative ceremony marking the centenary of Armistice Day



Vladimir Putin attended a commemorative ceremony marking the centenary of Armistice Day.



November 11, 2018 - 15:00 - Paris







The French capital became the venue for major events marking the end of World War I, which ended on November 11, 1918.



































































A commemorative ceremony was held at the Arc de Triomphe which was attended by the heads of state of the nations that participated in the war, and heads of some international organisations.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59087






Laying flowers at the Monument to Soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force



Vladimir Putin, who is in Paris to attend the commemorative events to mark 100 years since the end of WWI, honoured Russian soldiers and officers by laying flowers at the Monument to Officers and Soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force Who Fought in France in WWI.



November 11, 2018 - 15:15 - Paris







Along with the Russian President, descendants of WWI participants also attended the ceremony. The President spoke with them following the ceremony.






















Renowned Russian sculptor Vladimir Surovtsev created the memorial. The piece, entitled The Spring, shows a young Russian officer who holds a French WWI helmet with Russian double-headed eagle as a symbol honouring his fallen fellow soldiers.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59089






Interview to Russia Today TV Channel



During his visit to France to attend commemorative events marking the centenary of Armistice Day, Vladimir Putin answered questions from a Russia Today journalist.



November 11, 2018 - 16:45 - Paris







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon.



Question:

Mr President, have you managed to speak with Donald Trump? Is there any progress in your talks?



Vladimir Putin:

I have not so far; we only greeted each other. The ceremony is taking place in such a way that we have no opportunity to communicate, we were just observing events. But we will have a working dinner now, we may have an opportunity then.

In any case, we agreed that we will not deviate from the schedule of the host side. At their request, we are not to organise any meetings here, but perhaps on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Anyway, we are ready for dialogue. We are not the ones withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This is what the Americans are planning to do. Both we and they are committed to restoring dialogue.

But it is more important to hold a dialogue not even at such high or a higher level, but at the level of experts. I hope that this comprehensive negotiating process will be resumed.







Question:

Mr President, NATO is currently conducting the most large-scale exercises since the Cold War. Russia, in its turn, is conducting its own exercises as well. How necessary is this balance of power? What do you think about the idea of establishing a European military force alternative to the North Atlantic Alliance?



Vladimir Putin:

As for an alternative all-European military force, this idea is not a new one. President Macron simply brought it back to life, but it was one of the former presidents, Jacques Chirac, who had talked to me about it before. These ideas preceded him as well.

Europe is, essentially, a powerful economic entity, a powerful economic union. And in general, it is rather natural for Europe to want to be independent, self-sufficient, sovereign in terms of its defence and security. I think that this process is, in general, positive, from the standpoint of strengthening the multipolarity of the world. In this sense, our position overlaps with the French one, too.

As for exercises, we too conduct them; to be fair, we are trying not to conduct any large-scale exercises close to the borders of NATO member states. The most recent large-scale exercises we had were held in the East, thousands of kilometres away from the borders of NATO member states. But in general, we are reacting to this calmly. I hope that dialogue, which is always in demand, will also have a positive impact on this situation.







Question:

France continues to refuse accreditation to our television channel. Work is underway to develop a law that would allow banning us just for the fact that we are connected with Russia. How can you describe relations between Russia and France in this context, and what other issues have to be overcome?



Vladimir Putin:

What is important here is not Russia-France relations in information exchange, but rather our overall approaches to information and its exchange and its free distribution – these are the things that are important.

We are aware of and have always heard our western colleagues say that the main principle of democracy is freedom of information. But creating various sorts of lists and councils that should decide on which media are good and which are bad – this, I believe, is totally unacceptable and has nothing to do with democracy.

Because, if we want to implement the principle of free information and its access to users, that is, to citizens of our countries, we should not make administrative efforts to ban anything or restrict anything using political and administrative structures. If you disagree with anything, you can counter it by offering your own point of view and give the viewers, listeners and internet users the opportunity to figure it out and make a decision on their own on whether this is true or it is distorted. I think this is the direction to take.







Question:

Will you come to visit us the next time? I know that your schedule has not allowed you to do this. But you promised…



Vladimir Putin:

You know, I wanted to and I will pay you a visit, but today there are 90 heads of state and government in Paris, making it rather difficult to move about the city. In order not to make additional problems for the receiving side, I will have to miss out on this one. But I will take pleasure in visiting you next time.

I would like to wish you success and thank you for your work and professionalism. Good-bye!




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59091






Vladimir Putin attended a working breakfast at the Elysee Palace



November 11, 2018 - 17:35 - Paris







A working breakfast, hosted by President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron in honour of the heads of delegations who have arrived to attend the celebrations to mark 100 years since the end of WWI, took place at the Elysee Palace. The event was held in an informal setting, without the presence of journalists.




























Representatives of over 80 countries and heads of the most international organisations were invited to attend the celebratory events in Paris.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59090






Paris Peace Forum



Together with other heads of states and governments, Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of the Paris Peace Forum. The forum is aimed at working out proposals to reduce international tension.



November 11, 2018 - 18:40 - Paris







President of France Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke at the Paris Peace Forum’s plenary session. After the session, the work of the forum will continue in different sections attended by a number of heads of states and non-governmental organisations.







Over the course of the next two days, a total of 120 civil society projects will be presented. Russia will present two projects under the auspices of the Russia-France Trianon Dialogue called Civil Dialogue against Crises and Civil Initiatives Committee University.

The Paris Peace Forum is an independent association, created as a platform for high-level international discussion and to host direct dialogue between officials and civil society representatives on issues of global governance, combating climate change, providing assistance to Africa, managing the cybersphere at an international level, and countering information manipulation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59093
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Meeting of the Commission for Military Technology Cooperation with Foreign States



Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Commission for Military Technology Cooperation with Foreign States.



November 6, 2018 - 13:50 - The Kremlin, Moscow







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

In May this year we marked the 65th anniversary of military technology cooperation with foreign states. I would like to use the occasion of our meeting to once again congratulate our weapon designers and producers, the engineers, workers and veterans of the Russian defence industry on this date. It is thanks to their selfless labour that Russia has not only preserved but also strengthened its leading position on the global arms market, primarily in the high-tech sector, amid tough competition.







Relying on our rich experience in this sphere, we must continue to consistently build up our military technology cooperation with foreign states. Our capabilities in the military technical sphere must be used to modernise and upgrade all our industries, to support our science and to create a powerful technological potential for the country’s dynamic development.







Colleagues,

We have several issues on the agenda of today's meeting of the Commission for Military Technology Cooperation with Foreign States. We will also discuss measures to develop military technology cooperation.

In recent years, Russia’s export of military products has been at a consistently high level, around $15 billion.







Russian manufacturers have the advantage of an unfailingly high quality of products, which have no analogue in their combat and technical characteristics. Russia values ​​its reputation of being a conscientious and responsible participant in military technology cooperation. We strictly observe international norms and principles in this area. We supply weapons and military equipment solely in the interests of security, defence and anti-terrorism efforts. In each case, we thoroughly assess the situation and try to predict the developments in the specific region. No bilateral contracts are ever targeted against third countries, against their security interests.







We will certainly continue to closely follow the trends of the global arms market, to offer our partners new flexible and convenient forms of cooperation. This is all the more important in the current conditions, when our competitors often resort to unfair methods such as putting pressure on or blackmailing customers, also through the use of political sanctions, so as to force them to buy their military equipment, even though it is more expensive and inferior to our products in quality.







A new factor is the growing interest from foreign customers in modern research and development and design projects, as well as in setting up military products manufacturing at home. We certainly try to consider their needs. Over the past five years, the volume of joint R&D projects to upgrade or develop new types of weapons has increased by 35 percent.







At the same time, the changing conditions in which we have to trade in military equipment require some adjustment of existing approaches and development of a new integrated strategy for the foreseeable future. In a word, in military technology cooperation, we have both serious achievements and an understanding of the large tasks facing us.

Today we will discuss these specific issues in the most important area of ​​our cooperation and make the necessary decisions.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59047






Meeting with permanent members of the Security Council



The President held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council.



November 6, 2018 - 17:30 - The Kremlin, Moscow







The meeting participants exchanged views on the situation following the imposition of US sanctions on Iran, with an emphasis on their illegality.










Issues related to the CSTO were discussed in the context of preparations for the visit to Astana this week.










Current socioeconomic issues were also discussed.










The meeting was attended by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59049






Congratulations to 2018 world weightlifting champion Artyom Okulov



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to Artyom Okulov, the 2018 world weightlifting champion in the 89 kg category.



November 6, 2018 - 20:15







The message reads, in part:

“Your victory is yet another outstanding achievement in your sports career, a well-deserved award for your determination, efficiency and indomitable will to win.

And, of course I would like to express special gratitude to your coaches and mentors, all those who support you and help you achieve success.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59063






Greetings to participants of meeting of heads of special services, security agencies and law-enforcement organisations



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants of the 17th meeting of heads of special services, security agencies, and law-enforcement organisations.



November 7, 2018 - 11:00



The message reads, in part:

“Your traditional forum is aimed at uniting the international community in countering terrorism with the coordinating role of the UN, on the basis of generally accepted principles and norms of international law.

We can see that international terrorist groups are trying to press forward, including in the global information space. In this situation, there are heightened requirements for the work of special services and law enforcement agencies, and a growing need to consolidate their efforts in addressing emerging security challenges and threats.

Among your priorities is the creation of an effective system of physical, informational and ideological suppression of terrorist groups, neutralising their leaders and the most dangerous members, including the cross-border movement of the so-called terrorist hitmen.

It is important to steadily increase the efficiency of information exchange, and to develop effective mechanisms for thwarting the sources and supply channels of terrorist networks.

To meet such serious goals, it is necessary to strengthen trust between states, to increase the dependability of their actions and transparency of intentions. This will significantly enhance the potential of international anti-terrorism cooperation and prevent the risks of misunderstanding in various countries’ work in this area – for example, when using modern telecommunications technologies.

I am confident that this meeting and the discussions held there will help the participants to exchange views and experience on a wide range of professional issues, to discuss the results of joint work to ensure security at major international events, primarily the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup, and to propose new approaches to the further development and enhancement of the partnership between our countries’ counterterrorism agencies.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59056






New Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy appointed to Northwestern Federal District



Vladimir Putin signed the Executive Order On the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District.



November 7, 2018 - 11:10







In accordance with the Executive Order, Alexander Gutsan has been appointed Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District.

The Federation Council earlier released Alexander Gutsan from the post of Deputy Prosecutor General, which he had held since 2007, due to a transfer to another position.

Alexander Gutsan will take over from Alexander Beglov, who has been appointed Acting Governor of St Petersburg.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59053






Meeting with President of Business Russia Alexei Repik



Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Alexei Repik, the President of the all-Russia Public Organisation Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia).



November 7, 2018 - 13:10 - The Kremlin, Moscow








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, Mr Repik.

Delovaya Rossiya is one of the most respected business organisations.

You know that just recently I attended on Opora Russiyi meeting. There is no point repeating what I said, but I would like to hear from you about what is being discussed, how it is being discussed, and what expectations your colleagues have in relations with the authorities. That would be useful and interesting.

You and I are in constant contact; however, there are always questions that are most relevant and most important at a given time.







President of Business Russia Alexei Repik:

Mr President, as we were preparing for the 14th convention, in the process of preparations we held a series of consultations to determine the possible role of business in the realisation of the national goals you set in the May Executive Order.

At the same time, we wanted to see what barriers are impeding the most efficient use of the potential of entrepreneurs and the business community to make our country stronger, more competitive, better.

Delovaya Rossiya has worked out a package of relevant initiatives. I would like to present a number of them to you today, and hear your comments on this matter.

Firstly, the ideology embedded in the national goals, as well as the unprecedented size of the resources that are being invested into making our country stronger in the future requires, in and of itself, the best collected efforts on behalf of the state and businesses alike. In this regard, we are very responsible about our involvement in this process.

Primarily, this concerns the ability of the state to effectively spend budgetary funds through enhanced competition and wider participation of Russian companies in achieving national goals.

At this point, unfortunately, we believe that the system could have been more efficient if there had been better planning of long-term goals – all the more so as the national project system implies this – and timely implementation of all the necessary procedures.

These may include, for example, tender procedures for companies to be able to upgrade their production facilities and to properly build their production processes, including with the assistance of the development institutions and the Corporation for Supporting Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses, which is very active now, and the Industry Development Fund.

Accordingly, we should participate in implementing the state tasks rather than give this very important and competitive market away to foreign companies.

Speaking of this particular matter, if we sign contracts and hold tenders at least six months before we begin to actually implement them, when the issue is not about immediate procuring, more Russian companies will be involved in the process. That way, we will be able to get more closely involved in improving our economy’s growth rates and, accordingly, joining the top five global economies.

The second block, which I believe is equally important, and our businesses are now speaking of it louder and louder, is predictability of the terms and conditions of doing business, including predictability of such an important variable as state support.

This is because when it comes to industry, tourism, and the service sector, the state encourages entrepreneurs to invest more in creating new production sites and new jobs.

However, it becomes effective and really works only if this support is 100-percent guaranteed. If you cannot make the support measures promised to you part of your business plan, then, by and large, you leave them out of your business process, and all this state support ends up being nearly pointless and a waste of budget funds.

In this regard, we now have a number of signals telling us that the promised, let us put it this way, support measures in the sphere of agriculture and industry, including support for the exporters who began to sell our engineering products, among other things, on international markets…







Since the support measures are revised or not implemented in full, we must adjust the system in such a way that what is promised gets realised, and then the financial institutions will be aware of that and entrepreneurs will invest more in new projects.

There is another, I believe highly positive factor that we discussed while preparing for the convention. This concerns new areas, including exports. First, I would like to focus on tourism.

In your speeches, you often mention the Russian agro-industrial sector’s successful performance. By the way, Business Russia, at least the national agricultural sector representatives, always ask us to thank you for this. Indeed, they have scored obvious successes. You often say that Russian agricultural exports now exceed arms exports.

I would like to say that incoming tourism is another major project in this respect. After the 2018 FIFA World Cup, incoming tourism volumes have reached $9 billion. To my mind, this sector can offer some tough competition to Russian agricultural producers and technological companies.

What is important here? When drafting infrastructure expansion plans, it is important to pay attention to specific tasks. It is necessary to coordinate urban development plans with the business community and to understand clearly what can and cannot be done in various areas.

In the long run, it would also be fair to subsidise interest rates on loans used to build new interesting recreational facilities for tourists. We always say that there are soft loan rates and cheap money for building industrial plants. However, a good hotel or a good concert hall are also a kind of plant, but in the services sector. To be honest, they generate just about the same number of successful export projects.

Today, services exports can play a very important role alongside tourism. Unfortunately, the Russian Tax Code does not define service exports today, unlike our rivals – European countries and even some BRICS countries.

Therefore it turns out that, unlike the exports of goods, we are becoming less competitive because VAT payments are levied both abroad and here in Russia. Moreover, Russian companies are unable to apply for VAT deductions. On behalf of our entrepreneurs, I would also like to ask you to instruct the Government to focus on this issue and to analyse it.

We would also like to give you some good news – there are more and more interesting projects in Russia involving scientific research and technology development, R&D, intellectual creation, and this is a good sign.

This suggests that a link is finally forming between research and business, and the economy. But in this context, of course, it is very important to avoid outflow, the transfer of these intellectual property rights to various offshore preferential or tax-free jurisdictions.

To avoid that, various experiments have been proposed, such as experiments with preferential tax rates on the export of intellectual property, provided that the product is located in Russia. Still, unfortunately, many of them are exported from offshore jurisdictions.

It seems to me that if we look at other countries’ experience – that of the United States or the European Union – in using the so-called patent box tool, maybe that would bring us additional budget revenue sooner.

These initiatives and a number of others are on our agenda. In numbers, representatives of the construction sector were most active in the preparation of this convention.

It is difficult for everyone to transition to a new financing arrangement, I mean from equity financing to project financing. In this context, it is important for developers that they are allowed to account for infrastructure facilities that are donated to the state as part of their costs. They want to do their job well, to build good social infrastructure facilities and public utilities.

The transition to project financing will certainly lead to developers losing part of their profits, having to share with banks. In this regard, at least during the transition period, we would ask you to consider this issue in terms of possible support for our developers.







Vladimir Putin:

First, I would like to thank you for choosing this subject – support and joint participation in implementing national projects – because only by pooling our efforts (I have already spoken about this, in public as well.) we can achieve the result that we all need: both the business community and the state as a whole. It is very important that you focused your attention on these areas. I consider this valuable and would like to thank you for this.

Now I would like to say a few words about specific areas. We will now discuss this in greater detail, but I agree with you that if the state promised support, it should keep its promises. Otherwise, we will put business in a predicament.

What matters is not that something was not provided as promised, but that this leads to the collapse of a project. Relying on this support, people take out loans and draft business plans, but when this support disappears, the entire business project falls into pieces. I understand this full well and faced this more than once. People are also talking about this.

Now a few words about another important subject, construction. This is a very important issue, very delicate and sensitive for both the economy in general, the construction industry and the people.

We should prevent serious setbacks in the scale of construction – this is the number one task for today.

At the same time, we must ensure the implicit interests of our citizens, who should not sustain losses because of some schemes or even their absence, and because of the risks involved in shared-equity construction. We should leave that behind and definitely switch to modern marketing regulations in this area.

State support is important here as well. It is necessary to adopt understandable and transparent procedures of such support and ways of providing it to the industry. I hope we will have a serious conversation with the Government about this, but I want you to know that I am committed to such joint work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59055






Meeting with Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky



Vladimir Putin met with Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky.



November 7, 2018 - 15:05 - The Kremlin, Moscow








Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky:

I would like to begin with several museum-related matters that we are addressing in keeping with your instructions – their time has come.

First, this is the Vladivostok fortress that dates back to the turn of the 20th century. As you may remember, these are unique fortification works with over 800 forts, fortified earth and timber emplacements, and the like.

It was largely built after Port Arthur, with plenty of experience under our belt that prompted us to turn Vladivostok into an impregnable fortress that would be inaccessible either from sea or from land.

The construction did not stop even during World War I. The Bolsheviks abandoned the project and it was only resumed during the rule of Stalin. Unfortunately, the construction was again suspended in the 1990s.

Today, the site is in complex multiple ownership. Part of it is owned by the Defence Ministry, another part has become the property of the Culture Ministry for some reason, yet another part is the property of the city of Vladivostok and a few forts are even privately owned. You instructed us to see what can be done to put this in order.

Our proposal is that a federal museum be created at the site of the fortress, like the one in Sevastopol, to increase public awareness of this area’s history. Now the site looks like this and these are the best surviving fragments.

Of course, this is a perfect place for teaching patriotism, all the more so as the fortress was completely built by Russian engineers – I would call it a unique example.

While we were working on our proposals, we found an abandoned building in central Vladivostok and renovated it using non-budgetary funds to make it a museum centre.

In the first half of next year, we will open an exhibition on the history of the fortress and of Russian military engineering. It will be a visitors’ centre where tours around the forts will be organised. The forts are all quite remote.

Then, one by one, starting in 2020, we will turn these forts into tourist attractions. No special renovation is needed. We need to work on navigation, an interesting programme, tours and lighting.

There is a similar example: the forts of Kaliningrad. There are fewer of them and all are located within the city limits, so that was easier.

For example, a private museum has opened a most interesting exhibition in such a fort. It was leased out for a nominal fee, and now it has thousands of visitors. We can do something similar in Vladivostok, although, of course, it will not be simple.

What kind of organisational efforts does this require? The decision to establish a separate estate museum must be supported. We have already got the building in order, and in the first year we will find money in the Ministry of Culture to launch the project.

After that, we will require this sum every year, which will mostly be spent on museofication and development of these new forts, as opposed to maintaining staff.



Vladimir Putin:

Will these facilities bring in any money?







Vladimir Medinsky:

Of course. We want all these forts to bring in money; that is also an important aspect. If you support this model…



Vladimir Putin:

I find it interesting.



Vladimir Medinsky:

The second story is the 75th anniversary of the Victory. One of the most terrible battles in world history was the Battle of Rzhev. Here, near the Moscow-Riga Motorway, there are these fields, where, according to available estimates, 1,300,000 of our soldiers were killed.

For several years, the Defence Ministry and the military history community annually have conducted search expeditions there. Every year we find up to 500 soldiers, identify and rebury them, that is, this number is growing annually.

For well-known political reasons, this battle has never been especially advertised, always remaining in the shadow of the Battle of Stalingrad. Actually, they are interrelated, these battles.

What do we propose? Only 248 of the 50,000 people living in Rzhev were still alive by the end of the battle, can you imagine? A public initiative was born, which was first supported by the Union State [of Russia and Belarus] and then we joined – to open a memorial to the Soviet soldier who defended Moscow near Rzhev.

We held a contest during the year, and this extremely interesting project was born as a result. It then went through public discussion and expert review, was presented on the internet, and was extremely well received by the public, in my opinion.

Actually, we are not asking for anything except your approval. We will build the memorial on our own with the extrabudgetary funds we raise. I think the Union State will help, as the initiator of this project.

If you support the project, we are ready to lay a stone at the base of this monument next week.







Vladimir Putin:

Of course, this is a very proper, good and timely decision.



Vladimir Medinsky:

Thank you for your support, Mr President.



Vladimir Putin:

The monument is beautiful and unusual.



Vladimir Medinsky:

And one more of your ideas that has come to the point of implementation. About three years ago, you drew my attention to a ruined mansion in the centre of Moscow. It was in such a state… This was the ground floor, but there was simply very little left, it was just empty. Everyone asked for budget funds for restoration and conversion into yet another budget-funded project.

We then suggested turning it into a model public museum that would be funded by a public organisation. It was supposed to become an example of an informal new state approach to museums and outreach activities.

It was proposed that we establish a museum of military uniforms in the mansion, given that it was historically inhabited by generations of officers. This is how it looks now, a bit over two years later.







Vladimir Putin:

A beautiful mansion.



Vladimir Medinsky:

We are planning to establish a museum in it by May. This will be the world’s first museum telling the entire history of the Russian military uniform, starting with armour and all the way up to the GRU special forces uniform.

Of course, visiting the museum, a boy will see that army service is not only honourable but also beautiful. It is great.



Vladimir Putin:

I think many would like to visit it.







Vladimir Medinsky:

When our French colleagues found out about the museum idea, they immediately suggested bringing samples of French uniforms to the museum to show at exhibitions. They would also like to display the personalised sword of Count de Treville, a French marshal.

Mr President, I would like to invite you, if you can find the time in your schedule closer to May, to the opening ceremony of the museum.



