Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly with his annual Address. The announcement of the Message, according to tradition, took place in the St. George Hall of the Kremlin in the presence of over 1000 invitees.
The announcement of the Address was attended by members of the Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma, members of the Government, heads of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, governors, chairmen legislative assemblies subjects of the Federation, heads of traditional faiths, public figures, including heads of regional public chambers, heads of major media outlets.
Vladimir Putin: Dear members of the Federation Council! Dear deputies State Duma! Citizens of Russia!
I would like to begin this year’s Message with words of gratitude to the Russian military personnel who are fighting international terrorism.
Today here, in the St. George's Hall, the historical hall of the Russian military glory, there are combat pilots and representatives of the Armed Forces - participants in the anti-terrorist operation in Syria.
Gelena Yuryevna Peshkova and Irina Vladimirovna Pozynich, who lost their husbands in the war on terror, found the strength to join us. Low bow to you and the parents of our heroes.
I ask you to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives while fulfilling their duty, and the memory of all Russian citizens who died at the hands of terrorists.
(Minute of silence.)
Dear Colleagues!
Russia has long been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. This is a fight for freedom, truth and justice. For the lives of people and the future of the entire civilization.
We know what the aggression of international terrorism is. Russia faced it in the mid-90s, and our country and its citizens experienced brutal terrorist attacks. We remember the hostage takings in Budennovsk, Beslan, Moscow, the merciless explosions of residential buildings, the crash of the Nevsky Express train, terrorist attacks in the capital's metro and at Domodedovo airport.
These tragedies claimed thousands of lives. This is a grief that is forever with us, with the country, with the relatives and friends of the innocent people who died.
It took almost ten years to break the back of the bandits. We have practically driven the terrorists out of Russia, but we are still waging an irreconcilable fight against the remnants of the underground gangs. But this evil still makes itself felt. Two years ago there were terrorist attacks in Volgograd. Just recently, a Russian civilian plane was blown up over the Sinai.
It is impossible to defeat international terrorism by the forces of only one country, especially in conditions when the borders in the world are actually open, and the world is also experiencing a new migration of peoples, when terrorists receive constant financial support.
The threat of terrorism is growing. The problem of Afghanistan has not yet been resolved. The situation in this country is alarming and does not inspire optimism, and recently stable, quite prosperous countries, by the way, are the countries of the Middle East and North Africa– Iraq, Libya, Syria have turned into a zone of chaos and anarchy, from which a threat to the whole world comes.
And we know why this happened. We know who wanted to remove unwanted regimes and roughly impose their own rules. As a result what? They started a mess, destroyed the statehood, pitted people against each other, and then simply, as we say in Russia, washed their hands of it, opening the way for radicals, extremists and terrorists.
A particular danger to us comes from militants who have concentrated in Syria. Among them there are many immigrants from Russia and CIS countries. They receive money, weapons, accumulate strength. And if they get stronger and win there, they will inevitably end up with us to sow fear and hatred, blow up, kill, and torture people. And we are obliged to meet them and destroy them at distant approaches.
That is why the decision was made on a military operation based on an official appeal from the legal, legitimate Syrian government. And in Syria ours Armed forces They fight primarily for Russia, defending the safety of our citizens.
The Russian army and navy have convincingly demonstrated their combat readiness and increased capabilities. Modern Russian weapons operate effectively, and the invaluable practice of their use in combat conditions is generalized and will be used to further improve our military equipment and weapons. Thanks to the engineers, workers - everyone who works at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
In the fight against terrorism, Russia has demonstrated utmost responsibility and leadership. These decisive action supported by Russian society. And in such an absolutely definite position of our citizens - a deep understanding of the total threat of terrorism, the manifestation of true patriotic feelings and high moral qualities, the conviction that national interests, our history, traditions, and our values must be protected.
Lessons from the past full height stood before the world community. The historical parallels are obvious.