Vladimir Putin:

This is very interesting. Thank you very much.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59057






Message of greetings on bicentenary of Ivan Turgenev’s birth



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the participants in the bicentenary celebrations of the great Russian writer Ivan Turgenev’s birth.



November 9, 2018 - 12:00



The message reads, in part:

“Filled with sincere love for Russia, our national customs and traditions, concerns for the development of the country’s public life, the great writer’s works had an immense impact on generations to come, became a remarkable phenomenon in the Russian and world literature.

I would stress that the current anniversary celebrations are underway in different Russian cities. However, the main event is here, in the writer’s native land in Orel.

The inimitable beauty and poetic atmosphere of this amazing area inspired Turgenev to create wonderful works that enjoy everlasting attention of the readers.

I am confident that such large-scale events have great importance as they raise young people’s awareness of Russian literature and pride in our richest historical and cultural heritage.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59085






Meeting with head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Mikhail Shmakov



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov.



November 9, 2018 - 21:35 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Shmakov, you wanted to discuss social insurance problems, the system of social insurance and some issues related to the implementation of our decision on the minimum wage.



Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov:

Yes, absolutely.

On the whole, the system of mandatory social insurance is not improving. The system comprises temporary disability insurance, medical insurance and still pending – they are trying to adopt it – employment insurance. This work must continue since at present, for instance, the Budget Code is being drafted primarily by the Government’s financial block. This new Budget Code, its proposed new edition, does not take into account the Social Insurance Fund, in particular.

According to the most recent information, it is meant to be “dispersed” in the budget, which is wrong and will only weaken workers’ protection.







Vladimir Putin:

What do you mean by “dispersed” in the budget?



Mikhail Shmakov:

The issues addressed in the Social Insurance Fund will be distributed among different sections of that Budget Code. In fact, it means the Government will be able, to put it bluntly, to dip into the Fund for budget reasons. Thus there are a number of issues that must be addressed. But these are inter-agency issues, highly contested at times, and are difficult to solve.

What are our proposals? We have proposed setting up a council on reforming mandatory social insurance along all the four lines, say, under your guidance, under the aegis of the President of Russia, to be able to resolve all those inter-agency contradictions more easily. Then everyone will be enthusiastically engaged in this job.



Vladimir Putin:

This is the Government’s domain but I am certainly ready to take part in it.







Mikhail Shmakov:

We are talking about a council. Of course, the Government should work, as should employers together with us. However, having this status for a certain period would be very useful from our point of view until we come up with a definite concept to be complied with by everyone.



Vladimir Putin:

All right, let us discuss that. How about the second issue?



Mikhail Shmakov:

The second issue: we must follow up on the decisions made by the Constitutional Court that, on the one hand, the minimum wage does not include compensations and bonuses. On the other hand, the lowest salary – the first labour grade rate – cannot be below the minimum wage at any job.







Vladimir Putin:

Yes, there is such a decision.



Mikhail Shmakov:

Yes. Currently the Government, mainly the Ministry of Labour, is issuing clarifications contradicting this and saying that the rate can be lower whereas it cannot be below the minimum wage with compensations and bonuses. This means an amendment to the Labour Code is needed and we ask you to support this decision.



Vladimir Putin:

Let us look into it.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59081






Visit to Moscow University of Russia’s Interior Ministry



On Interior Ministry Personnel Day, Vladimir Putin visited Kikot Moscow University of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation.



November 10, 2018 - 13:55 - Moscow







The President learned about the performance of the University’s forensics training and research unit, met with cadets and together with them addressed the current and former law enforcement officers with a message of greetings on their professional holiday.










The university is the Interior Ministry’s leading educational establishment and one of the world’s largest international centres of police education.










At present, the university and its branches in Ryazan, Tver and Moscow regions provide training for 4,540 people.










The University trains specialists for the departments of criminal investigation, pre-trial investigation, inquest, migration issues, fighting economic crimes and countering corruption, minors’ affairs, for the Bureau of Special Technical Operation, counselling support of operational activities, forensic units of the police departments, and other areas.













International cooperation is pursued on the basis of over 20 protocols and agreements on promoting bilateral collaboration with international partners. People from over 20 countries study or re-train at the University.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59082






Greetings on Interior Ministry Personnel Day



During a visit to Kikot Moscow University of the Interior Ministry of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed the current and former law enforcement officers and congratulated them on their professional holiday.



November 10, 2018 - 14:00







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Comrade officers, veterans,

I wish you a happy holiday – Interior Ministry Personnel Day.

You have chosen a difficult occupation, one that is more than a job – it is your destiny. Because when you are handed a service weapon or are vested with special authority, your shoulders immediately feel an enormous weight of responsibility for performing these executive duties.

Law enforcement officers have always enjoyed a special respect in our country, those of them who honestly and diligently carry out their duties.

It took decades for the police traditions to establish. I would now like to go back to the veterans and thank them for what they have already done for their country, for our people and the service, and for what they are doing today as they share their experience with young police officers.

It is a special service, of course, as it requires cutting-edge knowledge and modern technology and equipment handling skills which we saw here today inside this leading educational establishment of the Interior Ministry.







But a successful service record has always been and will be grounded in the main qualities and principles that a police officer is guided by: personal integrity, honesty, commitment to their job and duty.

We know of examples, including in recent history, and we will never forget our comrades who gave the most valuable thing they had – their lives – for the sake of serving their people, country and our citizens.

I would like to congratulate your family members and wish them health and patience. I am sure that traditions of mutual respect, support for each other and love will be growing in your families because without that one can be neither happy at home nor have a successful service record.

Happy holiday and good luck!




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59083






Ivan Turgenev monument unveiled in Moscow



Vladimir Putin attended the unveiling ceremony for the monument to outstanding Russian writer Ivan Turgenev and also toured the renewed exhibit at the writer’s restored House-Museum on Ostozhenka Street.



November 10, 2018 - 14:30 - Moscow







The monument became part of the Turgenev Block architectural and museum compound, which includes the writer’s museum-house and adjacent garden and park on Ostozhenka Street in Moscow.

The sculpture is by National Artist of the Russian Federation Sergei Kazantsev.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends,

First of all, let me greet you on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Turgenev, a great Russian writer. It is impossible to imagine Russian classical literature without him.

Celebrations marking this remarkable and wonderful anniversary are underway in the classic’s homeland in Orel, in the famous Turgenev reserve Spasskoye Lutovinovo, and all across Russia. This event is also marked abroad.







We have gathered today for the unveiling of Ivan Turgenev monument in Moscow. It was erected in the historical place closely connected to the Moscow period in the writer’s biography. Next to it is an old mansion where Turgenev lived when he visited his mother. His friends and contemporaries used to come here.

We have just discussed this with Mr Sobyanin [Mayor of Moscow] – surprisingly, this building in the centre of Moscow has remained intact. It just looks like the work of Providence, it is a miracle. Thank God for it and that we were able to arrange an exhibition, and open the Turgenev House-Museum.







Its exhibition is unparalleled in many ways: true artefacts of the era will be showcased here, new opportunities will arise for holding exhibits, concerts, educational programmes to learn about the writer’s works.

We know that he spent many years abroad: many masterpieces of Turgenev’s prose were conceived there, whereas his translations [from Russian into foreign languages] gave the world the most renowned works of Russian literature.







The greatness of his personality and talent had been noted by his contemporaries, outstanding authors of the 19th century. Thus, George Sand wrote to Turgenev that they all must become his apprentices.

Meanwhile, Ivan Turgenev always remained a Russian, praising the beauty of the native tongue, the nature, the grandeur and soul of our people. He remained a Russian writer and a Russian man.







One of the most-read authors of his time, he reached out to the people, their sentiments and feelings, true eternal values, and this is the reason his works will always enjoy a great following.







It is our duty to preserve the classic’s legacy because Turgenev’s works are indeed not just our national cultural heritage but also that of the world. I am confident that the new monument that has appeared on the map of Moscow sights, and the Turgenev Museum-House will serve this noble cause.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59084
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Greetings on the opening of a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to participants in a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group.



November 12, 2018 - 10:30



The message reads, in part:

“The Russian Federation attaches great importance to the development of friendly bilateral relations with Muslim countries as well as our ties in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. We have very similar views on many global and regional issues. We stand together for a fair and democratic world order based on the rule of law and free from any form of discrimination, diktat or economic and information pressure.

Russia and Islamic countries have developed constructive trade, economic, research, technological and cultural cooperation, as well as partner relations in the settlement of local conflicts and crises.

This meeting of the Strategic Vision Group will address a very important issue: countering terrorist and extremist ideology, including through work with young people and the coordination of our efforts in education. I am confident that you will be able to exchange constructive practical experience and map out promising forms and fields of collaboration.”

A meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group is underway on November 12 in Kaspiysk, Daghestan. It is being attended by government officials, public figures and religious leaders from Russia and 33 other countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan.

The Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group was established in 2006. It is currently chaired by Rustam Minnikhanov, head of the Republic of Tatarstan.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59098






Vladimir Putin arrived in Singapore



November 13, 2018 - 11:00 - Singapore







The President of Russia arrived in Singapore on a three-day state visit to attend the Russia – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and the 13th East Asia Summit.

During his stay, Vladimir Putin and President of Singapore Halimah Yacob are to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a Russian Cultural Centre.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59106






Meeting with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob.



November 13, 2018 - 11:50 - Singapore







The two presidents met after the official welcoming ceremony for the President of Russia in the ceremonial square at the entrance of the Istana.



















Following this Vladimir Putin signed the Distinguished Visitors Book in the Istana, the official residence and office of the President of Singapore.



















The two leaders’ meeting was closed to the media.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59107






Groundbreaking ceremony for a Russian Cultural Centre



Vladimir Putin and President of Singapore Halimah Yacob attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a Russian Cultural Centre.



November 13, 2018 - 13:00 - Singapore








































Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Senior Minister of State at the Singaporean Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann delivered remarks at the ceremony. Sergei Lavrov pointed out that the construction of a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore would give a fresh impetus to the development of cultural ties between the two countries.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59108






State dinner in honour of the President of Russia



November 13, 2018 - 15:30 - Singapore






A state dinner was held in Singapore on behalf of the President of the Republic, Halimah Yacob, in honour of President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The function took place in the presidential residence, the Istana. The Russian leader gave a welcoming speech.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Madam President Halimah Yacob,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit the Republic of Singapore and the hospitality extended to us.







As has already been said, it is symbolic that this year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. During this period, our interaction developed steadily and filled with new content.







Singapore is an important and promising partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific Region. Madam President and I have had productive, comprehensive and interesting talks; we discussed almost all of our bilateral agenda in a friendly and open atmosphere.







As far as I know, they often say in Singapore that among friends, even water runs sweet as honey. Mutual trust is the foundation of progress, friendship and development. The relations that have developed between us are truly based on mutual respect and trust. This was confirmed by the groundbreaking ceremony for the first Russian cultural centre and Orthodox church here in Singapore today.







I am confident that this gesture and the subsequent construction of the centre will serve as a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations, especially for the people who will come here, to Singapore, more and more often, will get acquainted with your country and will have the opportunity to visit the Russian Orthodox Church and our cultural centre. The people in Singapore, in turn, will be exposed to the culture of the Russian Federation.







Allow me to make a toast to the well-being and prosperity of Russia and Singapore! To our friendship and Madam President’s health!




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59109






Meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad



Vladimir Putin met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as part of his visit to Singapore.



November 13, 2018 - 17:00 - Singapore







The President of Russia arrived in the Republic of Singapore on a three-day state visit to attend the Russia – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the 13th East Asia Summit.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, colleagues, friends.

I am very pleased to see you again. I remember back in 2003 I presented you with an Order of Friendship when I was in your country.







Over the years, we have maintained, by and large, fairly good relations between our countries. In the first eight months of the current year bilateral trade grew by over 60 percent. However, much can still be done, and much, I think, could have been done in previous years.

I am very pleased to see you and discuss all these opportunities.







Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad:

I am very glad indeed to meet you again. I hope that with our meeting we can look into the relationship between Malaysia and Russia. I hope that we can increase our trade. Our trade is quite good, but we can do better.

There is an economic, scientific, technical and cultural agreement.







Remark:

We are now finalising the co-chair of the committee, and once we finalise that, we can continue with the meeting.







Mahathir Mohamad:

As you know, we have a number of Russian aircraft. I think we need to learn more about how to maintain and repair the aircraft.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59116






Meeting with Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha in Singapore.



November 14, 2018 - 09:30 - Singapore








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, I am glad to meet with you once again.

We had a short meeting in Paris recently, but in general, we maintain regular contact.







Thailand is our old and reliable partner. Last year, we marked the 120th anniversary of our diplomatic relations.

Our relations are developing very positively. Evidence of this is the number of Russia tourists in Thailand. As far as I know – my colleagues have provided the data – our tourists have spent some $2 billion, or more precisely, $2.2 billion, in Thailand this year.







Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-Cha (retranslated):

Thank you for meeting with me today. I am very glad to see you once again.

The relationship between our two countries has a very long history; it is productive and promising. Last year, our trade increased by about 50 percent, while the number of Russian tourists visiting Thailand increased by 26 percent.







We have good relations and cooperation in the security sphere between our Defence Ministries and security councils.

I was glad to learn that your Deputy Economic Development Minister headed the delegation to Thailand in February, and that over 50 Russian companies visited our country as well.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59119






Russia-ASEAN summit



Vladimir Putin took part in a plenary meeting of the Russia-ASEAN summit.



November 14, 2018 - 10:45 - Singapore






The summit participants discussed the deepening of cooperation in trade, investment and humanitarian spheres, the strengthening of ties between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as current international and regional issues.

After the plenary session, the participants adopted a Joint Statement of the 3rd Russian Federation-ASEAN summit on strategic partnership and the statement of the Russian Federation and ASEAN on cooperation in ensuring the security of information and communication technologies and their safe use.

The sides signed a memorandum of understanding between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Eurasian Economic Commission on economic cooperation. This was done in the presence of heads of national delegations taking part in the summit.

ASEAN comprises 10 Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Russia became a dialogue partner in July 1996.








Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong:

Your Majesty, excellencies. On behalf of all of the ASEAN leaders, may I welcome President Vladimir Putin to Singapore. And we are very honoured that you can join us at this 3rd ASEAN-Russia summit.

The last time ASEAN and Russia’s leaders met was in 2016 in Sochi, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations. I am very happy that since then we have made much progress in our partnership. ASEAN and Russia work together in a broad range of areas, from political security issues to economic, to social and cultural issues. Russia also participates actively in ASEAN-led fora like the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus the East Asia Summit.







Today’s summit is timely because it gives both sides the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment, to further strengthen ASEAN-Russia ties. The two ASEAN and Russian leaders will issue a joint statement as well as a statement on cooperation in the field of security and in the use of information and communication technologies. We will also witness a signing of an MoU on economic cooperation. And these deliverables highlight the breadth and scope of the ASEAN-Russia relationship.

Singapore supports upgrading the ASEAN-Russia relationship to a strategic partnership. I am confident that this strategic partnership will enhance cooperation in areas which are of interest to both sides. And I look forward to our discussion with President Putin and our fellow ASEAN leaders on how we can further strengthen this dialogue partnership.

Now I invite President Putin to say a few words.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Chairman, Colleagues,

First of all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, for the initiative to host the Russia-ASEAN summit.

Russia pays great attention to the development of relations with ASEAN based on mutual respect and consideration for each other’s interests.

At the May 2016 Sochi summit, which Mr Prime Minister just mentioned, we adopted a declaration and an action plan aimed at taking cooperation between Russia and ASEAN to the strategic partnership level.

Over the past two years, we have accomplished a lot together. Political dialogue intensified; Russia’s permanent mission to ASEAN was established in Jakarta last year. We coordinate our approaches to key issues on the Asia-Pacific agenda, to the challenges and threats to regional stability, and enhance joint efforts to fight terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime.







Our foreign ministers hold annual meetings. The Russian Defence Minister takes part in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meetings, and the Interior Minister attends the ASEAN Association of Chiefs of Police (ASEANAPOL) conferences. Contacts have also been established between Russian lawmakers and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Economic relations are evolving steadily. In 2017, Russia's trade with ASEAN increased by 35 percent. Mutual accumulated investment exceeds $25 billion.

Our joint business cooperation roadmap containing about 60 joint projects in industry and high technology is being successfully implemented. There are cooperation programmes in energy and agriculture. The Russia-ASEAN Business Council is active too.

It would be useful to continue the work of the Russian delegation to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, which ended in Singapore yesterday.

In turn, business leaders from ASEAN countries are always widely represented at the St Petersburg and Eastern Economic forums in Russia. Taking this opportunity, I would like to invite ASEAN officials and business representatives to visit Russia to attend the next meetings of these forums in 2019.







We consider it important to establish regular dialogue between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union. The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Association and the Eurasian Economic Commission is a step in this direction.

We are grateful to our ASEAN partners for supporting the Russian initiative to pass a joint statement on information security aiming to more effectively combat cybercrime and to chart common approaches regarding the behaviour of states in the global information space.

Russia will join ASEAN plans to establish a chain of smart cities. Moscow, the Russian capital, leads the way in introducing urban digital technology. Moscow already proactively cooperates with Singapore on a bilateral basis. We hope that the region of this cooperation will expand on a reciprocal basis.

It goes without saying that close coordination in emergency response to natural disasters and industrial accidents is in high demand. We have finished working on a cooperation memorandum for preventing emergency situations and conducting clean-up operations. We hope that it will be possible to sign this document soon.

We are ready to continue helping ASEAN states in their efforts to check the spread of infectious diseases. We suggest tapping the potential of various programmes to raise the qualification of medical personnel at a biological safety and security centre that has opened in Vladivostok earlier this year. We could also consider holding joint exercises and practicing rapid response measures to combat dangerous infectious diseases.







In addition, I would like to note the sustained development of cultural and humanitarian ties between Russia and the ASEAN states.

Two weeks ago, Myanmar hosted the first meeting of the working group on education. We are implementing an action plan in the area of science, technology and innovation until 2025. A network of research centres of leading Russian and ASEAN universities has been operating since April.

It would be useful to organise educational and university forums on a regular basis. Russia successfully hosted such events in 2016 and 2017.

The holding of Russia-ASEAN youth summits helps strengthen ties between young people of our countries. The Republic of the Philippines is to host the next summit in 2019.







Colleagues,

I have only set out the most important aspects of Russia-ASEAN cooperation, as well as key agreements and documents that were drafted ahead of the summit.

I am confident that wide-ranging opportunities and horizons are opening up for our expanded cooperation.

I am counting on an open and interested exchange of opinions.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59120






Meeting with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo



Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo.



November 14, 2018 - 11:20 - Singapore







The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN Summit, which is underway in Singapore.













Earlier the two presidents attended the summit’s plenary session.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59121






Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in



November 14, 2018 - 12:20 - Singapore








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, colleagues,

I am very glad to see you.

The Republic of Korea is one of our key partners in Asia; in fact, it is our second-largest trade partner after the People’s Republic of China. In 2017, bilateral trade soared by 23 percent, increasing by another 13 percent in the first nine months of 2018.

We are working actively on the international scene, and this includes our efforts to resolve the main and most sensitive issue, that of the North Korean nuclear problem.

We always have a lot to discuss: the scope of our relations is very huge.

I am very happy to see you.







President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in (retranslated):

Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome I received in Moscow in June and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon received in Vladivostok at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum.

Also, I would like to say that Federation Council Speaker [Valentina] Matviyenko visited Korea last month. I am glad that our countries maintain active contacts at the top and high levels.

It should be said that last week we hosted a successful First Korean-Russian Forum of Interregional Cooperation, which has become a positive venue for strengthening cooperation and interaction between Korean and Russian regions.







I would like to use this occasion to thank you for your attention to that forum, which you conveyed in your message of greetings delivered by Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East [Alexander] Kozlov.

I am grateful to you for your attention and support. We have launched a major peaceful process on the Korean Peninsula starting with the Olympic Games in PyeongChang.







We are preparing for two meetings, one between the presidents of the United States and North Korea, and a return visit of President Kim Jong-un to Seoul. We hope that these two meetings will bring positive results and will help us make yet another step towards peace on the Korean Peninsula.

This year, Korean-Russian relations have been developing faster than ever in all spheres, allowing us to move our bilateral cooperation to the regional level while preserving the values of universal peace and prosperity.







I hope we will maintain the current level of relations between our countries. I believe that this will enable us to attain the common goal we have set for the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2020. This goal is to increase bilateral trade to $30 billion and the number of tourists to 1 million people.

I hope that today we will continue our constructive dialogue on the intensive development of Korean-Russian strategic partnership and on strengthening cooperation while ensuring peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia as a whole.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59124






Meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe in Singapore to discuss various aspects of Russian-Japanese cooperation.



November 14, 2018 - 15:40 - Singapore







The leaders of Russia and Japan have agreed at their meeting to intensify negotiations to draft a peace treaty, based on the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

We are all pleased to meet you again.

Our relations are developing steadily. We maintain regular contact. Our trade is growing: it increased by 14 percent last year and by 17.7 percent in the first nine months of this year.

I am glad to have an opportunity to discuss all aspects of our cooperation with you, including those you regard as a priority.

We will also meet at the G20 summit, and there is a schedule of our subsequent contacts.

I am glad to see you.







Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (retranslated):

I am happy to meet with President Putin today.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the hospitality we received in the beautiful city of Vladivostok in September. I congratulate you on the success of the Eastern Economic Forum.

Since then, we have accomplished a business mission, which means that we are working to implement our plans for joint economic activities.

I am also happy with the progress we have made in the sphere of defence, which includes the October visit to Russia by Katsutoshi Kawano Chief of Staff of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces, and other consultations.

We are pressed for time today, but I hope we will be able to discuss not only bilateral issues, including the economy, but also the international situation, in particular, North Korea. I would also like to talk about the peace treaty. I am ready to devote considerable time to the issue of the peace treaty.







Vladimir Putin:

Before we start to discuss practical topics, I would like to congratulate you on your re-election as head of the Liberal Democratic Party. This offers hope for continuing our dialogue as it has developed recently.







Shinzo Abe:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59125






Meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong



The President of Russia met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong.



November 14, 2018 - 17:30 - Singapore







An exchange of documents signed during the Russian President’s state visit to Singapore took place in the presence of Vladimir Putin and Lee Hsien Loong before their meeting.
















The documents signed included a Joint Statement on the Russia-Singapore Agreement on Trade in Services and Investment, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Singapore in the sphere of higher education, as well as an Agreement between the Government of St Petersburg and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise on cooperation in trade, the economy, research, technology and the social sphere.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59127






Greetings to the VII St Petersburg International Cultural Forum



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to participants, organisers and guests of the VII St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.



November 15, 2018 - 09:45 - Moscow



The message reads, in part:

“Thanks to an attractive and packed programme and representative format of participants, your forum has become a major event in the life of St Petersburg and the rest of Russia. It has also gained international recognition and prestige.

The main theme of the forum this year, Culture as the Country’s Strategic Potential, is especially relevant today. Culture has a major educational and unifying mission. It ensures an unbreakable bond between ages and generations. It promotes high moral and civil values, and it largely determines Russia’s standing in the world. This is why it is so important to create conditions for exposing our people to our rich cultural heritage and values.

I am confident that your forum will take place in a creative atmosphere and that its work will facilitate an open and constructive dialogue between the state and society on preserving our unique historical, cultural and spiritual legacy and strengthening international cultural cooperation. I also hope that this forum, with its interesting and instructive events, will be a very positive and unforgettable experience.”

The VII St Petersburg International Cultural Forum takes place on November 15–17, 2018. The programme is divided into a business and festival parts. The business part consists of 14 sections on museums, theatre, circus, cinema, literature, tourism, folk art, cultural heritage and other themes. This year, the status of guest countries was granted to Italy and Qatar, which have prepared special events.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59132






East Asia Summit



Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS).



November 15, 2018 - 10:45 - Singapore







The discussion focused on strengthening regional security, countering terrorism and promoting cooperation in healthcare, high technology and environmental protection. The meeting was closed to the media.
















At the East Asia Summit the President of Russia had brief meetings with US Vice President Michael Pence and Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs John Bolton, as well as with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also attended these meetings.













The East Asia Summit (EAS) was held in Singapore. The EAS currently comprises 18 countries, including ASEAN members (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and eight dialogue partners, including Russia (joined the EAS in 2010), the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, China, Australia and New Zealand.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59128






Meeting with Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang



Vladimir Putin met with Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore.



November 15, 2018 - 11:15 - Singapore








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Premier of the State Council,

Please accept my warmest greetings. We already met yesterday, but it is important for us to hold a separate meeting on the sidelines of this event.

Recently, a few days ago, you met with the Russian Prime Minister in China.







As for me, I always keep in touch with President Xi Jinping. Please give him my best regards.

Thanks to the efforts of our governments, trade and economic ties are growing at a noticeable and impressive pace, creating a solid foundation for our privileged strategic partnership.







Our intergovernmental commission is working intensively, there are five subcommissions, and we have a good and sustainable interaction mechanism at the level of deputy prime ministers.

I hope that in the near future, President Xi Jinping and I will meet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting to discuss strategic stability and further development of our bilateral relations.







Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang (retranslated):

Mr President, I am very pleased to meet with you in this country.

First of all, allow me to give you sincere regards from President Xi Jinping. You will have the opportunity to meet with him again during the upcoming G20 summit.







Recently in Beijing, the Prime Minister of Russia and I held a regular meeting of the heads of government of China and Russia. I must say that we had a very meaningful conversation and reached new agreements on cooperation in a number of areas.







Together with our Russian partners, we are ready to implement the agreements reached so that practical cooperation, first of all trade and economic ties between China and Russia, would produce the expected result.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59130






Greetings to President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov on his 60th birthday.



November 16, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“You have earned great respect among your compatriots and international prestige. You have made a considerable personal contribution to the development of allied relations and strategic partnership between our countries, as well as to promoting mutually beneficial integration processes in Eurasia.

I hope to continue our constructive dialogue and productive joint work on bilateral and international issues.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59139






Telephone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev



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



November 16, 2018 - 13:15



The two leaders discussed several topical issues related to cooperation within the Eurasian integration structures.

Vladimir Putin informed Nursultan Nazarbayev about the contacts he had during the East Asia Summit, which was held in Singapore on November 13–15, 2018.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59138






Telephone conversation with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.



November 16, 2018 - 13:20



Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko considered a range of current matters concerning Russian-Belarusian cooperation, as well as collaboration as part of multilateral associations in the Eurasian region.

They also discussed the schedule of upcoming contacts.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59140






Telephone conversation with President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov



During the telephone conversation, Vladimir Putin warm-heartedly congratulated the President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov on his 60th birthday.



November 16, 2018 - 13:25



The heads of state agreed on the upcoming contacts.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin sent Sooronbay Jeenbekov a message of greetings.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59141






Telephone conversation with Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.



November 16, 2018 - 15:55



Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan discussed current aspects of interaction within Eurasian integration associations.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59144
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Meeting with Government members



Vladimir Putin held a regular meeting with Government members.



November 12, 2018 - 14:25 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region







The meeting focused, in particular, on oil product price regulation and increasing the competitiveness of Russian higher education at the international level.

Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets briefed the meeting on the President’s instruction to establish a national youth symphonic orchestra. Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova reported on preliminary results of the information and analytical system for the monitoring and control of state procurement of medication.

Other topical issues were also discussed.








President Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today we will talk about solid household waste treatment and hear a report on the issue by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

But first, I would like to ask Mr Kozak to tell us about oil product price regulation.

A month ago, we agreed that the Government would take the necessary measures. What progress has been made? We understand that the situation depends on the market and this is exactly what we see now. But when oil prices have risen in the global market, which they did, significantly, this does not imply that we must ensure the same excessive revenue within the country. This industry must be regulated one way or another.

Mr Kozak, please.







Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak:

Thank you, Mr President.

Colleagues, briefly, the situation has stabilised. The prices were frozen and will remain so until the end of March, adjusted for inflation and changes in tax law.

Speaking in more detail, the situation is as follows. Indeed, this year the market has acquired a peculiarity. Before the ruble grew stronger when oil prices rose, and the ruble export alternative was equally profitable and sometimes it was more profitable to sell motor fuel at home than abroad. This year the situation has changed – primarily due to the budget rule – the ruble grew weaker when oil prices went up. As a result, the ruble price of oil products in international markets was practically double the figure when the cost of a barrel exceeded $100.

In this context, in late May the Government took urgent measures. The additional excise on motor fuel, the introduction of which was scheduled for July 1, was reduced. At the same time all oil and oil processing companies made a commitment to freeze prices at the late May level until September. All vertically integrated oil companies kept this commitment. However, starting in the middle of August, prices for oil and oil products began to grow. First of all, there was a substantial increase in stock prices on diesel fuel and petrol began to grow substantially. This decreased margins for the market’s retail segment and it became unprofitable to sell motor fuel at home.

In this context a meeting was held with all vertically integrated companies and the union of owners of independent petrol stations. The participants agreed to freeze prices starting November 1 and signed a relevant protocol. On November 7–10 agreements were signed with all oil companies. Each agreement specified the parameters of an oil company’s supplies of oil products to the domestic market, the stock exchange and the small-scale wholesaler market in the amount corresponding to the relevant month of 2017 plus three percent. It also determined price parameters for wholesale supplies of oil products to each region of the Russian Federation on the basis of the historical principle.

The companies have been fulfilling these obligations since November 1. Literally the next day, almost overnight, we agreed on everything late at night, and on the morning of November 1 diesel fuel was down 4 percent on the exchange, A- 92 petrol dropped by 3.5 percent and A-95 petrol lost almost 3 percent. Prices have remained roughly at this level since then.







(Dmitry Kozak proceeded to discuss specific issues related to the duration of agreements and regional and seasonal pricing mechanisms.)

We agreed with the companies that they will abide by the “one for all and all for one” principle, otherwise they will descend into unfair competition. Should anyone fail to fulfill the corresponding agreement, we will be forced (and all companies have been warned about this) to use system measures that are provided for by law, namely, prohibitive export duties, which will be painful for oil companies, in particular, the independent oil refineries. So, as was earlier said, this should only be used as a last resort.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

As you may be aware, vertically integrated companies complain about the retail segment. According to company executives, retail companies manipulate trading on the exchange, and then run products through an inordinate number of middlemen whose sole purpose is to inflate the price, not to provide actual market service. How are we supposed to handle this?



Dmitry Kozak:

We have figured it out. Instructions have been issued.

First, with regard to bad practices of independent petrol stations, instructions have been issued to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, Rospotrebnadzor and Rosstandart to ensure enhanced control over the so-called independent petrol stations in terms of the quality of their products, and to focus particularly on those whose margins are higher than the benchmarks set by the Government.

In addition, the Antimonopoly Service and the Ministry of Energy have been tasked with analysing the entire network of independent companies (independent petrol stations account for 62 percent of the petroleum product market) for monopolisation of these markets, because very often, despite their large numbers, they are owned by a certain number of individuals and act in violation of antitrust laws. So, we will complete this analysis before the end of December, and if we identify companies that hold monopoly positions on the retail market, we will sign a corresponding agreement with them as well.







Vladimir Putin:

Good, thank you.

As you know, I recently had a meeting with Mikhail Shmakov, Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia. Trade unions are drawing attention to the fact that according to them, the fiscal and quasi-fiscal burden on the population, on people, is increasing. We must do an analysis of the current situation, in every industry and region. We have to understand what is really going on – not just on paper, but in real life.

Mr Medvedev, please see to that, talk to your colleagues about it. Thank you.

Mr Kotyukov wanted to speak about the increased competitiveness of Russian higher education, education in general and science, too.

Please, a few words.







Minister of Science and Higher Education Mikhail Kotyukov:

Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, colleagues.

I would like to say a few words about the increase in the competitiveness of Russian higher education at the global level.

The project to increase the competitiveness of the leading Russian universities was launched under the Presidential Executive Order of May 7, 2012, On Measures to Implement State Policy in the Sphere of Education and Science. In addition to the systematic efforts of the leading Russian universities, such as Lomonosov Moscow State University, St Petersburg State University and many others, we also launched a project under the working title 5–100. This project brought together 21 Russian universities from various parts of the country – from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.

The results that have already been achieved are worth noting. In recent years, Russian universities significantly increased their presence in the leading world rankings, which serve as an instrument to assess how effective universities have been at improving their competitiveness. It is important that the universities are progressing in all rankings: some are doing better than the others, some not as good but still good in general – in any case, there is always progress.

In late October, Kaliningrad hosted the 11th session of the international council coordinating this programme. The participants examined the reports of all universities involved. The international council recommended continuing the momentum, and rated the results achieved so far as generally positive.

Importantly, rankings are just one of the instruments for assessing efforts to enhance global competitiveness, which enjoys worldwide recognition. But rankings should not be an end in themselves. We must understand our position in the world and learn to track our dynamics with their help.

These dynamics are fairly positive: during the project’s implementation over six years the total number of Russian universities presented in institutional, sectoral and subject rankings has increased practically three-fold. Out of the world’s top 500 universities 15 are Russian. There are 11 Russian universities in the world’s top hundred, and 19 Russian universities among the world’s 200 best universities in the subject and sectoral rankings.

Universities have to work very hard to improve their rankings. As was already noted, a major role in these efforts is played by the universities participating in the 5–100 project, which are developing in a comprehensive manner. They are increasing the quality of education, enhancing its international character, developing research and integrating education with enterprises of the real economy to address practical challenges of major socioeconomic significance.

I will quote just a few figures for each of these areas.

Issues of enhancing the quality of education are linked with the development of joint network educational programmes with the world’s leading universities and research centres. Thus, since 2013 the participants in the project elaborated over 1,300 educational programmes and 650 of these are carried out in Russia in a foreign language, English for the most part. This allows us to more actively compete for the intellectual capital in the world market. On this score, the number of foreign students in Russia has grown by 100,000 people during this time, and every fifth of international students studies in these leading universities.

Universities have substantially increased research activity, which they are conducting at the highest level. Since 2013 alone, the participants in the project conducted over 3,000 research projects with the involvement of leading scientists from Russian and foreign research centres and in cooperation with other research and educational organisations. By tradition, Russia is doing research in physics and engineering. It has also launched active work in social sciences and the humanities.

The third important area is cooperation with the real economy. During the period under review, practically 5,000 joint research, design and experimental projects have been carried out with Russian and international high-tech companies.

The work carried out as part of the above areas of focus includes improving the quality of education, taking it to the international level, promoting science, improving the universities’ links with industrial partners and expanding innovation-related activities. This work made it possible to shape the reputation of Russian universities as leading international academic and research centres, and certainly contributed to promoting Russia’s higher education and research system in the global arena.

The recognition of Russian universities in the media increased significantly. The number of positive mentions of Russian universities almost doubled in foreign media in 2014–2016, and this trend continues.

Although the 5–100 project formally includes only 21 universities, it has a major impact on Russia’s entire system of higher education. Federal universities, national research and core universities conduct centralised activities to increase their appeal for students and faculty, industrial partners and regional governments and actually measure themselves using the indicators that have been developed as part of this project.

This project and the fact that other universities are taking their cues from it, has significantly increased the number of Russian universities that are visible in the international arena, including in individual subject areas, where our universities have already become recognised leaders. This allowed us to establish and fine-tune the mechanisms that actually influence international competitiveness in order to take advantage of them during the subsequent stages.

However, we believe it would be inappropriate to stop there. Already, large numbers of countries are competing for the best minds and the best technology, so the work to improve the competitiveness of Russian higher education and science should certainly continue.

We have ambitious goals to become, by 2024, part of the top ten countries in terms of competitiveness of higher education and the top five countries in research and development, to at least double the number of foreign students studying in Russia, to form at least 15 world-class research and academic centres, to create international science centres and much more.

Measures to make qualitative changes in Russian higher education, which will enable it to achieve these benchmark indicators, are envisaged in the national project Education and the national project Science, and will be aimed at developing the objective competitive advantages of Russia’s system of higher education and science and implemented with closer cooperation between science, education and the economy, with a corresponding role to be played by both the Russian Academy of Sciences and the executive authorities of the Russian regions.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

Mrs Golodets, we are all but done forming a national youth symphony orchestra. How will it operate?



Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets:

Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

Indeed we have been instructed to establish a youth symphony orchestra. And today we can say without hesitation that the orchestra has been established and the instructions fulfilled.

Culture is one of our national priorities for the country’s development, and we are focused on training young professionals. The establishment of a national youth orchestra is a most important tool to develop the professional skills of our young musicians.

The project was launched, and this June the Moscow Philharmonic, which was tasked with implementing it, held a national contest. Over 400 students and musicians took part in it, and the youth orchestra was formed based on its results.

Today the orchestra is comprised of students and young musicians from 20 Russian cities. The orchestra’s first project is a big tour across Russia for students and young people. They have already visited Tomsk, Omsk, Kemerovo and Nizhny Novgorod, and gave several concerts for Moscow students. Young and adult musicians work with them as well as outstanding virtuosos. They are ready for the biggest premiere ahead of the orchestra: at the end of November the youth orchestra will perform on the stage of the Moscow Philharmonic in the Tchaikovsky Hall.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you. We will wish them success.

And the last question in this relaxed format concerns provision of medicines. An information and analysis system that monitors purchases of medicines was launched on January 1. How does it work? Has there been any analysis of its functionality?







Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova:

Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

Starting January 1, an information and analysis system was launched for monitoring and control in state medication procurement, which was created in 2017 by the Ministry of Healthcare together with the Rostec State Corporation with the involvement of other federal bodies, and was tested in 2017.

The system is designed to prevent inefficient spending of state funds in medication procurement, and is part of the Unified State Health Information System in the healthcare sector.

To provide transparency of procurement procedures, regulations were developed by the Ministry of Healthcare and were adopted, as was the Government's resolution on how to describe medications in procurement, and the Ministry of Healthcare's orders on standard contracts for the supply of medications and on approval of the procedure for determining the contract's starting price.

By integrating the information and analysis system into the Unified Procurement System, operated by the Federal Treasury, all medication data submitted by customers for contracts go into the system and create a body of data on procurement.

For accurate descriptions, a computerised medication catalogue is used, which presents all medications in a structured manner as homogenous groups on the basis of three basic criteria: international generic name, pharmaceutical form, and dosage strength.

As such, the system works as an anti-corruption mechanism, which prevents adjusting contracts for specific suppliers and manipulating starting prices.

In parallel, the information and analysis system allows for creating analytical reports on the volume of medications purchased, comparative price analysis among entities and specific customers, and this data serves as the basis for the response of supervisory agencies.

In the long term, state supervision should cover all procurement stages, starting with the planning stage. The system makes it possible to do this automatically and excludes contracts that exceed certain specified figures, creating a system for preventing violations in this sector.

The system continues developing in two areas. The updated version of the programme that takes into account additional elements like equivalent pharmaceutical forms and equivalent dosage units, and replaceability of medicines will become operational on January 1. The introduction of the notion of “replaceability” will open up an additional opportunity for a competitive reduction of prices on replaceable drugs.

In line with current legislation, only 16 percent of medications may be classified as replaceable today. Fulfilling your instruction, we elaborated a draft law in cooperation with the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which expands the notion of “replaceability.” This draft has been approved by all departments and submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation.

In addition, we have endorsed a plan to determine replaceability of medications until 2021, which will allow us to increase it to 60–70 percent with due account of international experience. Thus, starting in 2019 we will introduce stage-by-stage referent prices for replaceable medications. This is an additional opportunity to reduce prices.

The second area is the inclusion of regional centralised segments of the subsystem of managing pharmaceutical benefits in the information and analysis system. The plan has been discussed with all regions of the Russian Federation and approved until 2020.

This will allow every region to control the planning and purchase of medications and reveal opportunities for supplying more people with medications.

Thank you.







Vladimir Putin:

This is the main point. You said in the beginning that the main aim of the system is to prevent inefficient use of budget funds, which is important. Yet, the ultimate goal of the system is to prevent procurement of medications at inflated prices, which will shift the cost burden to citizens. This system should prevent this from happening. Do you think it performs its role in this respect?



Veronika Skvortsova:

It performs its role. Tentative data show that we are already reducing prices by 10–15 percent for a whole number of homogenous pharmaceutical groups. However, we believe the expansion of the list of replaceable medications will allow us to reduce them further. So, we will see the main decrease in price in 2019 with the expansion of the list of replaceable medications.



Vladimir Putin:

Okay, thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59096






Meeting with Security Council permanent members



The President chaired a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council.



November 12, 2018 - 15:45 - Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region







Vladimir Putin informed the permanent members of the Security Council about several of his brief meetings on the sidelines of the events in Paris.







The participants also discussed the preparations for the President’s visit to Singapore, the summit of Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS).










The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, Minister of the Interior Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59097






Greetings to the Russian national team on winning the medal tally of the World Sambo Championship 2018 in Bucharest



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the Russian national team on finishing first in the total medal count at the World Sambo Championship 2018 in Bucharest, Romania.



November 12, 2018 - 20:40



The message reads, in part:

“Congratulations on your triumphal performance in Bucharest.

The Russian national team has yet again, for the 28th time, won the medal tally at the world sambo championship. This achievement is the result of your skills, character together with your hard work, as well as a great gift for all athletes and fans on the 80th anniversary of sambo in Russia.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59103






Greetings on the 100th anniversary of the General Margelov Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the staff, cadets and graduates of the General Margelov Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, on the school’s 100th anniversary.



November 13, 2018 - 10:00



The message reads, in part:

“The General Margelov Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School is widely regarded as one of Russia’s best schools with a rich history and remarkable time-honoured traditions. Many generations of its graduates have contributed to the development of the Armed Forces and national defences and security. We will never forget your graduates who fought valiantly during the Great Patriotic War, took part in special operations and peacekeeping missions and repelled attacks against Russia by international terrorist organisations. The veterans’ loyalty to their oath and their audacity and courage serve as an excellent example to the young members of the invincible ‘winged infantry’.”

Since its establishment, the school has trained over 50,000 professionals for the Airborne Force and other military branches and services. There are 53 Heroes of the Soviet Union and over 80 Heroes of the Russian Federation among its graduates, as well as prominent military leaders, government officials and public figures.

The school started training foreign military personnel in 1962.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59110






Greetings to the participants on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Union of Journalists



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian Union of Journalists.



November 14, 2018 - 18:00



The message reads, in part:

“In our country, the profession of a journalist has always enjoyed respect and special trust, because we first learn about the major key events through the media – this means we primarily see these events through the eyes of correspondents, reporters, and observers. It is the mass media that in many respects set the value, moral, and political guidelines, and shape public opinion.

In this regard, I would like to point out the serious role of the Union of Journalists in consolidating the Russian professional community, forming a responsible position of the media, corporate ethics, and the culture of honest and unbiased journalism. Your contribution to improving the legislative base of the media market, to strengthening the constructive interaction between the media and the state in resolving national problems is truly significant.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59142






Answers to Russian journalists’ questions



At the end of his three-day state visit to Singapore, Vladimir Putin answered questions from the Russian media.



November 15, 2018 - 12:20 - Singapore







Question:

Mr President, you have had many meetings during your three-day visit to Singapore. We noticed that the Prime Minister [of India] greeted you very emotionally at the dinner.



President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

We are friends. This kind of greeting is normal for those who maintain such relations.



Question:

Out of the meetings that you had which were the most important, considering that many of them were probably not even planned? Can the new Western sanctions hinder Russia’s cooperation with Southeast Asian countries?



Vladimir Putin:

Amy politically motivated restrictions, when they are applied in an economic sphere, impede economic development. They are an obstacle both for us and for our partners, including those who introduce these sanctions.

Yet this cannot stop our technological or economic development altogether. This is completely impossible. Therefore, cooperation will continue.

I have said today that Asian countries account for some 25 percent of our trade, and growth in this sphere has been considerable. It amounted to 27 percent, or some $200 billion, last year. Our trade is growing.

Our relations are developing in all fields, including when it comes to high technology. You know about Singapore’s achievements in the sphere of smart cities. And what is the basis of smart cities? It is modern high technology, including digital technology. We will be working on this.

We have signed a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam. We are discussing the matter with China, India and Singapore. We maintain traditionally good relations with many countries in the region. Nothing can harm or impede these ties. We will work confidently and, I am sure, with good results.







Question:

What other meetings did you have?



Vladimir Putin:

I had many meetings, with almost all my partners: with the Prime Minister of Japan, the Premier of the State Council of China today, the Prime Minister of Singapore, and the President of Korea. I just talked with the US Vice President on the go. So I met with almost all the participants.



Question:

Mr President, you have travelled such a long way to Singapore and, as you say, met with almost all representatives of countries with very different geopolitical interests. How would you assess the results of your work at ASEAN and the EAS?