In the twentieth century, the reluctance to timely unite efforts in the fight against Nazism was paid for with tens of millions of lives and the bloodiest world war.
Today we are again face to face with a destructive, barbaric ideology and we have no right to allow the newly emerged obscurantists to achieve their goals.
It is necessary to discard all disputes and differences, create one powerful fist, a united anti-terrorist front that will act on the basis international law and under the auspices of the United Nations.
Every civilized state is now obliged to contribute to the defeat of terrorists, to confirm its solidarity - and not with declarations, but with concrete actions.
This means no shelter for bandits. No double standards. No contact with anyone terrorist organizations. No attempts to use them for your own purposes. No criminal, bloody business with terrorists.
We know, for example, who in Turkey is lining their pockets and allowing terrorists to make money by selling oil stolen in Syria. It is with this money that the bandits recruit mercenaries, buy weapons, and organize inhumane terrorist attacks directed against our citizens, against the citizens of France, Lebanon, Mali, and other states. We also remember that it was in Turkey that the militants who operated in the North Caucasus in the 90s and 2000s took refuge and received moral and material support. And now we still notice them there.
Meanwhile, the Turkish people are kind, hardworking and talented. We have many long-time and reliable friends in Turkey. And I emphasize: they should know that we do not equate them with part of today’s ruling elite, which is directly responsible for the death of our military personnel in Syria.
We will not forget this complicity with terrorists. We have always considered and will continue to consider betrayal to be the most recent and shameful thing. Let those in Turkey know this who shot our pilots in the back, who are hypocritically trying to justify themselves, their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists.
In general, dear colleagues, I don’t understand why they did this. Any questions, any problems, any contradictions that we did not even see could have been resolved in a completely different way. Moreover, we were willing to cooperate with Turkey on its most sensitive issues and were willing to go to lengths that their allies were unwilling to do. Only, probably, Allah knows why they did it. And, apparently, Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey, depriving it of reason and reason.
But they will not expect a nervous, hysterical reaction from us, dangerous for ourselves and for the whole world. A reaction designed for some external effects or even momentary domestic political consumption. It will not happen.
Our actions will be primarily based on responsibility to our country, to our people. We are not going to and will not rattle sabers. But if someone thinks that having committed a vile war crime, the murder of our people, they will get off with tomatoes or some kind of restrictions in the construction and other industries, then they are deeply mistaken. We will remind you more than once of what they did. And they will regret what they did more than once. We know what needs to be done.
Now our Armed Forces, special services, and law enforcement agencies have been mobilized to repel the terrorist threat. But everyone must understand their responsibility: the authorities, political parties, civil society structures, media.
Russia's strength lies in free development of all peoples, in diversity, harmony of our cultures, languages, and traditions, in mutual respect, dialogue, both Orthodox and Muslim, followers of Judaism and Buddhism.
We are obliged to firmly counter any manifestations of extremism and xenophobia, and to preserve interethnic and interreligious harmony. This historical background our society and Russian statehood.
MESSAGE
PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
TO THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY
Dear members of the Federation Council! Dear deputies of the State Duma! Citizens of Russia!
I would like to begin this year’s Message with words of gratitude to the Russian military personnel who are fighting international terrorism.
Gelena Yuryevna Peshkova and Irina Vladimirovna Pozynich, who lost their husbands in the war on terror, found the strength to join us. Low bow to you and the parents of our heroes.
I ask you to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives while fulfilling their duty, and the memory of all Russian citizens who died at the hands of terrorists.
(Minute of silence.)
Dear Colleagues!
Russia has long been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. This is a fight for freedom, truth and justice. For the lives of people and the future of the entire civilization.
We know what the aggression of international terrorism is. Russia faced it in the mid-90s, and our country and its citizens experienced brutal terrorist attacks. We remember the hostage takings in Budennovsk, Beslan, Moscow, the merciless explosions of residential buildings, the crash of the Nevsky Express train, terrorist attacks in the capital's metro and at Domodedovo airport.