Vladimir Putin:

You know, I described in my remarks today what is typical for this region. Russia first attended such an event in 2005 at Malaysia’s invitation, as a guest, and a certain format of interaction between the region’s countries began shaping back then, not directly associated with globalisation, which many authors now deny altogether, or with any military blocs.

These forums promote the concept of ​​interconnectedness, that is, cooperation outside military-political blocs devoid of these signs of globalism, which used to benefit certain parties, but later became unprofitable and were eventually discarded. That’s not important.

Here, I would say, this interaction evolves on a broader basis, regardless of political regimes or the chosen path of development. And this has actually turned out to be viable for now; therefore, meetings in this format are very useful, productive and beneficial.







Question:

Good afternoon. Yesterday, you met with the Prime Minister of Japan. Before that, Japanese media wrote that Shinzo Abe was coming here with a proposal to revert to the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956. And, judging by the latest reports, Russia and Japan have agreed to step up dialogue precisely under this declaration. Could you tell us about the details, and what does this mean?



Vladimir Putin:

We launched or resumed, to be more exact, our dialogue with Japanese partners precisely on the basis of the 1956 declaration, and this is what our Japanese partners asked us to do.

Let’s recall how this entire situation developed. I have discussed this many times, and I will say this once again. Certain agreements were reached after World War II, including territorial demarcation and state border agreements.

Those agreements are formalised in international legal documents; therefore we don’t see any problems or difficulties here. We believe that the current status quo hinges on international legal documents, formalised after World War II. Nevertheless, as you know, Japan has a different perspective on this issue. We are ready to work with them.

In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a document called the Declaration of 1956. What does it say? It notes that the Soviet Union is ready to cede two of the southern islands to Japan after the signing of the peace treaty.

It says nothing about specific legal grounds for ceding these islands, their subsequent jurisdiction or the procedure for handing them over to Japan. But it formalises the Soviet Union’s readiness to cede these two islands.

After that, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Japanese Parliament both ratified the declaration. Japan later refused to honour these agreements.

Because this went on for a long time, back during Gorbachev’s presidency the Soviet Union refused to further honour the document. The Japanese side later asked us to return to discussing these problems once again on the basis of this declaration. But the centre of gravity shifted somewhat during the discussion; in effect, it deviated from the declaration of 1956.

Indeed, the Prime Minister said at our yesterday’s meeting that Japan would be ready to resume the discussion of this issue under the 1956 declaration. But, of course, all this calls for separate, additional and serious assessments, and we should keep in mind that, as you have heard, and as I have just said, far from all of the declaration’s aspects are clear.

In principle, the document merely states that the Soviet Union is ready to cede two of the southern islands, but it says nothing about specific legal grounds for doing this and about the islands’ subsequent jurisdiction. All this calls for detailed analysis, all the more so as Japan itself refused to honour these agreements at some point.







Question:

I have another forum-related question, but this time, it is about the World Economic Forum in Davos. What do you think about the idea of Russia’s refusing to take part in the Davos Forum if the organisers fail to lift restrictions on certain Russian businessmen attending? And if Russia refuses to participate, will this affect the country’s reputation in the global economy?



Vladimir Putin:

This will definitely have no effect on Russia’s reputation in the global economy. Any country’s reputation in the sphere of the global economy primarily depends on its economic power, the structure of its economy, the results that it yields from the standpoint of its technological effectiveness, the GDP growth rate, various macroeconomic indicators, namely, low inflation, low levels of external debt, absence of budget deficit or minimal budget deficit – or, preferably, budget surplus, which our country currently has, by the way.

In this regard I can say that in general, we are achieving the goals that we set, and we feel confident. However, platforms like the World Economic Forum in Davos prove to be useful.

Back when I was Deputy Governor of St Petersburg, I used to go to Davos very frequently, almost every year and then, having moved to Moscow, I would go there less and less often. In recent years, I have hardly ever been there. But this platform really is good.

The goal of these platforms, these meetings, open, impartial discussions, is to bring people closer together, beyond the limits of any political constraints. And when people introduce limitations at such platforms, they work against themselves, destroying the foundation of their activities – this is what we must keep in mind.

As for our participation, every individual, whether a businessperson or some company’s representative – and this forum brings together business representatives, first and foremost – has the right to decide. Our people are free and they will decide for themselves whether to participate or not.



Question:

The elections have taken place in the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and have been criticised by Kiev and the West, which suggest that this violates the Minsk Agreements. What is your view on the elections? It has been a long time since the last Normandy Format meeting and you have not been in contact with the President of Ukraine. Did you perhaps meet in Paris? Why do you think this is happening? Do you have the feeling that Russia is waiting for the regime to change in Ukraine, because the election is about to take place there?



Vladimir Putin:

First, regarding denunciation of the elections, we have not heard anyone criticising the murders in these republics, that is the point.

First, they should have condemned the politically-motivated murders that have been taking place there. It is this which provoked the reaction from the local residents. What did those who organised these crimes think? Of course, elections were inevitable. This is first thing.

Second, there is almost no point in meeting in the Normandy Format just now, during the election campaign in Ukraine, because, in fact, today’s regime in Ukraine has shown no desire yet to fulfil the Minsk Agreements. They are doing nothing to implement these agreements; nothing is happening.

Even the law on the special status of Donbass adopted by the Ukrainian parliament has not yet come into force. This is the key element of the settlement process. But no, everyone acts like it should be like this. Everyone is waiting for Russia to fulfil the Minsk Agreements, but they prefer to close their eyes to the fact that the Kiev regime is doing nothing.

And finally, the main thing is whether the current authorities are capable of doing something to assist the settlement process. I do not think so. While such people hold power in Kiev, we can hardly hope for a peaceful solution in these regions.

Nevertheless, we do not believe there is any other way, and we will still have to look for an agreement. I hope that the people who lead the country in the future, no matter who they are (by the way, we will respect the choice of the Ukrainian people in any case; we will work with everyone), will come to the conclusion that there can only be a peaceful way to settlement and the Minsk Agreements must be honoured.







Question:

Can I also ask a question about Ukraine?

One-man protests over Ukraine, over the exchange of prisoners are taking place at the Presidential Executive Office in Moscow. Will the prisoners be exchanged? Why has this not happened yet? And why exchange all for all? Have you discussed this matter with [Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana] Moskalkova? Can we expect a decision on this subject?



Vladimir Putin:

The “all for all” prisoner exchange is how it must be done. Regrettably, we see something entirely different. The trouble is that the Ukrainian authorities claim that some of those who are being kept in Ukrainian prisons and other facilities, sometimes without a court decision, are criminals who have been persecuted under Ukrainian laws. They refuse to put them on exchange lists. This is the essence of the problem.

Naturally enough, Donbass representatives refuse to accept this. They could do the same with Ukrainian prisoners, using courts to remove them from the exchange lists. This is the problem.

The current Kiev authorities have no desire to exchange the illegally kept persons. Evidence of this is the detainment of the ship’s crew that was seized in the Sea of Azov. Kiev has illegally detained our seamen.

Under effective bilateral agreements, both sides can catch fish anywhere in the sea with the exception of the other side’s territorial waters. These agreements are still effective; they have not been cancelled.

The crew members have been detained and kept in Ukraine for a year now. The ship’s captain has not been released to this day, as far as I know. These are absolutely illegal actions.

At the same time, when our coast guards detained a Ukrainian ship, Kiev did not even want to discuss the fate of the crew. As if these people do not exist. This is how the current Kiev authorities treat their own citizens.



Question:

Good afternoon. Singapore is often portrayed as a vanguard of the digital world, digitalisation and advanced technology. We did our research and found out that in many respects Moscow had outpaced Singapore. Were you particularly struck by anything here?



Vladimir Putin:

I would not want us to get too self-congratulatory about this and claim that we are the best. Singapore is a good example of development, including in the digital sphere. Many issues are being effectively addressed here, such as social services and housing. We should take everything that works well in the world and use it for our own benefit.

In terms of development in general, and digital development, in particular, as well as urban management, it is true that Moscow occupies a leading position internationally.



Question:

Mr President, you said that you had a brief discussion with [US] Vice President Pence. Perhaps, you can share with us some details about this exchange. Did you talk about preparing a meeting with President Trump?

I have one more question on this subject. In light of the threat of the Americans imposing a second wave of sanctions in connection with the Skripal case, could they in any way affect the preparations for your meeting with President Trump in Buenos Aires and mutual visits next year?



Vladimir Putin:

All unfriendly moves affect in some way the work schedule and the schedule of our meetings. We were ready to meet in Paris, but we already mentioned that we did not want to be in the way of the big event organised by the government and the President of France.

This was indeed a major event attended by 90 heads of state and government, so it was fairly difficult to schedule a full-fledged meeting. We agreed to meet in Buenos Aires. On our part, we are willing to do so. The Vice President said that the United States is also getting ready for this meeting. Let's see what comes out of it.

Indeed, we have things to discuss. During a working lunch in Paris, iIt was a general and quite intense discussion. President Trump and I were able to participate in this general discussion quite substantively.

We spoke about security issues, economic growth and regional issues. The Vice President of the United States and I touched upon the same issues here.

Of course, strategic stability is one of the key issues, as we need to understand what will become of the New START Treaty and how the events will unfold with the INF Treaty.

There are other issues, including those related to bilateral economic relations, which are fairly limited but include promising areas that are of interest for the United States and Russia.

Finally, we talked about the hotbeds of tension, such as Syria, the North Korean nuclear programme, and our relations with Iran under the JCPOA – all these and other issues in which the United States and Russia are involved.

Of course, we need a dialogue at the highest level and at the expert level. We are ready to restore full-scale work to the extent that our US partners are ready to match.







Question:

You have had talks with President Macron in Paris. One of the main subjects you discussed with your European partners was the restoration of Syria. What is the Europeans’ attitude to this idea? Is Russia ready to spend money on Syria’s restoration?



Vladimir Putin:

It is not about spending money. The point here is that we are ready for full-scale work, including in those sectors of the Syrian economy where this could be beneficial both for us and for Syria.

This joint work will certainly create jobs, result in the restoration of Syria’s infrastructure, and so on. There is a great deal of work in Syria. So, it is not about direct budgetary investment.

As for the humanitarian element, you know that we regularly send humanitarian aid there via different channels. Back during our meeting in Istanbul, when I said that we should help by sending medication and medical equipment to Syria, it seemed to me that our European partners understand these problems and appear ready to work together on these humanitarian matters. Both Chancellor Merkel and President Macron reacted positively, and they mentioned this at the news conference. I hope this work will continue.

We have completed several joint operations with France. Our cargo aircraft were used to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria. I hope to continue this work not only with France but also with other European countries, all of which are highly interested, as I see it, in restoring Syria. Because only if Syria is restored will we see people returning back to their homes on a large scale.

Yes, it has been said that their return must be only voluntary. Can people be forced to return if they do not want to? Can anyone be forced to leave the refugee camps, for example? Who would be forced to leave such camps in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan? The use of force will not solve the problem, right?

People will only return back home if they know that they will have sewage, water supply and electricity there. This is what has to be done first of all. If the international community, primarily Europe, do not want to see a new wave of immigrants, they should think about this. They must abandon their phobias and help the Syrian people regardless of any political considerations, by promoting the political process, of course.



Question:

Mr President, you have said that meeting in the Normandy format would be useless for now. Does this mean that the Normandy Four will not get together and the situation will not improve as long as Mr Poroshenko remains in power? Can Russia influence Ukraine in any way?



Vladimir Putin:

Regrettably, the incumbent President of Ukraine has not shown any desire to implement the Minsk Agreements. As I have said, Rada has adopted a law on special status for Donbass, but the President is not enforcing it. He does not want this. I do not know why – you should ask him.

I do not know if anything will change after the [presidential] election. A new president, if elected, could take the current developments into account. Will the incumbent president do anything? Will he change his attitude to this matter? I do not know. Ask him.



Question:

Did you discuss an opportunity for a more detailed meeting during your short contact with Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris? Is it possible to hold such a meeting in the next few months?



Vladimir Putin:

We have not planned it so far but we did speak about the tragedy that took place in Syria. I am referring to the loss of our aircraft and the death of our people, our servicemen.

Israel’s position is known and understandable. They believe they are not responsible for this tragedy. Naturally, we talked about this and some other issues linked with bilateral relations, the situation in the region as a whole and in Syria in particular. Specific dates for a potential bilateral meeting were not discussed.







Question:

Mr President, do you think it is necessary to continue cooperating with the Saudis and limit oil production in 2019 considering oil market volatility?



Vladimir Putin:

As for the need to limit production or not, I will not say anything about this for the time being. We must be very careful in this respect because every word is important and affects the federal budget revenues. However, it is obvious that we should cooperate and we will cooperate. The OPEC plus format has a good reputation and the market situation bears this out.

But you know the opinion of experts, including Russian ones. It may shift down a little and bounce a little. I think the current price is not very stable and may go up as well. As you know, this is linked with many factors. Incidentally, President Trump and I discussed this in Paris. At any rate, we mentioned this.

Recently, in the past eighteen months, the United States substantially increased its output. Naturally, this is affecting its domestic consumption in the US and, hence, it is buying less abroad. This has an influence on the entire oil market.

But this is connected with a certain form of production, which is highly dependent on the price. As soon as the price drops like it dropped a bit now, the profitability of shell oil also begins to fall. This is why all this is so interdependent.

It is necessary to establish the optimal price both for the producer and the consumer – like the one that existed quite recently. About $70 per barrel suits us perfectly well considering that the expenditure side of our budget is based on $40 per barrel. This allows us to feel confident and work securely and steadily and achieve very good results that are reflected in the macro-economy.

This year we will almost certainly have a surplus budget. I believe our positive trade balance is $120 billion with the minimal external debt of about 15 percent.

This creates a very good foundation for continuing confident work aimed at achieving even higher GDP growth rates and carrying our structural reforms.

Thank you very much. All the best, goodbye.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59131






Meeting on increasing the efficiency of medication supply system



Vladimir Putin held an offsite meeting on measures to increase the efficiency of Russian medication supply system at the GeroPharm plant in St Petersburg.



November 16, 2018 - 16:50 - St Petersburg






The participants discussed the accessibility of medicines, the mechanisms for quality control of pharmaceuticals, and the practice of purchasing medications for benefit-entitled individuals within the framework of regional procurement.

Before the meeting, the President inspected the GeroPharm plant and its laboratories.

After the meeting, Vladimir Putin visited one of the city’s pharmacies to see if it had essential and vitally important medications available at affordable prices.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon colleagues!

We are at an interesting enterprise. I have had a brief look at it. I hope you have also seen it. I was very happy to learn that those who organised this process and established this enterprise did so from scratch and at the highest levels. I am indeed impressed that they found specialists, took the first steps and developed industrial production at the highest levels. They hold a solid position in the market and are now working on promoting their products further in external markets. They are already working on this and also have good plans to expand production. This applies not only to insulin but also to other medications with unique properties, of top quality, and with a good economic component.

We are here for a reason. The day before yesterday, World Diabetes Day was observed, and I decided to see where we stand in this area and, to be honest, I was pleased to see what we have here.







The launch of the new production line – a full-cycle production line from substance to pharmacy ready, is certainly a good and special achievement, primarily for people suffering from diabetes, and there are 4.5 million diabetics in this country – as of last year.

The plant plans to produce insulin on a scale that will fully meet our requirements for this medication. You already hold 30 percent of the market and this is a decent figure.







I would like to emphasise again that upgrading living standards and prolonging life span is a key goal of national development. Everything should be built around these goals for our people, including our national projects and programmes.

It is possible to successfully counter many ailments, including the most serious ones – primarily through advanced medical technology and new generations of medicines. Science and biotechnology in particular are making rapid progress.

When we launched the project for a children’s blood cancer centre in Moscow with Ms Golikova, I recall the indicators from the efforts to combat these dangerous diseases in this country. What was the survival rate?







Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova:

It was up to 15 percent and now it stands at 90 percent.



Vladimir Putin:

Think about what a difference this is! And this figure applies to the country as a whole. This is what new technology can produce if purposeful efforts are made – not only financial (of course, you will get nowhere without money) but also organisational and administrative. In this case everything works out fine.

We are seeing this in the Russian pharmaceutical industry. Almost 3,000 domestic medications fully meeting quality and safety criteria have been registered in the past six years.







Last June we discussed with Government members ways of enhancing the efficacy of pharmaceutical provision of the population. Today we will continue discussing this matter with the participation of members of the State Council Presidium.

This is important because the regions of the Federation bear the brunt of the burden and responsibility for providing people with medications. But this is not about how powers are delegated, not at all. The main point is to provide people with the required assistance regardless of where they live.







In general, over 380 billion rubles from the budget are spent each year on drug provision in this country. We must understand clearly how efficiently these funds are used and whether they make it possible to relieve the cost burden of vital medications on people.

I will speak in more detail about access to subsidised medications. Some 19 percent of our citizens receive them during out-patient treatment. This is a good figure but in practical terms, in far from all regions do the authorities know how many people are entitled to subsidised medications, how many are using this benefit and under what state programme.







What does this mean? This means that if there is no proper accounting, budget money is slipping through our fingers very often. Still worse, not all people entitled to subsidised medications receive them.

Inequality in benefit funding is an alarming factor. In 2017, the average cost of medications per benefit recipient varied across different Russian regions more than sevenfold. I can understand a difference of a few percent, maybe twofold, but sevenfold is too much.







The lists of medications available to benefit recipients vary as well. I will not name these regions, but in one region, this list included a total of 554 medications, while in others it included only 317, and even 180. This also will not do.

Note that I am not even naming these regions so as not to offend anyone; we will talk about this later, without the media present. So what does it mean? People, citizens living in the neighbouring regions – I am talking about the neighbouring regions in the centre of Russia – so the people can communicate with each other. One gets a medication, while another one nearby does not. Why? We cannot explain it to people. In fact, there is no need for explanation – we simply must ensure that the system is functioning properly.







As a result, people entitled to benefits often have to pay for their medications on their own. This means that in certain regions, people get their medication with discount prescriptions, while in others they simply have to pay for it. And there is every reason to be angry about this state of affairs.

What we are left with is the fact that the current system for supplying beneficiaries with medications is, unfortunately, inefficient, and does not take into account individual needs.







It is obvious that we need to get the regions under control in terms of both registries of eligible citizens and the lists of medications they need.

We have been dealing with these issues on the federal level for several years, and have created a special information and analytical system for monitoring the procurement of medications for public needs. Just recently, several days ago, we discussed this during a meeting with the Government, where Ms Skvortsova talked about the launch of this system.







This system is aimed at ensuring the transparency of public procurement, but its main goal is to prevent overcharging. The introduction of this system will allow us to block every attempt at overcharging, which means saving and efficiently spending budgetary funds, allocating them in a way that better provides beneficiaries with medication, and, most importantly, significantly improving access to these medications and increasing the number of people entitled to these benefits.

At the same time, we must raise the whole medication supply system to an entirely new, higher level. Of course, in this regard, I expect the Government to provide us with specific and clear suggestions and measures.







One more important issue is combating the negative practice of the regional governments’ ignoring the principles of competition and choosing a single medication supplier. As a rule, only local unitary enterprises become such privileged service providers. We could let it pass if they were doing a good job, but, as a rule, they do not. These enterprises focus primarily on their own benefit and, unfortunately, very often abuse their market monopoly by simply overcharging for their services. And there are no other suppliers, as they are the only ones that had been chosen.

This leads to overcharging and, consequently, a decrease in the amount of available medications and the number of people who can obtain them, eventually leading to inefficient budgetary spending – and the people are the ones to suffer from it. We have already adopted decisions on these issues. I would like to hear what has been done – and not just in words, but how it is in fact, in reality.







I identified only a number of areas that require further discussion. Our meeting agenda includes other topics as well, such as supplying medications to those suffering from rare diseases, the so-called orphan diseases. Starting next year, the federal budget will cover the cost of medications for those suffering from five such diseases. Every year, we will allocate up to 10 billion rubles for this purpose. But there are hurdles here, too, and a lot of them.

Remember that by 2024, all regions must have the electronic prescription system in operation.

We will analyse what has been done in this regard as well.

Let us get to work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59143






Opening of the 7th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum



Vladimir Putin attended the gala opening of the 7th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.



November 16, 2018 - 21:30 - St Petersburg






The ceremony took place at the Mariinsky Theatre’s New Stage. The programme included musical masterpieces performed by global stars and talented young performers.

The annual St Petersburg International Cultural Forum was first held in 2012. This year’s theme is “Culture as the Country’s Strategic Potential.”

The forum is aimed at preserving and developing Russian culture, supporting cultural initiatives at the regional, federal and international levels, and promoting international cultural cooperation.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,

The International Cultural Forum is among St Petersburg’s biggest events. Both city residents and guests eagerly await the concerts, stage productions, exhibitions, and lectures that are part of this event.

Projects in the arts, culture, history and education created by the forum participants explore important new ideas and confirm the triumph of talent, creative energy, and inspiration.

I would like to thank you and your colleagues for this celebration of art and education. Its popularity is further proof that culture has no boundaries; I see many friends from abroad present here.







When we started back in 2012, events were held at one venue, with more than 300 visitors. I have just learnt that the current festival’s events will be attended by 35,000 people, which is 100 times more. It is very telling.

The forum's professional venues traditionally bring together creative, government and public figures, patrons of the arts from various countries of the world. But the problems they raise in the cultural realm have a common character and are relevant to all, and the eventual success of their joint search for answers is clear.







This is all the more important when culture is regarded as the strategic potential of a state. That is the unifying theme of the discussions and programmes of the current forum.

Russia knows firsthand how great this potential is. What sets our country apart is its unique diversity of languages and traditions. For centuries, they have interwoven and enriched one another, imbuing our painters, writers and musicians with the strength and inspiration to create cultural brands of, without exaggeration, global significance. We are certainly very proud of that. And the main thing is that they gave us a clear understanding of the peacemaking mission of culture itself. It brings nations closer together, sometimes defying political disagreements and economic difficulties, and imparts to people the noble values of humanism, equality and mutual respect.







The experience of other countries is certainly of interest to Russia, above all, those implementing modern models which have proven effective at developing educational tourism and supporting talented young people and volunteer initiatives. These areas are among the priorities of our cultural policy.

In Russia, 2018 is the Year of Volunteers. Volunteering as an institution is not new to us and it continues to take on new dimensions, with efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of our country gaining special prominence this year.







Next year, 2019, will be the Year of Theatre. It promises to be very meaningful and eventful, and its programme will embrace our entire country, without exaggeration. The culmination of the Year will be an International Theatre Olympiad, which will bring the best productions of acclaimed classics and rising stars of the world stage to Russia.

We invite all masters and admirers of the dramatic arts to our country. We hope that you will enjoy the diversity of genres and productions, the extensive educational programme and, of course, the traditional Russian hospitality.

I wish you success.

Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59146






Visit to the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery



November 18, 2018 - 10:00 - Pechory, Pskov Region





























































Yesterday Vladimir Putin visited one of Russia’s largest and most well-known monasteries – the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky (Pskov-Caves) Monastery. During his visit, the President was accompanied by the abbot of the monastery – Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59149
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Ceremony marking the completion of TurkStream gas pipeline’s offshore section



Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in a ceremony marking the completion of TurkStream gas pipeline’s offshore section.



November 19, 2018 - 15:45 - Istanbul






The President of Russia launched the construction of the last underwater section of the gas pipeline.








President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated):

Mr President of the Russian Federation, my friend Vladimir Putin. Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you from the bottom of my heart, with love and respect.

First of all, I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation, Mr Vladimir Putin, and thank him for his visit to the wonderful city of Istanbul, to our country. Welcome to you and your delegation.

Relations between Turkey and Russia have reached their peak. This is reflected in our energy cooperation. We are now witnessing yet another step in this direction – the TurkStream gas pipeline. It reaching the coast of the Turkish Republic today is very important to us, and we are very happy about it.

The first step was taken in 2014. In 2016 the intergovernmental agreement already described the project’s concrete framework and now we have reached the last stage – the completion of the project.

Together with our Russian friends, we have invested a lot of effort in this project of historical significance, both bilaterally between our countries and geopolitically among the countries of the region.







The land and the sea area of the Russian Federation and of Turkey will be ready for the operation of the TurkStream gas pipeline in 2019 after tests are carried out.

The project’s offshore section was completed today. Two pipes are being laid in parallel. Their total length is 930 km. They are laid at the depth of over two kilometres beneath the surface of the water. Kıyıköy is the place where the construction of a gas receiving terminal is being carried out at a very rapid pace.

The pipe is expected to transport 31 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.

This project has many benefits not only for our people and our country but also for our neighbours and the region as a whole. We plan to send to the European Union at least half of the natural gas that will be transported via this pipeline. As for our country, Istanbul, Bursa, Kocaeli and Izmir are vital centres for its production and export and their growth will get a boost as a result. This is why Turkey will be able to meet its own natural gas needs and those of the EU without subjecting itself to transit risks.







In cooperation with our Russian friends we have reliably carried out a very technically demanding project that meets high security standards. We also raised its already high resilience standards to an even higher level.

Friends, if we look at global energy markets, natural gas is becoming more important, as is the balance between demand and supply. In this sense, the economic potential of energy projects is very important taking into consideration the countries’ conditions on how natural gas will be supplied and consumed. Of course we should respect these decisions. Situations where countries’ sovereign rights are violated and where pressure is applied will be of no use to anyone.

For us, Russia is an old and reliable friend as well as an important supplier of natural gas, as these projects demonstrate.







Turkey has already purchased 387 billion cubic metres of natural gas since 1987. This is a very significant number. It shows our relations in the sphere of energy and other cooperation areas, and proves that our relations have already been through all kinds of tests. The friendship between Russia and Turkey has grown stronger over the years, resulting in various mutually beneficial projects. We have never made our bilateral relations dependent on pressure from “third countries.”

We have always made every effort to continue to develop long-term relations with Russia at the regional and global levels. We support justice, peace and stability to promote relations. We have always worked with our Russian friends toward this end. Our common position has already born fruit, especially regarding the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Dear guests, our cooperation with Russia is developing in a wide range of areas. In early April we also began work on the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project. We are implementing this nuclear energy project together with Russia.







Our countries’ complementary economies give us another opportunity. We can use this to our advantage to develop our bilateral trade. Last year it grew 30 percent. We aim to increase it to $100 billion.

Mutual investment, in addition to the Akkuyu project, accounts for more than $10 billion from each side. Speaking about tourism, in the first nine months of this year Turkey received 5.1 million Russian tourists. This is a new record.

Next year will be the Year of Tourism in both countries, with events designed to help our countries get to know each other better.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you, my friend, Your Excellency, Mr Vladimir Putin, and your delegation.

Mr Putin, of course, I am sure that cooperation with you will result in new projects and new results. I am very glad to welcome you all here once again, with great fondness and respect. I wish you all the best.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, my dear friend. Ladies and gentlemen,

To begin with, I would like to thank Mr Erdogan for inviting us to attend the ceremony marking the completion of TurkStream gas pipeline’s offshore section.

Before getting down to business – I may have to repeat some things or provide some more detailed information, which will be a pleasure for me – I would like to say that the trade turnover Mr President has just mentioned, $100 billion, will be actually Russia’s bilateral trade with China this year. But then, why should Russia’s trade with Turkey be smaller? I have no doubt that we can and will attain the same target in our relations with Turkey.







Now to the project at hand. We are taking part in a truly signal event that testifies to the effectiveness of our countries’ partner-like cooperation in accomplishing the most difficult and ambitious projects.

I would like to remind you that the agreement on building TurkStream was signed here, in Istanbul, on October 10, 2016. I think you know – I certainly do – who suggested naming the project TurkStream. Today, barely two years after the start of this large-scale venture, we have completed its most difficult part. It was really a very serious and challenging job – to build the deep-water part of the new gas pipeline.







Friends, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to note that extracting and transporting gas is no easy job as someone may think; it is not simply drilling a hole in the ground and then pumping. This is difficult work involving high technology, both for extraction and transport. Let me remind you that this is the most environment-friendly and the most popular type of primary energy in the world today.

It has already been said here, but I should correct my colleague that 1,800 kilometres of pipelines have been laid on the bottom of the Black Sea at a depth of 2,000 metres and more. The first of the two pipelines will pump Russian gas to western Turkey and the second will pump it to the countries of Southern and Southeastern Europe by transit. Of course, this transforms Turkey into a serious European hub, which, without a doubt, will reflect on Turkey’s role in the geopolitics.







The next stage is laying the ground part of TurkStream. We believe that this work will also be carried out at an accelerated pace so that we will be able to launch the pipeline by the end of 2019, as planned.

I want to stress that the cutting-edge technological solutions and the most advanced equipment are used in the construction; the strictest environmental standards and norms are observed.







Let me point out that Russia and Turkey have been successfully developing cooperation in energy for a long time, as Mr President said. In this context, let me also say that 13 years ago Mr Erdogan and I launched the first trans-Black Sea gas pipeline, Blue Stream, which directly connected Russia and eastern Turkey. Today more than half of all the Russian gas purchased for the Turkish markets goes through it. The long and stable exploitation of this pipeline, including during the difficult winter months, has proven that Russia is a reliable supplier of natural gas and has provided the Turkish economy with an environment-friendly and efficient type of fuel.

It goes without saying that the launching of Turk-Stream will allow our countries to drastically expand cooperation in the gas sector, will have great significance for Turkey’s economic development, and will also become an important factor in maintaining common European energy security.







I would like to use this opportunity and to thank the participants in this complicated project, including the experts and workers and those who have financed it.

I would like to thank President of the Republic of Turkey Mr Erdogan for displaying political will and courage. Why? Because it is impossible to implement projects like this in conditions of growing competition without these traits. The trust, mentioned by my Turkish colleague five minutes ago, hinges on this. And again, projects like this cannot be carried out without such trust.







But I would also like to thank many of our Turkish colleagues, including the former Minister of Economics who helped launch this project, and everyone who promptly authorised the issuance of the necessary permits and licenses. I would like to thank the members of parliament of the Turkish Republic for their support. All this has allowed the builders to meet the deadlines and to even work faster than planned.

I am confident that Turk-Stream, just like our other joint strategic project, Turkey’s first Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, will become an outstanding symbol of the progressive development of the Russian-Turkish diverse partnership and a pledge of friendship between our nations.

I wish successes to all of you and all of us in the future.

Thank you.


<…>







President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated):

Congratulations! Godspeed!



Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends,

Such projects, including this project, are not directed against anyone’s interests. These projects are solely constructive. They aim to expand relations between states, to create stable conditions for economic development and to improve the well-being of our countries’ citizens in this way.







The implementation of this kind of projects, including this one, is an outstanding and positive example of the ability to defend one’s national interests because Turk-Stream completely meets the national economic interests of the Republic of Turkey.

I congratulate you on completing the most important stage of its implementation.

Thank you, Mr President.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59152






Meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Vladimir Putin met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the ceremony marking the completion of TurkStream gas pipeline’s offshore section.



November 19, 2018 - 16:15 - Istanbul














The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59153






Condolences on the death of Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein



Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to Ludmila von Falz-Fein, daughter of Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, following his passing.



November 19, 2018 - 18:30



The message reads, in part:

“Baron von Falz-Fein was a true patriot of Russia and a great philanthropist who dedicated his long life to the preservation of Russian spiritual and cultural heritage. It is impossible to overestimate his tireless and selfless efforts to return national art treasures to Russia and to restore Russian historical and cultural landmarks and monuments abroad.

The passing of Eduard von Falz-Fein is a terrible loss. The good memory of his great deeds and a sincere gratitude to this remarkable person will remain in the hearts of Russians forever.”

Eduard von Falz-Fein passed away on November 17 in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. He was 106 years old.

Eduard von Falz-Fein’s merits to Russia, a country he left with his parents at the age of six, were recognized with Russian awards. The list of his achievements and deeds includes returning art objects, archival records and various antiquities to Russia, and renovating Russian historical and cultural landmarks and monuments.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59156






Greetings on the opening of the 12th International Forum and Exhibition Transport of Russia



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to participants and guests at the 12th International Forum and Exhibition Transport of Russia, which is being held in Moscow on November 20–22.



November 20, 2018 - 10:30



The message reads, in part:

“It should be noted that the sustainable development of the Russian regions and the country as a whole along with the quality of life and prosperity of the people depend on the precise and smooth operation of the transportation system. This explains why we are giving the utmost attention to improving this sector and enhancing its competitiveness.

Your forum and exhibition have been contributing to this challenging work for many years. Every year you bring together in Moscow delegates from the federal and municipal authorities, heads of relevant enterprises, companies, public organisations and experts. You offer themes of concern to professionals and demonstrate promising designs as well as solutions together with novel achievements that can be used to implement major, especially relevant projects. We need your business-like and unanimous approach because we are faced with the ambitious job of modernising our transportation fleet and infrastructure. We must also be more active in applying new technology that meet international safety, reliability and environmental compatibility standards and make full use of the public-private partnership mechanisms.

I am confident that your forum and exhibition will be held in a constructive manner and that your recommendations will be implemented in practice.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59160






Meeting with President of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba



Vladimir Putin met in Sochi with President of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba.



November 21, 2018 - 20:10 - Sochi








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Khadjimba, I am pleased to see you.

We met in summer for the Republic’s anniversary events. I will not go into the nature of our relations, which undoubtedly have a special, strategic, allied character. We agreed that we would meet in a situation as neutral as possible and discuss current working issues. There are no doubt a lot of them.

Our trade is growing, but at low rates overall: five percent last year, two percent in the first nine to ten months of this year. While our enterprises do operate there, 300 of them, I do not think it is enough. We said back then that additional efforts are needed to boost economic development.

I am very happy to see you so that we could discuss in a truly informal setting all the issues you think most urgent for the republic’s progress.







President of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba:

Thank you.

I would like to express my gratitude to you for the opportunity to meet again after our meetings in August. There are issues that we probably need to discuss. Our meetings have become a tradition and they are a testament to the relations being established between our nations.

Work under the investment programme has been proceeding rapidly, and there has been some success. Equally important to us is the work underway as part of the investment agency activities. There are projects that have been completed, and facilities that have already launched, particularly in the agricultural sector.

As to the work we spoke about regarding the information and coordination centre, a defence agency, which are now directly engaged and working actively, over 94 events have been carried out this year, which speaks to the intensive cooperation between our military agencies. It is crucial for Abkhazia and is needed as another demonstration of our relations.







Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59174
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Meeting with Defence Ministry senior officials



The President held the first in the series of meetings with Defence Ministry senior officials on military construction and the development of the national Armed Forces and the defence industry.



November 19, 2018 - 20:40 - Sochi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

Traditionally, in May and November of each year we hold a series of meetings on the Armed Forces’ development.

These meetings with senior officials of the Defence Ministry, other departments, and leading defence industry enterprises, allow us to discuss key aspects of military construction and adjust our plans, if necessary.

Today’s agenda includes a broad range of issues – from increasing the combat potential of the Army and Navy to preserving military parity and a strategic balance of forces in the world.







We see that, regrettably, the world situation has not become more stable in the past few years. It has even deteriorated in some regions. It is far from stable in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula remains somewhat vague. Despite the Minsk Agreements, the armed confrontation in the southeast is not subsiding. NATO continues building up its combat potential near our borders each year. The future of fundamental arms control agreements is hanging in the balance.

Under these conditions, we must see to the steady and balanced development of the Army and the Navy, making them capable of neutralising any potential threat without allowing anyone to push us into an arms race. We must make flexible decisions that will not waste budget funds. Our progress in the past few years shows convincingly that this is exactly how we have learned to work.

What objectives do I consider a priority in this respect?







First, we need to improve combat training while specifically using our experience in Syria. Increasingly complex and unconventional tasks should be practiced during manoeuvres, command and staff exercises and naval campaigns. We must develop the practice of snap inspections of units and continuously monitor the mobilisation readiness of federal and regional government bodies, enterprises in the defence industry and other sectors.

Second, we must continue equipping the Army and Navy with modern weapons and equipment. We will discuss this in detail at a separate meeting. However, I would like to ask the deputy defence ministers and commanders-in-chief of the services and arms to report on how their units are adopting new models of arms and military equipment.

Third, we need to focus on educational work with the personnel. The high moral spirit and patriotism of our soldiers and officers has always been the ethical backbone of our Army.







These traditions must be revived and actively developed. In this context I would like to ask you to present the results of your work on establishing the military-political bodies of the Armed Forces and report on their priorities and goals.

Finally, I suggest discussing our steps in response to the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty.

I would like to emphasise again that we are always ready for dialogue with our American partners on this key issue. We hope that the Americans will approach this issue with full responsibility because their decision to withdraw from this treaty cannot remain unanswered.







Let me recall in this regard that when the US withdrew from the missile defence treaty we said openly and honestly that we will have to take response measures. We did and now Russia has hypersonic weapons that can overcome any missile defence.

We hope that common sense and mutual responsibility will become the foundation for a long-overdue dialogue on the issues of strategic stability and consolidation of the collective security system.

Let’s get to work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59157






Congratulations to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia



November 20, 2018 - 16:00



While in Sochi, Vladimir Putin congratulated Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia on his birthday in a telephone call. On November 20, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church turned 72.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59163






New composition of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art approved



Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order approving the new composition of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art and the Council’s presidium, and appointing heads of the Council’s four interdepartmental commissions.



November 20, 2018 - 16:20



The new Council has 55 members, including 27 from the previous composition – famous musicians, representatives of theatre and cinema, heads of academic institutions in the arts, and a representative of the Patriarchal Council for Culture. The list of new members includes prominent and respected figures in culture and the arts from different generations, public figures, directors of leading theatres and museums, writers and composers.

Film director and General Director of Mosfilm Cinema Concern Karen Shakhnazarov was once again appointed Deputy Chairman of the Council, while Presidential Adviser Vladimir Tolstoy was appointed Secretary.

The list of Council members includes representatives from every federal district of Russia. St Petersburg is represented by eight council members; ten members represent various Russian regions, such as the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Crimea, the Krasnoyarsk and Primorye territories, the Voronezh, Perm, Pskov, Tula and Yaroslavl regions and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra.

Personal creative success and unimpeachable professional authority serve as the decisive criteria for selecting new members of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art. The list of Council members traditionally includes outstanding figures of culture and the arts, whose works have garnered widespread public recognition and acclaim in both Russia and foreign countries and received the highest state awards, plus the most respected leaders of the Russian regions’ leading cultural organisations.

The President also approved the appointment of the heads of the Council’s four interdepartmental commissions established to discuss corresponding issues of state cultural policy in the following spheres: Modern Cultural Policy and Development of Creative Initiatives; Developing the Humanities, Artistic Training and Creative Education of the Younger Generation; Preservation, Use and Popularisation of Historical Cultural Heritage and Development of Cultural and Educational Tourism; and International Cultural Cooperation.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59161






Meeting with Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads



Vladimir Putin continued the series of meetings on the development of the military-industrial complex. The second meeting of this cycle is devoted to the implementation of defence procurement and the State Armament Programme.



November 20, 2018 - 16:40 - Sochi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today we will discuss the progress of state defence procurement.

As you know, the key benchmarks for this work are set forth in the new State Armament Programme which states that by 2021 the share of modern weapons and equipment in the Army and Navy should reach no less than 70 percent.










Such large-scale re-equipment of troops will make it possible to resolve the full range of current and future tasks facing the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, primarily, maintaining strategic parity and reliably protecting Russia from external threats.










Considerable funds – a total of almost a trillion and a half rubles – have been allocated to the Defence Ministry this year for the development and serial production of weapons and combat equipment. Today we will analyse how efficient the work on state defence procurement by defence enterprises has been.










On the whole, the established rates for re-equipping troops with modern arms are being maintained. As before, the main focus is on the development and supply of advanced weapon systems that will determine the future of our Armed Forces for years to come.










About 2,000 basic samples of arms and combat equipment have been delivered to troops by mid- November as part of state defence procurement, including 74 aircraft and helicopters, 80 drones, four S-400 air defence missile systems, five surface warships, 250 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles.










I would like to mention that in terms of the majority of tactical characteristics Russian weapons of the latest generation are superior to their foreign counterparts, while hypersonic weapons, air defence and electronic warfare equipment, and some systems of the Ground Forces are simply unique in the world.










We must build up this serious reserve by supporting the latest developments of research institutes and design bureaus and accelerating the transition to the serial production of advanced weapons and equipment.







And, of course, we must thoroughly analyse the problems of implementing defence procurement tasks, primarily the failure of some defence industry enterprises to meet their commitments in time. We will see where this is due to systemic reasons and where it is due to lack of discipline and proper organisation of production processes.

Let us get down to work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59162






Meeting with Head of the Federal Taxation Service Mikhail Mishustin



On the eve of the Tax Authority Worker’s Day Vladimir Putin met with Head of the Federal Taxation Service (FTS) Mikhail Mishustin. The President congratulated the Head of the FTS, its employees and veterans on their professional holiday.



November 20, 2018 - 21:00 - Sochi








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Mishustin, to begin with, I would like to extend my greetings to you and all the other customs workers.

One of the main jobs the state has is to replenish the budget because the implementation of social commitments, state investments and national projects depends on this.

I send my greetings to your workers and wish them every success.

What can you say about your performance?



Head of the Federal Customs Service Mikhail Mishustin:

Thank you, Mr President.

Between January and October, we have transferred 17.6 trillion rubles to Russia’s consolidated budget. This is 22.9 percent or 3.3 trillion rubles more than in the same period of last year.



Vladimir Putin:

This is indeed good news.







Mikhail Mishustin:

Yes, it is most important and we have achieved this goal without raising the rate of budget revenue generating taxes. We expect the figure will have reached 4 trillion rubles by the close of the year.



Vladimir Putin:

How did you achieve this?



Mikhail Mishustin:

Of course, the oil severance tax did its part, considering that prices rose from 50 to 70 dollars per barrel. But if we look at individual contributions, we will see that half of the growth came from non-oil and gas revenues.

The profits of companies that are doing well have increased by 30 percent over a period of nine months, and hence profit tax revenues have risen by 23 percent.

VAT payments have increased by 14.1 percent and personal income tax by 12.5 percent. This is some 1.5 percentage points above the wage growth rate. In general, all these figures are proof that we are meeting the targets that are stipulated in the law on the Federal Budget.

I would like to say that the most important thing is that we are trying to achieve these goals analytically. We have seriously reduced the number of inspections. The additional revenue collected through the application of analytical methods is estimated at 345 billion rubles.

The key to such a method is an automated system for monitoring VAT refunding. We have connected our systems to the customs service, as per your instructions.

Our system is monitoring the total customs cost of imports and 100 percent of VAT offsets on imported goods. According to the analytical data provided by the customs service, the figure stands at some 77 billion rubles and this without any special inspections.

We also share access to the risk management system with the customs service and are coordinating our operations rather closely.

I would also like to say a few words about online cash registers. It was one of your instructions, and we carried out an experiment. We are currently in the second phase of transferring companies to online cash registers.

Over this period, over 835,000 taxpayers have installed such cash registers, so that the total figure has reached 2.3 million. This is twice the pre-reform figure, which means that our businesses have accepted this technology. There are hardly any complaints.

This system is currently used to monitor some 2.5 trillion rubles worth of retail trade a month. We see an increase of about 60 percent in retail trade, which indicates that its operations within this system are absolutely transparent.

You have also instructed us to ensure the opportunity to provide online information to the tax services. We can see that this technology is being widely used and is producing a cumulative effect in terms of taking this sector out of the shadows.

I would like to say a few words about the self-employed. A law has been drafted and adopted by the State Duma in three readings to launch an experiment involving the introduction of the taxation of self-employed individuals, or professional income tax, in four Russia regions – Moscow, Moscow Region, Tatarstan and Kaluga Region.

Some people interpret it as an increase in the tax burden. This is not the case. This is an opportunity for taxpayers from the group of self-employed individuals to use this system.

Speaking about the definition of self-employed individuals, these are Russian citizens who do not have an employer and do not hire workers and who earn up to 2.4 million rubles a year.

Therefore, the tax for self-employed private individuals will be 4 percent and for self-employed business entities 6 percent. They will not need to register with the tax service, fill out tax declaration forms or pay a required premium.

We believe that no penalties should be imposed during this year-long experiment. Mr President, we would like to ask you to support this idea, so as to observe over the year how the self-employed will use this system and subsequently report to you on any new details we may come across.







Vladimir Putin:

Of course, I do not see why not. This is what we should do.

How are the online systems of the tax and customs services being combined?



Mikhail Mishustin:

As I have already pointed out, we have completed a highly important stage. We have finished working on three of the most important parts.

First of all, we have obtained all data from the Federal Customs Service as regards customs value data during the import of goods, and we have entered this data into the automated system monitoring VAT refunds. Actually, we can now track all imports, and we can also monitor VAT refunds during the export of goods.

Second, we have exchanged risk management systems. Today, the customs service and the tax service can both track taxpayers’ profiles. In effect, we know our colleagues’ questions to those involved in foreign economic operations; and they can see the tax service’s risk profile.