These tragedies claimed thousands of lives. This is a grief that is forever with us, with the country, with the relatives and friends of the innocent people who died.
It took almost ten years to break the back of the bandits. We have practically driven the terrorists out of Russia, but we are still waging an irreconcilable fight against the remnants of the underground gang. But this evil still makes itself felt. Two years ago there were terrorist attacks in Volgograd. Just recently, a Russian civilian plane was blown up over the Sinai.
It is impossible to defeat international terrorism by the forces of only one country, especially in conditions when the borders in the world are actually open, and the world is also experiencing a new migration of peoples, when terrorists receive constant financial support.
The threat of terrorism is growing. The problem of Afghanistan has not yet been resolved. The situation in this country is alarming and does not inspire optimism, and recently stable, quite prosperous, by the way, countries of the Middle East and North Africa - Iraq, Libya, Syria - have turned into a zone of chaos and anarchy, from which a threat to the whole world emanates.
And we know why this happened. We know who wanted to remove unwanted regimes and roughly impose their own rules. As a result what? They started a mess, destroyed the statehood, pitted people against each other, and then simply, as we say in Russia, washed their hands of it, opening the way for radicals, extremists and terrorists.
A particular danger to us comes from militants who have concentrated in Syria. Among them there are many immigrants from Russia and CIS countries. They receive money, weapons, accumulate strength. And if they get stronger and win there, they will inevitably end up with us to sow fear and hatred, blow up, kill, and torture people. And we are obliged to meet them and destroy them at distant approaches.
That is why the decision was made on a military operation based on an official appeal from the legal, legitimate Syrian government. And in Syria, our Armed Forces are fighting primarily for Russia, defending the safety of our citizens.
The Russian army and navy have convincingly demonstrated their combat readiness and increased capabilities. Modern Russian weapons operate effectively, and the invaluable practice of their use in combat conditions is generalized and will be used to further improve our military equipment and weapons. Thanks to the engineers, workers - everyone who works at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
In the fight against terrorism, Russia has demonstrated utmost responsibility and leadership. These decisive actions are supported by Russian society. And in this absolutely definite position of our citizens there is a deep understanding of the total threat of terrorism, the manifestation of true patriotic feelings and high moral qualities, the conviction that national interests, our history, traditions, and our values must be protected.
The lessons of the past have come full circle to the world community. The historical parallels are obvious.
In the 20th century, the reluctance to timely unite efforts in the fight against Nazism was paid for with tens of millions of lives and the bloodiest world war.
Today we are again face to face with a destructive, barbaric ideology and we have no right to allow the newly emerged obscurantists to achieve their goals.
It is necessary to put aside all disputes and differences, create one powerful fist, a united anti-terrorist front that will act on the basis of international law and under the auspices of the United Nations.
Every civilized state is now obliged to contribute to the defeat of terrorists, to confirm its solidarity - and not with declarations, but with concrete actions.
We know, for example, who in Turkey is lining their pockets and allowing terrorists to make money by selling oil stolen in Syria. It is with this money that the bandits recruit mercenaries, buy weapons, and organize inhumane terrorist attacks directed against our citizens, against the citizens of France, Lebanon, Mali, and other states. We also remember that it was in Turkey that the militants who operated in the North Caucasus in the 90s and 2000s took refuge and received moral and material support. And now we still notice them there.
Meanwhile, the Turkish people are kind, hardworking and talented. We have many long-time and reliable friends in Turkey. And I emphasize: they should know that we do not equate them with part of today’s ruling elite, which is directly responsible for the death of our military personnel in Syria.
We will not forget this complicity with terrorists. We have always considered and will continue to consider betrayal to be the most recent and shameful thing. Let those in Turkey know this who shot our pilots in the back, who are hypocritically trying to justify themselves, their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists.