And, finally, we have coordinated our inspections. In the event of such risks, we carry out a few of these coordinated inspections. Mr. President, I would like to say that we have completed the first stage.



Vladimir Putin:

We need to come to an agreement with our foreign partners, so that their customs agencies would provide us with objective data regarding the value of goods being exported to Russia, so that you could take this into account together with the customs service.







Mikhail Mishustin:

Yes.

And one more thing: Mr President, on the eve of our professional day, we wanted to tell you that we would like to abolish transport and land value tax declarations for legal entities.

We will discuss the relevant bill with Mr Anton Siluanov [First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Finance]. We will suggest it, and we hope that you will support and sign the document.



Vladimir Putin:

Fine.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59164






Greetings on Tax Authority Worker’s Day



Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to Russia’s tax authority workers on their professional day.



November 21, 2018 - 11:50



The message reads, in part:

“Over the past years, the Federal Tax Service has been doing a challenging and extremely relevant job of improving the national tax system and implementing the state policy for monitoring compliance with the laws on taxes and dues. The steady replenishment of the budget at all levels, a favourable business climate and the financial and tax literacy of the people directly depend on the professionalism of the tax workers and their responsible attitude to their jobs.

I am confident that you will continue to work honestly to fulfil the tasks set to the Federal Taxation Service to the benefit of Russia and its citizens.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59170






Greetings to 4th Abilympics National Professional Skills Championship for people with disabilities



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to the participants and guests of the 4th Abilympics National Professional Skills Championship for people with disabilities, underway in Moscow.



November 21, 2018 - 13:30



The message reads, in part:

“This wonderful forum is again bringing together talented, strong-willed and hard-working people, who have proved themselves in their studies, creative pursuits and professional endeavours. You not only strive for victory but also break many stereotypes and prove that a person facing a challenge is able to overcome any circumstances and achieve success, thereby serving as a role model for millions of our fellow citizens.

Let me stress that a common task for all echelons of power, public associations, and volunteers is to develop an accessible environment and create conditions for the rehabilitation and self-fulfillment of people with disabilities, their acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and their search for decent and interesting jobs.

In this connection, I would like to note the initiative and the proactive civic stance of the organisers of the Abilympics championship and thank them for this brilliant project implemented by the Russia – Land of Opportunity open platform, having come into its own and gained recognition and popularity.”

Abilympics is an international non-profit movement aimed at enhancing the prestige of skilled trades and promoting vocational education among people with disabilities. Russia joined the movement in 2014.

The Abilympics championship involves about 1,500 persons aged 14 to 65 years. There are competitions in 73 skills categories – 57 main and 16 presentational. Over 9,000 people took part in the elimination rounds held in 83 regions of Russia.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59172






Meeting with Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads



Vladimir Putin chaired a regular meeting with the Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads to discuss defence industry diversification.



November 21, 2018 - 15:00 - Sochi







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today we will be discussing the diversification of our defence industry.

In my annual Address to the Federal Assembly in 2016, I directed the defence industry to boost the production of high-tech civilian and dual-purpose goods. Their share in defence companies’ output must increase to 17 percent by 2020, 30 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.

The attainment of these goals will give our defence companies confidence in their immediate and more remote future and will allow them to work to full capacity, without unnecessary idling, and hence to maintain their financial stability after the period of peak investment in army and navy rearmament , when the size of the state defence orders will go down for objective reasons.







Diversification will strengthen the economic stability of the defence industry as a whole and our critical infrastructure sectors amid cyber threats and other challenges, fluctuating currency and the like. In other words, diversification will help minimise the effect of factors that can have a negative effect on the implementation of the majority of investment programmes by our infrastructure monopolies and state corporations.

It should be said that some large companies have ramped up their civilian output and will reach their 2020 targets already this year. Rostec expects the share of civilian goods in its total output to reach 29 percent, and the figure for the defence industry as a whole has been estimated at 20.7 percent.

Let me put it bluntly: the system has not yet gathered momentum, and the measures we have taken appear insufficient to reach the 2025 and 2030 targets.







This is what I consider our priorities.

First, at the meeting in Ufa on January 24 of this year I gave a number of instructions to form a regulatory base that will allow defence enterprises to diversify production. This work must be completed before the end of this year. Special attention must be paid to legislation that will determine the range and the share of civilian products to be purchased by natural monopolies, state corporations and federal government bodies. As we agreed, they should become the key purchasers of such products at the initial stage. Hardly anything will start moving without this procurement order.

Second, we must establish a system to control the diversification process. Regrettably, it does not exist. It is necessary to determine clearly how many civilian products each defence enterprise will manufacture and to which markets it will supply them at least for the next three years, with a year-by-year break-up. It may look like an administrative approach, but all the evidence suggests that there is no alternative because, to emphasise once again, in general this work is proceeding slowly.







Third, proceeding from the calculations that have been performed we must determine the scale and range of products requiring state support for each project, including subsidies for loan rates and R&D expenses.

Fourth, I have already said that diversification must blend with the implementation of national projects or development programmes. Participation of the defence industry in such projects is an important instrument of encouraging demand and increasing the production and sale of the civilian products of these enterprises.







In this context, I consider it expedient to coordinate the plans of defence enterprises for the manufacture of these products with investment programmes of natural monopolies and state corporations and the procurement plans of federal executive bodies that take part in national projects. This is technical work but it is not easy. It must be carried out by all means.

Today I would like to hear your opinion on how and when this work can be launched.

And the last point. Considering the importance of the diversification programme, it is necessary to continuously monitor the dynamics of this process. I would like to hear your proposals on the best ways of doing this.







In conclusion, I would like to emphasise once again that the diversification of the military industrial complex is one of the key strategic national tasks. We must realise this. We have spoken about this many times. The defence procurement will decrease with time. What will you do? The steady development of the industry and Russia’s entire economy and, most importantly, its defence capability and security in the long-term directly depend on the successful implementation of this task. Even if we do not use these capacities for the manufacture of defence products, we will still need them and it would be at the very least inappropriate to reduce them.

Let us turn to the reports.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59171






Greetings to Arctic Days in Moscow Federal Arctic Forum



Vladimir Putin sent greetings to participants and guests at the Arctic Days in Moscow Federal Arctic Forum.



November 21, 2018 - 15:00



The message reads, in part:

”The Arctic plays a strategic role for Russia. Today, we are reinforcing our presence in the region, implementing scientific research initiatives and large programmes for commercial and economic development, and turning our ambitious infrastructure projects into reality. We are also well aware of the importance of preserving the environment and the natural diversity of the polar and subpolar territories.

For this work, I believe it important to use the intellectual and creative potential of such reputable expert platforms as the Federal Arctic Forum. The forum is traditionally known for its varied programme, detailed discussion of pressing issues on the Arctic agenda, and, of course, the professional and business approaches of its participants, who include representatives of the indigenous and small-numbered peoples of the north and the Far East, international organisations, scientific and business communities, state authorities, and the media.

I expect that the discussions will result in concrete ideas and proposals that will be relevant and will serve the stable and environmentally sustainable development of the Arctic territories.“




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59173






Vladimir Putin visited ERA Military Innovation Technopark




November 22, 2018 - 14:00 - Anapa






The President of Russia reviewed the latest research achievements in medicine, such as a 3D scanning system for processing data submitted by medical facilities for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Vladimir Putin visited a laboratory that works on bio formulations for medicine and industry, where he was updated on the genome research projects underway at the technopark. He also saw a new platform for de-miner boots that absorbs the shock wave.
















The ERA Military Innovation Technopark was established pursuant to Presidential Executive Order of June 25, 2018, to speed up the creation and implementation of breakthrough defence technologies, to create the infrastructure for the interaction of research, education and producing organisations and to support talented young people through programmes designed for young researchers in the army.
















The laboratory cluster already has 37 companies, including branches of such major concerns as Kalashnikov and Sukhoi, as well as start-up research teams. They have joined forces to implement 48 innovative projects in robotics, energy sufficiency, bioengineering, data systems and other fields. Service personnel from four research companies are working on these projects.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59179






End of year meeting with Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads



Vladimir Putin held a closing meeting with Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads at the Era Military Innovation Technopark. The participants discussed issues related to the construction of military facilities as part of the State Armament Programme.



November 22, 2018 - 14:45 - Anapa







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

We are at the ERA Military Innovation Technopark in Anapa. I do not know whether you had a chance to take a look at what has been done here lately.

A great deal of work has been done, without a doubt. This centre will start operating in full capacity by the end of next year or in mid-2020 (by the end of the next year, Mr Shoigu says).

What I saw made me happy indeed. There are modern scientific research and industrial complexes that include numerous laboratories – there will be a total of 18 laboratories working in eight priority areas.







I am sure that all this will promote efficient development and, most importantly, rapid introduction of cutting-edge technologies to areas of defence and security. Of course, this will also strengthen the entire sphere of science and innovation in Russia, since, as all of you must have noticed, all laboratories are directly connected to the country’s leading scientific centres.

And not just scientific centres, but also centres engaged in practical work, say, in the sphere of healthcare, as you have noticed. This includes research centres and, say, the St Petersburg Military Medical Academy.







Working directly allows for more efficient use of this country’s equipment – meaning what we have here, in this country – high-technology complex and expensive equipment. That, of course, is what makes this facility so valuable: we can find many experts from all these facilities working here at this centre, and for this centre; they work both directly from here and from their workplaces, scattered practically all over the territory of Russia.

We have representatives of the defence industry here, and I ask them to take this into account and to establish close ties with this centre and work productively here. Especially because the defence and civilian technology go hand in hand, often intertwining with and enriching each other. Therefore, any formal dividing lines between industries are often relative here.







Yesterday we talked about conversion programmes, which is where you can work together. But the most important thing is that young people have to pass a stringent selection procedure at our leading universities to secure a place here.

Selection is an essential thing. I have talked with some of the young people, who are not simply satisfied but are really inspired by the possibility of working here. They fought tooth and nail to get here.







Some of them have two degrees and top qualifications. In this way, we are creating the basis for the future development of our armed forces. This is extremely important.

Therefore, I would like to thank all those who are doing this, including Mr Shoigu and all our other colleagues who helped implement this project. I would like to wish success to the personnel of the Era technopark and the achievement of their goals in their particular fields of activity.

Colleagues, today we are completing yet another series of meetings with Defence Ministry leaders and defence industry heads. We have discussed the key spheres of development of our armed forces and the implementation of state defence contracts and mapped out further steps to boost the development of our defence companies as well as research and design centres that are creating new promising weapons and military equipment.







Corresponding instructions will be issued to the Government, ministries and agencies based on the results of these meetings.

Today we will discuss progress in the creation, production and generation of missile and armament supplies. We will analyse how well this industry is adapting to the current economic conditions and how the system of state material reserve is developing.

Let me note that the ammunition industry produces the largest volume of products in the Russian defence industry in terms of both overall volume and stock list and it must be advanced and be of the very best quality.







Of course, rather than the notorious “dummies” we require smart high-precision ammunition that increases the capacity of current and prospective weapons systems. Therefore, I would like to point out that they save up significant funds.

What was previously achieved with costly weapons systems can be solved today with the aid of quite inexpensive systems by using highly effective advanced high-precision ammunition.

In this sense, I would like to remind you that in recent years we have done a lot to upgrade defence industry enterprises as part of the State Programme for the development of the defence industry, including the renewal of machinery. In addition to this, new production facilities using cutting-edge scientific and technical innovations have been created.







It is important to continue to develop defence industry enterprises that produce missiles and ammunition as well as to upgrade the organisation of production.

Of course, the industry products are becoming ever more complicated and high-tech. Most samples have long production cycles due to the capacities of the enterprises that carry out the final assembly as well as the plants that provide the components, the supply of raw materials and easy and rational logistics of nodes’ and components’ delivery.

Nevertheless, we must aim to decrease technological production cycles of missiles and ammunition. Besides, we must calculate the exact number of missiles and how much ammunition is required for the army and navy to fulfill their job to protect Russia’s security.

And, of course, we must not limit ourselves to creating reserves of material and technical resources. It is important to organise their proper and safe storage and timely renewal, as well as timely utilisation, of course. I am referring here to the full cycle.

Let us get down to work.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59180






Condolences to family and friends of Igor Korobov



Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the family and friends of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, Head of the legendary Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff Igor Korobov in connection with his death.



November 22, 2018 - 15:00







The message reads, in part:

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely death of Igor Korobov, Hero of Russia, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and Head of the legendary Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

He devoted his life to serving the Fatherland, protecting national interests and strengthening the security of our state and society. Everyone who knew Igor Korobov respected and highly appreciated him for his competence, willpower and courage, honesty and decency, and loyalty to the oath and officer's duty.”

Igor Korobov passed away on November 21 at the age of 62 after a severe and prolonged illness.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59182






Congratulations to participants and winners in Family of the Year national contest



Vladimir Putin congratulated the participants and winners of the Family of the Year national contest.



November 22, 2018 - 18:00



The message reads, in part:

“I am glad to note that your project, aimed at strengthening the institution of the family and promoting high spiritual and moral values in society, has united like-minded people from all regions of Russia around its ideas; people who want to share their family and parental experience and to meet and talk with other participants.

This is proven by the number of applications received in the different categories of the competition, with Large Family being the most popular. These examples of happy family life and responsible parenting are very important.

They provide excellent guidance to our young people and continue the ancient traditions of parental self-sacrifice that Russia has always been proud of. The more families live in harmony and mutual understanding, the stronger and more humane our society is and the more secure its future.

Let me note that supporting motherhood and childhood, as well as providing a good level and quality of life for Russian families, are among the main state priorities.”




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59184






Expanded meeting of the State Council Presidium



Vladimir Putin held an expanded meeting of the State Council Presidium. The participants reviewed the goals to be addressed by heads of the regions that are outlined in the Presidential Executive Order on the country’s national goals and strategic objectives to 2024.



November 23, 2018 - 15:30 - Yalta






The meeting was held at the Mriya hotel complex as an informal dialogue between the President and heads of the regions.

Prior to the meeting, Vladimir Putin toured the hotel grounds. The President was accompanied by Sberbank CEO German Gref.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

First, I want to thank Mr Gref for providing such a good venue for our work and showing me around the hotel and its grounds. It is a nice hotel, very beautiful. Congratulations to Sberbank, good job. Soon, they will have a vineyard here and everything that a vineyard should have. It will be a full-service hotel.

However, we gathered for a different reason, which is to work. I am aware that today's presidium meeting has an unusual format. You have gathered for a two-day session. We worked yesterday, and worked this morning already. The topic of discussion is important: the implementation of the May Executive Order.










Strictly speaking, the point is not about the Executive Order and not even the national projects, which include all our joint efforts to achieve the well-known benchmarks that our country needs. The point is about the outcome of this work. We need concrete results, and the people need concrete results as well. We talked about the need to achieve a breakthrough – a breakthrough – in important areas such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and much more so that the situation in the country improves and the people can have a better life.










I talked with some of you separately about this. The day before yesterday I met with [Moscow Mayor] Sobyanin, who shared with me his ideas for organising this work, and I decided that I should discuss this with you. Of course, not all governors but only members of the State Council Presidium are here – we sometimes meet in this format, but we will talk with all the others later.










Why is this so important? Because we must work towards practical results not in the office but out there where the people live: in cities, towns and villages. We want the people see the change not in our reports or on paper but in reality. There is a common expression, “an average temperature in the hospital”. We do not need an average temperature. What we need is concrete results which the people can see.










When I see target figures, such as to double visits to cultural facilities – this is speaking figuratively, of course – I want to know what groups of people will be visiting and what kind of cultural facilities we are talking about. Will it be the same groups of people who will visit these facilities more often, or are we talking about different groups? And, most importantly, what will they see, hear or feel there? And how much will the things they see, hear or feel enhance their awareness of their inseparable connection to the national culture and current cultural achievements? And so on.










The same goes for infrastructure. But the idea of increasing the number of roads from 30–35 percent to 40–45 percent and improving road standards is not easy to grasp, is it? Will we get rid of potholes or not? Or will the standards be changed so that the 30–35 percent we have today will become 40–50 percent tomorrow, but the potholes will stay?










We do not need fine words on paper. We need all this to happen in real life, so that everyone will see the results of our common work through changes in their living standards, wages and pensions. What we need is not “average” figures but concrete results expressed in monetary terms, which is very important for the people, as you and I know. How much the people earn today and how much they will earn tomorrow – this is what is important.







I know that you have formulated proposals on the organisation of this work. Let us discuss them.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59186






Greetings to Zashchita Russian National Centre for Disaster Medicine



Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to former and current employees of the Zashchita Russian National Centre for Disaster Medicine on the Centre’s 25th anniversary.



November 25, 2018 - 10:45



The message reads, in part:

“Only specialists with acquired toughness and reliable character work here – strong-willed, spirited, determined and charitable. And your job is special, it is tied with challenges and everyday risk, the necessity to act as a team, to render first aide to those who have faced a natural calamity or a man-made disaster.

The rescue operations you have conducted in Russia and abroad are a paragon of the highest professionalism and loyalty. I should stress that the Centre’s former staff has played a big part in this, those who were here at the centre’s inception and made a significant contribution to its development, enhancing its unparalleled research and clinical base.”

The Zashchita Russian National Centre for Disaster Medicine of the Russian Health Ministry is the principal agency dealing with problems of disaster medicine and is the Eurasian Regional Centre for Disaster Medicine for CIS nations and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Emergency and Disaster Medicine Management.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59188
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Telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel at the initiative of the Germany side.



November 27, 2018 - 00:30



The two leaders discussed the dangerous incident that took place in the Sea of Azov – Black Sea area on November 25. Vladimir Putin expressed his views on the provocation and gross violation of international law by Ukraine’s warships, which deliberately disregarded the rules of innocent passage in the territorial sea of the Russian Federation.

Serious concern was expressed over Kiev’s decision to put its armed forces on combat alert and impose martial law.

It was pointed out that the Ukrainian authorities bear full responsibility for creating yet another conflict situation and for the attendant risks. All this has been clearly done in the context of the election campaign in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin expressed the hope that Berlin would use its influence on Kiev to stop it from taking further reckless steps.

It was noted that the service personnel of the Russian Coast Guard were ready to provide additional explanations of the developments in the Kerch Strait.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59195






Telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Turkey’s initiative.



November 28, 2018 - 13:20



The two presidents continued to exchange views on the situation in Syria. They agreed to intensify joint efforts to implement the memorandum on stabilisation in Idlib, which was signed in Sochi on September 17, 2018. They also emphasised the importance of the efforts the Astana process guarantor countries are making to promote the intra-Syrian dialogue.

Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Russian-Turkish cooperation in the context of the outcome of their meeting in Istanbul on November 19, 2018.

They also exchanged views on stability and security in the Black Sea region in light of the dangerous incident in the Kerch Strait that was provoked by the Kiev authorities.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59215






BRICS leaders’ meeting



November 30, 2018 - 16:45 - Buenos Aires






Vladimir Putin took part in a meeting of leaders of the BRICS member countries held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends, colleagues,

I am pleased that we are meeting again and, like my colleagues, I express my gratitude to the President of South Africa, Mr Ramaphosa, for organising our work and for everything South Africa has done during its chairmanship.

I would like to join in the gratitude addressed to President of Brazil Michel Temer. He supported our organisation, and I can add that he also has done a lot to strengthen Russian-Brazilian relations. We know and remember that. Mr President, we will always be glad to see you in Russia.

Thanks to efficient cooperation between the BRICS members, our strategic partnership has grown stronger and continues to actively develop in the most diverse areas.

It is important that the BRICS members are improving coordination within international organisations and forums. Our meeting today, which is a chance to discuss our positions on the eve of the G20 summit, is a testament to that.







I support much of what my colleagues have said about the difficult situation in global politics, economy, trade and finance. I would also note such risk factors as an increase in global debt, volatility of stock markets and escalating trade disputes.

In general, we cannot help noticing that unfair competition often takes the place of fair and equitable intergovernmental dialogue. The nefarious practice of imposing unilateral sanctions and protectionist measures without regard to the UN Charter, WTO rules and other generally accepted legal norms is spreading.

All of this seriously undermines the atmosphere of cooperation on the global stage and leads to declining business ties and loss of trust between participants of economic relations, distorting the very fabric of the global economy.







The BRICS countries should continue to work together to create a fair and equitable system of international relations. Collective action based on mutual respect and consideration of interests is needed in order to overcome the critical challenges facing the international community.

First of all, this concerns the settlement of numerous regional crises, which are fraught with real danger not only for the countries involved, but for the rest of the world as well. Of particular concern is the situation in the Middle East, namely, the Gaza Strip, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and several other countries and regions.

Unfortunately, the danger posed by international terrorism is not subsiding. Of course, double standards or any compromises are unacceptable when it comes to terrorist groups, not to mention making reckless use of them to achieve geopolitical ends, since flirting with terrorists plays into their hands and emboldens them to commit new bloody atrocities.







Thus, in Syria, where militants continue armed attacks on the government forces, the November 24 attack on residents of the western districts of the city of Aleppo involving the use of toxic chemical agents, presumably chlorine, was a blatant violation of the ceasefire. Dozens of Syrians were affected, including children. Such crimes perpetrated by terrorists should not go unpunished, otherwise they will not stop.

For a long-term stabilisation of the situation in Syria, it is important to promote an actual political settlement process. To this end, Russia is working closely with its partners, Iran and Turkey, within the Astana format. We look forward to the formation and convocation of the constitutional committee in Geneva as soon as possible.

Other priorities include rebuilding the economy and infrastructure in that country and creating conditions for the return of refugees to their homes. I hope that the BRICS countries will join humanitarian aid programmes in that country.







In order to prevent a new round of escalating tensions around the Iranian nuclear programme, we should do our best to maintain the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Progress in resolving the Korean Peninsula crisis is a positive development. However, the categorical demands for unilateral concessions from Pyongyang could lead to a disruption of the agreements reached. Therefore, it is important that the sanctions against this country should gradually be relieved in response to the disarmament steps taken by North Korea.

Naturally, one cannot help being alarmed by the state of affairs in non-proliferation and disarmament. The possible withdrawal by the United States of its obligations under the INF Treaty and its unclear position on extending the Strategic Arms Treaty pose the risk of an uncontrolled arms race.







We presume that the BRICS countries will hold a common position on these critical issues. This will be an important factor in mobilising the efforts of the world community for the sake of international security and stability.

Colleagues,

I would like to note with satisfaction that the BRICS countries have largely coinciding approaches to the key issues on the G20 agenda. Our countries have great economic, innovative, and human potential.

The BRICS countries have already overtaken the G7 in terms of aggregate GDP ($44 trillion) and in purchasing power parity. They can play a more significant role in the global financial system, push for the continuation of the IMF reform and for greater influence in the IMF.







A significant contribution to financial stability has been made by the new development bank, which is now supporting 26 projects in BRICS countries with $6.5 billion in financing. We also expect the bond and national currencies fund of the BRICS countries to become available in 2019, which would allow strengthening financial and investment stability and expanding the interaction of national payment systems.

We are committed to supporting the groundwork for the process of further developing the World Trade Organisation to stabilise it. It is important that trade disputes are settled exclusively through dialogue that all interested countries can join.

We pay special attention to coordinating the BRICS countries’ positions on issues related to energy and climate change. Russia, as a reliable exporter of energy to many countries and regions in the world, intends to continue to actively participate in harmonising global energy markets jointly with other suppliers and consumers of fuel and to provide global energy security.







We welcome the fact that the Paris Agreement on climate has come into effect and believe it to be a reliable international legal instrument for long-term climate regulation. It is critically important to finish drafting the rules to implement it, taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders.

We regard the sustainable development of agriculture as a key topic on the G20 agenda. Russia is a large producer and exporter of agricultural produce, contributing significantly to food security. Over the last 10 years, we supplied over 650,000 tonnes of food and humanitarian aid to more than 110 countries.

We believe it is important that this year agreements on the digital economy and adaptation of the labour market and education systems have been reached within the G20. We express our gratitude to our BRICS partners for supporting the Russian idea of consumer rights’ protection in the digital economy and our initiatives to step up coordinated actions at the UN on internet governance and international information security.







The agenda also includes the important topic of combatting corruption. We are ready to work together, including in line with India’s proposal to pursue fugitive economic criminals. During discussions at the UN, I am counting on the support of BRICS members for the Russian draft international convention on returning stolen assets.

Colleagues, in conclusion I would like to wish success to our Brazilian partners next year, during their chairmanship of BRICS. We will provide all the necessary assistance.

Thank you for your attention.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59272






First meeting at G20 summit



November 30, 2018 - 21:00 - Buenos Aires







Vladimir Putin took part in the first working meeting of the heads of delegations of G20 member states, invited states and international organisations; the meeting is held without the participation of the press.
















A joint photo session was held prior to the meeting.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59275






Meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron



November 30, 2018 - 21:10 - Buenos Aires







Vladimir Putin met with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, I am very pleased to see you.

We meet often, and this is a great pleasure. Recently our Minister Lavrov was in your country and gave me a detailed account of his meeting with his colleague.

But first, let me thank you for your event, I would like to congratulate you on the event in Paris marking 100 years since the end of World War I.

Our relations are progressing – trade was up 16.5 percent last year, and the rate is similar this year.

I am very happy to see you.







President of France Emmanuel Macron (retranslated):

Thank you very much, Mr President. I would also like to thank you for the November 11 visit to Paris on that occasion as it enhances and strengthens the relations between our two nations.

We naturally have issues to discuss, things to work together on, and I am happy to have this opportunity to discuss this on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, particularly the situation in Syria. We saw that after a very useful meeting in Istanbul the situation has changed.

And of course, this includes the situation in Ukraine, especially with regard to the events of the past several days; we would naturally like to discuss the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

We would also like to discuss the issues of cybersecurity and the common architecture of security and defence in Europe.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59276






Second meeting at G20 summit



November 30, 2018 - 23:45 - Buenos Aires






Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the G20 countries continued their work at the summit.

The theme of the second meeting is Building Consensus. It is closed to the press. The meeting will continue on the morning of December 1.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59277






Russia–India–China meeting



December 1, 2018 - 00:20 - Buenos Aires






On the sidelines of the G20 summit, Vladimir Putin took part in the Russia–India–China (RIC) meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of China Xi Jinping.








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

First, I would like to express my gratitude to our Indian and Chinese partners for supporting the initiative of a trilateral meeting.

I would like to note that Russia, India and China are bound by a centuries-long history of friendly relations, which we are building on the principles of neighbourliness, equality and mutual respect.

The last time when the RIC leaders held talks was 12 years ago, in 2006 in St Petersburg. They were indeed productive, with one of the results being the establishment of BRICS.

Since then, our foreign ministers have held regular consultations. We have maintained links between our security councils, youth and academic communities.

We believe that RIC has great prospects and cooperation within this trilateral format may efficiently complement the cooperation between our countries on a bilateral basis and within BRICS.







We proposed organising this meeting today because the situation in the world and the processes in our common region, Eurasia, require closer coordination of the three countries’ approaches. Mainly, with respect to ensuring security and building constructive inter-state relations, considering an extensive contribution of our three countries to the global development, which is around 30 percent of the world’s GDP at purchasing power parity.

It is important to adjust cooperation on the key issues of the economic agenda, including within the G20, to jointly protect the principles of just and honest competition in world trade and finance, and to assist in shaping the most open system of international economic relations that would be free of protectionism and politically motivated restrictions.







We could also get more actively involved in aligning large integration projects currently carried out with our countries’ involvement such as the Eurasian Economic Union and China’s Belt and Road initiative. New prospects arise for strengthening contacts between the ten ASEAN states and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Friends, I expect that this meeting will be productive and we can further establish a regular schedule for such meetings. Specifically, they could happen on the sidelines of major summits and international events.

Of course, it is important to continue trilateral coordination at other levels, and, when necessary, create additional mechanisms of cooperation. Thank you.







Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (retranslated):

Colleagues,

Your Excellencies,

I am glad to have this opportunity to have an informal top-level meeting here in Buenos Aires. It is the first summit in this format since the RIC summit in 2006 in St Petersburg.

I want to thank President Putin for initiating this informal meeting at the top level, which gives us an opportunity to freely and openly discuss some key matters that cause concern on the global level.







Your Excellencies, without a doubt, the world today is going through a period of serious change, instability and growing geopolitical tensions. There is serious pressure being exerted on the global leadership.

Multilateral relations and the world order based on common rules are being increasingly rejected by various unilateral, transnational and local groups, and different nations around the world. We can see this happening as sanctions are imposed outside the UN mandate and protectionist policies are gaining strength.

The Doha Development Agenda within the WTO has failed. Since the Paris Agreement, we have not seen the expected level of financial commitment on behalf of the developed countries in favour of the developing states. Therefore, when it comes to climate, justice is currently at risk. We are still very far from achieving the goals of sustainable development.

Certain weak economies are still vulnerable to natural disasters. In this international context, key powers like India, Russia and China bear a particularly big responsibility.







Our three countries account for one-third of the global population. We must support the politics of multilateral relations, work towards creating a multilateral world order for this purpose, as well as ensure compliance with international law.

In the RIC format, we must work on four aspects: regional and global stability, economic prosperity, exchange of experience in areas of mutual interest, and cooperation in response to new and recurring challenges as well as existing challenges.

I agree with President Putin. Whenever we meet on the sidelines of international events, we must find an opportunity to hold such top-level RIC meetings. I believe that currently there is a growing need for us three to meet and cooperate more frequently.

We must play a special role at the global arena as well as seek ways to drive our countries’ development forward. I would like to thank President Putin once again for restoring and giving a new lease of life to this format.







President of China Xi Jinping (retranslated):

Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here with President Putin and Prime Minister Modi for an informal RIC meeting. I would like to thank Russia for organising this event.

China, Russia and India are three big countries that are making a serious contribution to global development. We are partners in global development, strategic partners. We have common interests and similar development goals.

We also bear a special responsibility for the future of the region and the world in general. Right now the world is facing new risks and challenges. Therefore, common development and close cooperation between our three countries in this context is becoming increasingly important for global stability and predictability.

In the past ten years, our three countries have been involved in an active dialogue and cooperation in the spirit of openness, solidarity, mutual understanding and trust.

We succeeded in achieving serious progress in this area. I hope that this meeting will also result in thorough talks with Prime Minister Modi and President Putin on RIC cooperation in the new environment, in order to improve our consensus, cooperation and coordination so that together we can promote peace in the whole world, stability and development.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59278






Meeting with President of China Xi Jinping



December 1, 2018 - 00:45 - Buenos Aires







Vladimir Putin had a separate meeting with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.

The Russian President invited the Chinese leader to visit Russia and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum next year.




President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, my dear friend,

Colleagues, once again, allow me to offer my heartfelt greetings to you.

We work together on a regular basis at numerous platforms, including on the sidelines of various international events. Right now, we are meeting here, in Latin America, Argentina, on the sidelines of the G20 summit. We always use such opportunities for the benefit of developing our bilateral relations.

Mr President, we are preparing for your visit to Russia next year. And I know that you have already received our offer to schedule this visit to coincide with the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Please review your schedule. If it is possible to time these two events together, we will be happy to see you there as our main guest.







I would like to acknowledge the efficient cooperation between our governments. Just recently, the Russian Prime Minister visited China and I know that you received him. I met with the Premier of the State Council of China in Singapore.

I believe that this continuous work at the top level and at the level of government agencies is bringing results because our trade is developing and we have every chance of reaching a turnover of $100 billion this year. We can see that our Chinese partners, our friends, are making intense efforts towards this goal and we are working just as hard on our part.

We have an extensive bilateral agenda. I am glad to see you here in Argentina.







President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping (retranslated):

Mr President, my long-time friend,

Ministers, colleagues,

I am very glad to meet with you here in Buenos Aires, in Latin America.

This year has been special in the history of China-Russia relations because both countries successfully completed their main domestic political agendas thus opening a new historic chance for the development of our countries.

Relations between China and Russia correspond to the demands of our time, as well as the shared aspirations of our peoples. They have a huge potential and a broad appeal.

Next year, we are planning a great number of important events. Our country will mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China as well as 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. We can take this opportunity to expand cooperation in various fields and achieve practical results.







I am grateful for your invitation. It will be my pleasure to visit Russia next year and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. On the same note, I would like to invite you to attend the second Belt and Road summit in late April.

We will have extensive contacts next year. I am certain that in light of these close contacts, Russian-Chinese relations will be achieving new results and goals across all areas.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59279






Gala concert for G20 summit participants



December 1, 2018 - 02:30 - Buenos Aires







Vladimir Putin attended a gala concert in honour of the delegation heads of the G20 member states, invited states and international organisations.







Before the concert, the participants posed for a group photo, during which the President briefly spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. An official meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for the morning of December 1.







The first day of the G20 summit rounded up with a state dinner hosted by President of Argentina Mauricio Macri in honour of the summit participants.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59280






Condolences to George W. Bush



December 1, 2018 - 14:50



Full text of the message of condolences:

Dear George,

Please accept my deepest condolences over the passing of your father, former US President, George Herbert Walker Bush.

An outstanding politician, he devoted his entire life to serving his country, both as a serviceman during wartime and in high-ranking public posts in peacetime. As US President during one of the most important periods of world history, he showed political wisdom and foresight, and always sought balanced decisions even in the most difficult situations.

George Bush Sr. was well aware of the importance of a constructive dialogue between the two major nuclear powers and took great efforts to strengthen Russian-American relations and cooperation in international security.

I had the good fortune to have met with him several times. I recall with particular warmth him organising our meeting at your wonderful summer home in Kennebunkport.

My fellow citizens and I will always cherish the memory of George Bush Sr. In this sad time, I would like to pass worlds of heartfelt sympathy and support to all members of your large family. May you have endurance during this time of grievous and tragic loss.

Vladimir Putin




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59284






Meeting with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel



December 1, 2018 - 15:10 - Buenos Aires







Vladimir Putin met with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Mr Putin And Ms Merkel had a detailed discussion of the Syrian settlement. Having noted the ongoing efforts to form a constitutional committee following the recent meeting in the Astana format and in the context of the discussions that took place during the four-party summit in Istanbul, they expressed hope that in the foreseeable future it will be possible to start establishing the committee and coordinating all the necessary representatives.







During the meeting, the President of Russia also gave a comprehensive explanation of the border incident in the Kerch Strait and emphasised that it was a provocation staged in the run-up to the election in Ukraine.

The meeting took place in the format of a working breakfast.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59283






Second meeting of G20 summit continues



December 1, 2018 - 17:00 - Buenos Aires






Vladimir Putin and heads of delegations of the G20 member states, invited countries and international organisations took part in further discussion of pressing issues.

The meeting’s main theme was sustainable development and climate, with the agenda also including assistance to Africa.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59285






Meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Vladimir Putin met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 summit.



December 1, 2018 - 18:00 - Buenos Aires








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, friends,

It is a pleasure to meet with you. Our work started yesterday, but I am glad to have the opportunity to hold a separate meeting with you during the summit. We met in Istanbul recently and took part in a very good event: the completion of the Turk Stream gas pipeline’s offshore section. Turkey once again reaffirmed that it conducts an independent foreign policy and is our reliable partner. This benefits our national economies as well as the energy security of all Europe.

We have many areas of cooperation, and our mutual trade has been showing stable growth, both last year and this year.

I am very glad to see you and exchange opinions on how our cooperation is progressing. I also appreciate the fact that our meeting in Istanbul gave an impetus, through the President’s efforts, to seeking solutions to issues that need resolving.







President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated):

I would like to thank my dear friend specifically. We were especially pleased to be meeting you on the sidelines of G20 in Buenos Aires.

We have had a chance to speak about vital issues, and during those very vital contacts our colleagues have had the chance to get together as well.

Our contacts about the Turk Stream are of utmost importance.

And the summit we held in Istanbul with the participation of all parties about Idlib has been very important. But I believe that there are more steps that we need to take. And I think that it will be good to have another meeting, perhaps in a narrower scope, about Idlib.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59286






G20 summit concludes in Buenos Aires



Vladimir Putin took part in the meeting of the G20 heads of state and government.



December 1, 2018 - 19:10 - Buenos Aires






On the sidelines of the summit, the President of Russia took part in meetings in the BRICS and RIC (Russia, India, China) formats, and held bilateral meetings with a number of leaders.

Following the two-day programme, participants adopted the G20 Leaders' Declaration. - http://static.kremlin.ru/media/event...6g1D6xbs1C.pdf




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59288






Buenos Aires Action Plan



December 1, 2018



1. Overview and Global Economic Context

1. Ten years since the onset of the global financial crisis, the G20 has advanced reforms across a range of policy areas. The results of our efforts have led to a stronger and more resilient global economy and financial system. Our work however is not complete, and the Buenos Aires Action Plan (the Action Plan) sets out our collective strategy for achieving strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

2. The global economic outlook remains strong, and unemployment is at a decade low. However, growth is showing signs of moderation and has become less synchronised between countries, and downside risks have increased. To help fulfil our goal of securing strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, we will continue using all policy tools at our disposal – monetary, fiscal and structural – individually and collectively, and recognise the importance of timely and clear communication.

3. This Action Plan outlines our policy responses to risks to the global economic outlook, including actions to support the international financial architecture and a resilient financial system. The Action Plan also highlights our policy actions to help ensure the benefits of growth are shared by all, which are key to achieving fair and sustainable development. The Action Plan includes new measures to harness the benefits of technology for the future of work, while tackling issues relevant to gender equality, infrastructure for development, international taxation, sustainable finance and financial inclusion. Finally, the Action Plan provides a final update on the G20 collective growth ambition agreed in 2014.


2. Responding Proactively to Global Risks

4. Over the short and medium term, downside risks have built up and some have partially materialised. These include risks from rising financial vulnerabilities, geopolitical tensions, global imbalances, inequality and structurally weak growth in some economies. We note current trade issues. We will continue to monitor risks, take action to mitigate them and respond as appropriate. We have also furthered our collective efforts to implement the agreed financial sector reform agenda, assess vulnerabilities and strengthen the international financial architecture.

Financial vulnerabilities

5. Financial conditions have been tightening in many emerging market economies as monetary policy continues to normalise in some advanced economies. Although emerging market economies are now better prepared to adjust to changing external conditions, a faster than expected tightening of financial conditions could lead to a further slowdown or reversal of capital flows, increase market volatility and put pressure on exchange rates and on debt servicing costs.

6. We are taking measures to mitigate risks to global growth, including:

– Argentina decided to speed up the pace of fiscal consolidation. The monetary policy shifted to a new regime that stops the monetary base from growing until June 2019 combined with a rule based floating exchange rate policy to mitigate excessive volatility

– The European Union is prioritising the completion of the Banking Union and further development of the European Stability Mechanism.

– India has put in place a new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and is operationalizing its implementation expeditiously. The IBC has already enabled several non-performing assets to get resolved.

– Bank Indonesia issued a regulation on domestic non-deliverable forward transactions in order to support efforts to mitigate exchange rate risk, improve rupiah exchange rate stability and accelerate domestic foreign exchange market deepening.

– Mexico has implemented an oil hedging program to reduce the vulnerability of federal public finances in the face of unexpected drops in the price of oil.

– South Africa is implementing a new regulatory model in which a Prudential Authority will supervise the safety and soundness of financial institutions and a Financial Sector Conduct Authority will supervise how financial institutions conduct their business and treat customers.

– Turkey’s tight fiscal stance is targeted at strengthening the public sector balance sheet in order to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in financial markets.

– The United States is evaluating and improving its financial regulatory system to improve efficiency, decrease unnecessary complexity, and align regulations to support market liquidity, investment, and lending in the real economy.

Challenges to the trading system

7. International trade and investment are important engines of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and development. We recognize the contribution that the multilateral trading system has made to that end. The system is currently falling short of its objectives and there is room for improvement. We therefore support the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning. We will review progress at our next Summit.

We are working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies and taking measures to enhance confidence in international trade and mitigate risks, including:

– Canada, Mexico and the United States have modernized their trading relationship with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canada has additionally concluded agreements with the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, and is launching an export diversification strategy. The United States and Korea have also made improvements to their trade agreement.

– China is actively expanding imports by measures including hosting the first China International Import Expo. Meanwhile, China has lowered overall tariff level from 9.8% to 7.5% by 4 rounds of adjustments within the year of 2018.

– In 2018, the European Union finalised 7 agreements with 12 countries including Canada, signed 2 agreements with Japan and Singapore, and reached a political agreement to modernize the agreement with Mexico. The EU has put forward ideas to modernise the negotiating, monitoring and dispute settlement functions of the WTO, and with other countries tabled a proposal on transparency and notifications, and one to overcome the deadlock in the WTO Appellate Body.

– The United Kingdom is launching a consultation on a Global Financial Innovation Network which would support more cooperation and trade in financial services by bringing together financial regulators from around the world.

Global imbalances

8. Excessive external and internal imbalances pose a risk to global economic and financial stability, as sudden adjustments could have disruptive spillover effects. While current account imbalances declined following the global financial crisis, further efforts are required to reduce excessive global imbalances. We will continue to monitor global imbalances and improve our understanding of the roles our policies and international monetary system play and to pursue further action to address this challenge from a structural, macroeconomic and multilateral perspective.

9. We are taking measures to address imbalances, including:

– France is consolidating measures designed to lower labour costs and facilitate the appropriation of the CICE by firms. This will spur competitiveness, help increase export market shares, thus contributing to reduce the trade deficit.

– Germany is, in addition to increased public investment, substantially improving the framework conditions in the pension system, is lowering social security contributions, and is generating tax relief for families thereby further contributing to strong domestic demand.

– Korea will target investment for job creation, income redistribution, and strengthening the social safety net by operating an expansionary fiscal policy.

Exchange rates

10. As Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors agreed in March, strong fundamentals, sound policies and a resilient international monetary system are essential to the stability of exchange rates, contributing to strong and sustainable growth and investment. Flexible exchange rates, where feasible, can serve as a shock absorber. We recognise that excessive volatility or disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability. We will refrain from competitive devaluations, and will not target our exchange rates for competitive purposes.

Structurally weak growth

11. Many advanced economies are expected to expand above their potential growth rates both this year and next, and emerging market and developing economies are expected to continue to show robust growth. However, growth prospects are less favourable over the medium- to long‑term for many economies. Structural factors affecting growth prospects include an ageing population and persistently low investment and productivity growth. This underscores the importance of our continued efforts to advance structural reforms that lift our growth potential. We look forward to the next report by international organizations on the G20 Enhanced Structural Reform Agenda.

12. We are taking measures to counter structurally weak growth, including:

– Australia is investing in road, rail and public transport infrastructure projects to reduce congestion, keep roads safe, connect people to jobs and help get produce to market efficiently.

– Brazil’s privatisation of electric power distribution will create conditions for increasing private investment in an environment of legal security, especially in infrastructure.

– The European Union is increasing the financial envelope of its Structural Reform Support Programme.

– France's executive orders on labour-management dialogue are giving a prominent role to firm-level bargaining in order to help firms adapt more easily to changing market conditions and spur job creations, thus raising potential GDP.

– Germany has further increased the target for federal investment spending, placing a priority on infrastructure, social housing as well as education and research spending, and has launched a digital infrastructure fund.

– India has reformed its indirect tax system by institutionalising a nation-wide single goods and services tax system and has taken several initiatives to monetise infrastructure assets.

– Italy is revitalising public investment through increased financial resources, regulatory improvements, organizational and administrative simplifications, and new capacity building tools to increase the speed of implementation.

– Japan is implementing its Growth Strategy 2018, which promotes realisation of ”Society 5.0“ including through making greater use of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data and robots.

– Russia has launched a comprehensive plan for modernization and expansion of mainline infrastructure for a period through 2024, including increases in port capacity and improvements to railroads and regional airports.

– Saudi Arabia continues to launch Vision Realization Programs towards achieving Vision 2030. Recently Human Capital program was launched, with the objective of improving education, women empowerment, vocational training, skills development and addressing unemployment.

– South Africa has recently announced a plan to stimulate the economy and this plan includes, among other things, measures to increase competition, promote investment and further enhance measures to accelerate infrastructure investment.

– The United Kingdom is introducing the new National Roads Fund from 2020 to provide long-term certainty for roads investment

– The United States is implementing reforms to its corporate tax system by reducing marginal rates and allowing full expensing of investment, which should promote capital deepening and job creation, supporting growth in productivity and wages.

Financial regulation

13. Since the global financial crisis our actions have significantly improved the resilience of the global financial system. We remain committed to the full, timely and consistent implementation and finalisation of the agreed financial reform agenda and the evaluation of its effects. The evaluations of the effects of reforms on infrastructure finance and incentives to centrally clear OTC derivatives shows that the FSB evaluation framework is working as intended by identifying effects for potential future discussions on delivering adjustments where appropriate, without compromising on the level of resilience.

14. The financial system is stronger but risks keep evolving. While non-bank financing provides welcome diversity to the financial system, we will continue to identify, monitor and address related financial stability risks as appropriate. We look forward to the FSB’s continued progress on achieving resilient non-bank financial intermediation.

15. We continue to monitor and take further steps to address causes and consequences of the withdrawal of correspondent banking relationships and help countries deal with them. We call for the comprehensive implementation of the FSB action plan.

16. In order to reap the full benefits of technological innovation, we will continue to monitor the potential risks of crypto-assets and to assess multilateral responses as needed. We acknowledge there is an urgent need for an effective global, risk-based response to the AML/CFT risks associated with crypto-assets. We commit to applying the recently amended FATF standards for crypto and other virtual assets with further assistance from FATF. We look forward to IOSCO’s work on crypto-asset platforms. We are also committed to enhancing cyber resilience, and ask the FSB to report to the 2019 Summit on progress on its initiative identifying effective tools relating to a financial institution’s response to and recovery from a cyber incident. We welcome the Bali Fintech Agenda.

17. We will continue to monitor and, as necessary, tackle financial vulnerabilities and emerging risks; and, through continued regulatory and supervisory cooperation, address market fragmentation and preserve an open and integrated global financial system.

International financial architecture

18. We reaffirm our commitment to further strengthening the global financial safety net with a strong, quota-based, and adequately resourced IMF at its centre. We are committed to concluding the 15th General Review of Quotas and agreeing on a new quota formula as a basis for a realignment of quota shares to result in increased shares for dynamic economies in line with their relative positions in the world economy and hence likely in the share of emerging market and developing countries as a whole, while protecting the voice and representation of the poorest members by the Spring Meetings and no later than the Annual Meetings of 2019.

19. Cross border capital flows provide substantial benefits for countries but their scale, composition and volatility may pose policy challenges. Sound domestic macroeconomic policiesare the first line of defence against these challenges. Macroprudential measures can play a key role in enhancing resilience and mitigating these challenges while in certain circumstances Capital Flow Management (CFM) measures may be appropriate. We continue to deepen our understanding of how CFM measures are assessed under the OECD Code of Liberalisation of Capital Movements (the Code) and the IMF’s Institutional View (IV). We look forward to the final results of the review of the OECD Code by our next Summit.

20. We underline the importance of building capacity in public debt and financial management, strengthening domestic policy frameworks and governance, enhancing domestic resource mobilization, and ensuring transparent sound and sustainable financing practices for borrowers and creditors, both official and private. We support the ongoing work of the Paris Club, as the principal international forum for restructuring official bilateral debt, towards broader inclusion of emerging creditors. We welcome the work of the IMF and the World Bank on strengthening public debt transparency and welcome the recommendations. We welcome the G20 Operational Guidelines for Sustainable Financing and call for their follow-up. We look forward to the progress of the IIF work on sustainable financing.

21. We welcome the report of the Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance and look forward to follow up under the Japanese Presidency.


3. Fostering Inclusive Growth

22. Inclusive growth is key for the welfare of our citizens, social cohesion and socioeconomic development, and sustained growth. In recent decades, economic growth has significantly improved living standards around the world and, at the same time, has helped reduce extreme poverty and inequality between countries. Nevertheless, income inequality and poverty levels remain high and more effort is needed. Moreover, there are concerns that the gains from strong growth have not been broadly shared and that inequality within many countries has worsened. Inequality and extreme poverty can hinder actual and potential growth. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensure that growth is inclusive and that the benefits are shared widely amongst our citizens.

23. We are working to better understand the drivers of economic inequality and have taken numerous actions in recent years to promote inclusive growth. We recognise however the need to do more to meet the aspirations of our citizens for shared prosperity. We are therefore taking actions to support inclusive growth, including:

– Australia has introduced a seven year Personal Income Tax Plan that provides tax relief to low and middle income earners, helps to address bracket creep and makes the tax system fairer and simpler.

– Argentina has introduced a land titling program through which the inhabitants of vulnerable neighbourhoods throughout the country can access a Family Housing Certificate that allows them to request access to basic services and certify their address.

– Brazil’s upper secondary education reform will help reduce existing inequalities in educational outcomes and build human capital.

– China is promoting inclusive growth by further improving business environment (shorter time needed to start a business or a project, online or one-stop access to government services, tax and fee cuts to ease business burden), and by reforming personal income tax (higher basic deduction and additional deductions for certain expenses, optimized tax rate structure).France's investment in skills and human capital will focus on the most-disadvantaged areas with the doubling of first- and second-grade classes in priority education networks REP and REP+ in order to concentrate means on those who need it the most.

– Germany aims to foster quality in child care centres and improve the participation in early child care by implementing the Good Early Education Care Act and aims to strengthen lifelong training particularly with regard to technological changes and challenges by launching a National Skills Strategy and implementing the Qualification Opportunities Act.

– India has launched Ayushman Bharat, a National Health Protection Scheme aimed at providing universal health insurance to increase access to quality health and medication including timely treatments, leading to improvements in health outcomes and quality of life.

– Indonesia is implementing a cash-for-work scheme in its rural transfers in order to empower local resources and thereby reduce employment in villages and close the gap in economic disparities.

– Italy is introducing the Citizenship Income, a single universal measure guaranteeing a basic income to those who are below the poverty line, while favouring their reintegration into the labour market through a binding training path.

– Japan is making progress towards better intergenerational equity in its social security system including through free preschool education as well as free tertiary education targeted at lower income families.

– Korea will increase the 'Basic Pension', intended to improve the welfare and security of the low-income elderly, sequentially by 2020.

– Russia has elaborated its Financial Inclusion Strategy for 2018–2020 to improve the accessibility and quality of financial services for SMEs and population groups with limited access to financial services, and to increase the speed and quality of access to financial services through Internet facilities.

– Saudi Arabia has launched the Financial Sector Development Program to further enhance financial diversity, financial inclusion and literacy, to promote customer protection, and to advance digital transformation while safeguarding financial stability.

– South Africa has introduced a national minimum wage which will contribute towards addressing wage inequality, preventing prolonged and violent industrial actions and improving trust between employers and employees over time.

– Spain has launched the 2018–2020 programme for dignified work to fight against the fraudulent use of temporary contracts and ensure the enforcement of and effective compliance with labour laws.

– Turkey is providing additional support for the employment of women, youth and the disabled in order to facilitate their participation in the labour market through care support, vocational training courses, on-the-job training programs and Set-up Business support.

The Future of Work

24. Technology is key to productivity growth and higher living standards, although the diffusion and adoption of technology and innovation can be uneven both within and across countries. We expect the overall long-term impact of technological change to be positive for our economies and living standards, but recognise that the transition period could be disruptive for individuals, firms, and governments and may also entail long term distributional challenges to be addressed.

25. Recognising the potential opportunities and challenges, we have endorsed the G20 Menu of Policy Options for the Future of Work (the Menu) which we will draw on to: harness technology to strengthen growth and productivity; support people during transitions and address distributional challenges; secure sustainable tax systems; and ensure that the best possible evidence informs our decision-making. The Menu also highlights the importance of international cooperation and promoting gender equality.

26. Consistent with the Menu, we are taking a number of new measures to harness the benefits and address the challenges related to the impact of new technologies on the future of work, including:

– Australia has launched a National Health and Medical Industry Growth Plan to create new jobs and improve health outcomes by investing in genomics and health and medical research, accelerating health innovation, and enhancing collaboration between researchers and industry.

– Argentina introduced a tax reform that changes the tax system in gradual steps over a five year window, including a reduction in the weight of distortionary taxes, as well as a reduction of the corporate income tax on re-invested profits.

– Brazil Agenda for Industry 4.0 contains a number of important actions including the development of testbeds/factories for future demonstrations and an online platform which consists of a marketplace for industry 4.0 technology adopters and providers.

– Canada has launched Future Skills to examine major trends impacting national and regional economies and workers, identify emerging skills shortages and develop innovative approaches to skills development to address them.

– China is implementing a lifelong vocational skills training system to help university graduates and migrant workers improve their employment-enabling skills.

– The European Union is providing financial assistance for adults with low levels of skills to acquire a minimum level of literacy, numeracy and digital skills and/or acquire a broader set of skills by progressing towards an upper secondary qualification or equivalent.

– Indonesia is providing basic facilities and infrastructure, such as roads, drainage, waste management, water, electricity, communications and information technology, in order to stimulate the establishment of special integrated and connected zones.

– Italy is strengthening its Impresa 4.0 Plan and the venture capital for innovative start-ups, with the aim of promoting investment in innovation and R&D activities, and boosting firms' productivity and competitiveness.

– Japan is implementing a ”work-style reform“ including correction of long working hours practice and expanding the capacity of childcare facilities, which will help increase women's labour participation.

– Korea will ease the standards for its Earned Income Tax Credit, a cash subsidy paid to support the work and income of low-income groups, and increase its ceiling for the subsidy amount per household.

– The Bank of Russia has launched a regulatory sandbox to test new innovative financial services and technologies to assess their safety and potential impact on financial market.

– Spain has created a regulatory sandbox to allow FinTech start-ups and other financial entities to conduct live experiments in a controlled environment under the regulator`s supervision.

– Turkey's Development Bank has been restructured in order to provide long term and cost effective funding for investments to be made in technological and strategic sectors.

– The United Kingdom has announced a package of measures to finance growth in innovative firms, which will help them scale-up and achieve their full growth potential, supporting UK productivity growth.

Infrastructure for Development

27. Infrastructure is important for development. Tackling shortfalls in infrastructure investment will help lift growth, job creation, and productivity. A large global infrastructure gap must be funded in the coming decades in order to keep pace with projected growth. Public sector resources alone remain insufficient to fulfil long-term infrastructure financing needs and international finance institutions’ balance sheets are limited. Thus, significant private sector investment in infrastructure is needed. In 2017, it was estimated that there were approximately US$80 trillion in assets under management by institutional investors, presenting a potential source for significant financing infrastructure, including for emerging market and developing economies

28. In this context, we are taking steps to further catalyse private investment into infrastructure. To achieve this, we endorse the “Roadmap to infrastructure as an Asset Class” (the Roadmap) that will help improve project development; promote greater standardisation; and improve the investment environment for infrastructure.

29. We welcome the progress made this year under the Roadmap and endorse the G20 Principles for the Infrastructure Project Preparation Phase, which will lay the foundation for making projects bankable and help attract additional private capital into infrastructure. We encourage implementation of these principles by both MDBs and governments through their project development operations. We welcome the MDB Infrastructure Cooperation Platform, which strengthens and promotes the MDBs working as a system. In line with this, we welcome the Introductory Guide to MDB Guarantees Products which will help increase investor understanding of financial models that help crowd in more private capital. We welcome further work on infrastructure asset performance data and to explore ways to address infrastructure data gaps.

30. We look forward to continued progress on the Roadmap during the next presidency, particularly in the areas of Quality Infrastructure and Regulatory Frameworks and Capital Markets.

Gender equality

31. Increased participation of women in our economies not only is empowering but will help improve our economic growth prospects. It will also promote more inclusive societies. Despite progress, gender gaps continue to exist in many areas. We are therefore taking measures to support greater gender equality, including:

– Canada has introduced the first ever Gender Results Framework to track how Canada is currently performing, to help define what is needed to achieve greater equality and to determine how progress will be measured going forward.

– Mexico has implemented a Labour Reform intended to, among other things, strengthen gender equality, inclusion and non-discrimination in labour relations.

– Saudi Arabia has launched a Women in Business initiative aimed at empowering women in private businesses and raising their SME ownership.

– Spain will launch a plan to fight against the gender wage gap. Measures will be implemented to close the wage gap between men and women.

International Taxation

32. We will continue our work for a globally fair, sustainable and modern international tax system based in particular on tax treaties and transfer pricing rules, and welcome international cooperation to advance pro-growth tax policies. We reinforce our commitment to the implementation of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) package. We will continue to work together to seek a consensus‑based solution to address the impacts of the digitalisation of the economy on the international tax system by 2020 with an update in 2019.

33. We welcome the entry into force of the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent BEPS (MLI). We welcome the implementation of the automatic exchange of financial account information in over 80 jurisdictions. We support the first automatic exchange of Country-by-Country Reports (CbCR) between governments which started in June 2018. Jurisdictions that have not yet done so are encouraged to put in place a framework for filing and exchanging CbCR. We ask the OECD to prepare a list by the 2019 Leaders' Summit of the jurisdictions that have not yet sufficiently progressed toward a satisfactory level of implementation of the internationally agreed tax transparency standards. Jurisdictions which do not meet the transparency standards will be listed and defensive measures considered against them.

34. We ask the OECD and the IMF to report to Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in 2019 on progress made on tax certainty. We call for the Platform for Collaboration on Tax to develop its work plan on its commitments and provide a progress report in 2019.

Sustainable Finance

35. We recognise that mobilising sustainable finance is important for strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

36. We welcome the G20 Sustainable Finance Synthesis Report 2018 which presents voluntary options to support the deployment of sustainable private capital, and their implementation by all interested countries.

Financial Inclusion

37. We recognise the importance of financial inclusion to empower and transform the lives of all our people and support the work of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in this regard. We endorse the G20 Financial Inclusion Policy Guide on Digitisation and Informality which provides voluntary policy recommendations to facilitate digital financial services, taking into account country contexts, and recognise digitisation as a tool to financially include unserved and underserved individuals and MSMEs, especially those in the informal economy. We commend the implementation of the G20 Policy Guide in G20 and non-G20 countries through pilot projectsand support the continuity of this initiative. We welcome work by the GPFI on financial inclusion of forcibly displaced persons.

38. We support the collection of gender disaggregated data on financial inclusion both from the demand and the supply side considering, among others, the IMF’s Financial Access Survey.

39. We also endorse the GPFI Work Program and Structure: A Roadmap to 2020. We ask the GPFI to ensure it meets the specified timeline to streamline its work program and structure so it continues to support economic growth and financial stability, and reduce inequality.


4. G20’s Collective Growth Ambition

40. In 2014, we agreed to use our growth strategies as instruments for facilitating an integrated approach that makes use of all policy tools – monetary, fiscal and structural – individually and collectively to boost global growth. At that time, we put forward significant policy measures that, if implemented in a full and timely fashion, would increase G20 collective GDP by an additional 2 per cent by 2018 (collective growth ambition). We updated our growth strategies in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 with new measures aimed at raising the effectiveness of our original actions and further boosting growth.

41. This process has allowed us to go one step further in terms of the coordination effort initiated in 2009 with the Mutual Assessment Process following the Global Financial Crisis. It also showcased the spillovers from structural reforms, highlighting the benefits from coordinated action. Our efforts have so far led us to achieve more than half of our collective growth ambition. Slower-than-expected implementation means that we will achieve our collective growth ambition later than originally anticipated. Importantly, however, we expect the longer-term impact of the measures members will have implemented as part of the growth strategy exercise will exceed 2 per cent of G20 collective GDP. We will continue to implement the policy actions we have put forward in our growth strategies. The measures contained in this Action Plan will further add to this impact.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5375






Meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe



Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 summit.



December 1, 2018 - 20:20 - Buenos Aires








President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, colleagues, It is a pleasure to see you.

We use every opportunity to touch base on cooperation in the most important areas. We are glad that we now have a busy joint work schedule.







Just recently, two weeks ago, we met in Singapore, and now we are meeting here. We travel to different parts of the globe. But wherever we are, you and I have a meeting. I am very pleased about that.

I am very happy to see you.







Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (retranslated):

Mr President, I am glad to meet with you again here, in accordance with the agreement we reached in Singapore.

I would like to expand our cooperation in all areas to take Japan-Russia relations to a new level.







In particular, I would like to further develop our cooperation in mutual economic activities, as well as humanitarian measures for the former residents of the islands, including regular visits to the gravesites in their homeland.

I would also like to more actively promote Japanese-Russian cooperation in the sphere of security.







I hope we will have a detailed discussion today, mainly on the issues related to the peace treaty with due account of the results of our meeting in Singapore.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59287






Meeting with Crown Prince and Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud



Vladimir Putin met with Crown Prince and Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud.



December 1, 2018 - 21:45 - Buenos Aires




















The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59289






Talks with President of Argentina Mauricio Macri



Vladimir Putin held talks with President of the Argentine Republic Mauricio Macri at the Casa Rosada palace.



December 2, 2018 - 03:00 - Buenos Aires







After the official welcoming ceremony and a joint photo session, the two leaders had a conversation in a restricted format. The current state of the Russian-Argentinean strategic partnership and ways of further bolstering it were discussed.













Following the consultations the two presidents witnessed the exchange of documents signed during the official visit of the President of Russia to Argentina.













The documents signed include an intergovernmental agreement on fisheries and aquaculture, a plan for political consultations between the two countries’ foreign ministries, a strategic document on Russian-Argentinean partnership in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and an agreement to retain RT broadcasting in the viewing grid of Argentinean Public Television.










Vladimir Putin and Mauricio Macri also made press statements.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59291






Press statements following talks with President of Argentina Mauricio Macri



December 2, 2018 - 03:10 - Buenos Aires







President of Argentina Mauricio Macri (retranslated):

Good evening.

Thank you all for your support during this long day. This is very important because I have the honour to welcome President Putin to Argentina. This is our third meeting in the last three years, and this is an indicator of Russia and Argentina’s shared interest in our growing ties.

Argentina and Russia share a strong commitment to the principles of multilateralism in the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking, and we have also been doing fruitful work against terrorism. We are partners of the G20, which Argentina chaired this year, and Russia in 2013.

President Putin and I talked about the G20 summit that we have just completed, which exceeded the expectations of many, as the final declaration was signed, which confirmed our points of contact on trade-based development issues, high attention to climate change, gender equality issues and other very sensitive topics.

We have just had a very fruitful working meeting and considered issues on the bilateral agenda; we took the necessary steps to further expand and diversify our relations.

I have once again repeated to President Putin how we value Argentina-Russia relations – this is reflected in the rich agenda, which includes cooperation in science and technology, interaction in the nuclear and space industries, food security, security and defence.

Today we have signed a series of agreements that will allow us to expand the scope of our bilateral cooperation in such key areas as healthcare, fisheries and nuclear energy.







We are enthusiastic about the joint initiatives of Russian and Argentinean companies in energy and railway transport. These are positive steps that will allow us to continue working in other areas.

Argentina is a reliable and competitive food supplier for Russian consumers. During these days, you had a chance to taste our products, and it seemed to me that you liked them. It makes me happy.

Last year, we decided to open an agri-industrial representative office in Moscow. Argentina has only five such missions, and we decided that one of them should be in Russia. We are placing a big bet on our ever-increasing cooperation.

Our mutual trade has increased significantly this year. We are interested in its further expansion and diversification so as to use the full potential of our complementary regional economies.

We are working to bring our regions closer together and share our interest in reaching an agreement between MERCOSUR and the Eurasian Economic Union. Argentina will preside over MERCOSUR in the first half of 2019, and we are committed to promoting this agreement.

President Putin, I want to thank you once again for your visit and your commitment to strengthening cooperation between Argentina and Russia. I am convinced that our joint work – I am very sure of this! – will help us move forward and ensure a better future for our peoples.

Thank you.







President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Mr President, on the successful holding of this high-profile international event – the G20 Summit.

You have managed to create a very amicable, I would say, friendly atmosphere during all this multilateral work, which has led to tangible positive results. Thank you very much.

We had a chance to appreciate the goodwill and patience of the residents of the Argentinian capital over these days, despite the inconvenience of hosting such a large international forum.

I will note that the final declaration adopted at the summit reflects the priorities of Argentina’s G20 Presidency in the outgoing year.

It is important that the G20 express their general dedication to further coordinated work, in order to ensure sustainable global economic growth, increase the stability of international finance, and develop a multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation remaining as its core.

At our talks with Mr Macri, we reviewed key aspects of our bilateral cooperation, as well as current international topics. We had a very informative one-on-one conversation, in a restricted format, and then in an expanded format.







We have just signed, as you have seen, a thick package of bilateral intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements, as well as commercial contracts. All this evidences our mutual dedication to strengthening Russia-Argentina relations in all areas.

Naturally, much attention was paid to the expansion of our economic ties. In 2017, our trade grew to $890 million, and in the first nine months of this year, it climbed another 26 percent. At the end of this year, we will reach $1billion.

We talked in detail with Mr President about the importance of deepening industrial cooperation and the implementation of large bilateral projects. In this context, we discussed building a nuclear power plant in Argentina using Russian technology.

I am sure that the strategic document on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, signed by Rosatom and its Argentinean colleagues, will create the necessary conditions for the existing large joint plans in this crucial area.

We have accumulated positive experience in industrial cooperation. Note that over 20 percent of the electricity generated in Argentina is produced by Russian-made equipment. Our companies service six Argentinean power plants and plan to participate in a tender for the supply of power units for six more hydroelectric power plants.

Cooperation in railway transport is also growing stronger. Russia participated in the creation of a rolling stock production centre in Mechita, which opened in May. Our largest railway company, Russian Railways, is ready to assist in the implementation of an important initiative for the Argentine economy – the construction of a 700-km railway to the Vaca Muerta field.

I would like to specially mention transport infrastructure projects. Our major bank, Gazprombank, is planning to invest in the construction of a large port and logistics hub on the Parana River. The hub will significantly reduce the cost of shipping Argentina’s agricultural products to Russia and exporting Russian petroleum products to Argentina and other countries in South America.







We can see significant potential for increasing cooperation in the supply of fertilisers, the production of pharmaceuticals, green energy, space exploration and in many other areas.

The largest diaspora of Russian compatriots in Latin America lives in Argentina. We appreciate this and want to thank Mr President and all our Argentine friends for maintaining relations in this area. I have already mentioned this: it was when Mr President was the mayor of the capital, the Mother-Russia festival of Slavic culture was launched there. This tradition dates back to 2009, when the President was the mayor of the capital, and has continued to this day. We are very grateful for this.

It is important that, thanks to its Spanish-language version, Russia Today TV channel will continue to work in Argentina until 2022. I think this also underscores the special nature of relations between our countries and gives Argentinean viewers an opportunity to see what is happening in Russia in reality as well as our vision of what is happening in the world.

We agreed to expand coordination with the Argentinean side in the fight against transnational organised crime, including in cyberspace, illicit drug production and trafficking, and other modern threats and challenges.

We actively and fruitfully cooperate in the international arena due to the commonality or at least proximity of our positions in this area.

I would like to thank Mr President for the opportunity to meet separately today, to hold these useful bilateral contacts. I am confident that we will continue to move along the path of expanding our interaction.

Thank you.




The source of information - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59292
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
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putin, putin speech, vladimir putin

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