In general, dear colleagues, I don’t understand why they did this. Any questions, any problems, any contradictions that we did not even see could have been resolved in a completely different way. Moreover, we were willing to cooperate with Turkey on its most sensitive issues and were willing to go to lengths that their allies were unwilling to do. Only, probably, Allah knows why they did it. And, apparently, Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey, depriving it of reason and reason.
But they will not expect a nervous, hysterical reaction from us, dangerous for ourselves and for the whole world. A reaction designed for some external effects or even momentary domestic political consumption. It will not happen.
Our actions will be primarily based on responsibility to our country, to our people. We are not going to and will not rattle sabers. But if anyone thinks that having committed a vile war crime, the murder of our people, they will get off with tomatoes or some kind of restrictions in the construction and other industries, then they are deeply mistaken. We will remind you more than once of what they did. And they will regret what they did more than once. We know what needs to be done.
Now our Armed Forces, special services, and law enforcement agencies have been mobilized to repel the terrorist threat. But everyone must understand their responsibility: the government, political parties, civil society structures, and the media.
The strength of Russia lies in the free development of all peoples, in the diversity, harmony of our cultures, languages, and traditions, in mutual respect and dialogue between Orthodox Christians and Muslims, followers of Judaism and Buddhism.
We are obliged to firmly counter any manifestations of extremism and xenophobia, and to preserve interethnic and interreligious harmony. This is the historical basis of our society and Russian statehood.
Elections to the State Duma will take place in 2016. And addressing the party leaders and participants of the future electoral process, to all socio-political forces, I would like to quote the outstanding historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. This is what he wrote: “Whoever does not respect himself, no doubt, will not be respected by others either. I am not saying that love for the Fatherland should blind us and convince us that we are better than everyone else in everything. But a Russian must know his worth ".
Yes, we can argue about ways to solve certain problems. But we must maintain our unity and remember that the main thing for us is Russia.
Election competition must be fair and transparent, within the framework of the law, and with respect for voters. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure unconditional public trust in the election results and their strong legitimacy.
Dear Colleagues! I believe that the necessary attention in the programs of candidates for deputies will be given to issues of combating corruption. They, these questions, really concern society. Corruption is an obstacle to Russia's development.
Today, officials, judges, law enforcement officers, deputies of all levels are required to submit declarations on income and expenses, on the availability of real estate and assets, including foreign ones.
Now information about contracts and contracts that state and municipal employees plan to enter into with the companies of their relatives, friends and loved ones will also be subject to disclosure. A situation in which there are signs of personal interest or conflict of interest will instantly fall into the zone of increased attention of regulatory and law enforcement agencies. And of course, civil society.
Just the other day, participants in the All-Russian project popular front"Behind fair procurement"They told me about the facts of abuse they had identified, about outright violations. Please General Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement agencies immediately respond to such information.
The law must be harsh towards those who deliberately committed a serious crime and caused damage to people’s lives and the interests of society and the state. And of course, the law must be humane towards those who have stumbled.
Today, almost every second criminal case that comes to court is related to petty, insignificant crimes, and people, including very young people, end up in prison.
Staying there and the criminal record itself usually have a negative impact on their future fate and often lead to subsequent crimes.
I ask the State Duma to support the proposals of the Supreme Court of Russia to decriminalize a number of articles of the Criminal Code and transfer crimes that do not pose a great public danger to the category of administrative offenses, but with a fundamental caveat: repeated commission of an offense should be qualified as a criminal act.
Independence and objectivity need to be increased trial. In this regard, I propose to strengthen the role of the institution of jurors and expand the number of crimes that they can consider. And taking into account the fact that it is not always easy to form a board of 12 people, I know the position of human rights organizations, they proceed from the fact that it should be exactly 12 assessors, but, I repeat, it is not easy to form this board, and it costs a lot, To be honest, you can think about reducing the number of jurors to five to seven people, but it is imperative to maintain complete autonomy and independence of the jury when making decisions.
Dear Colleagues! Last year we faced serious economic challenges. Prices for oil and our other traditional export goods fell, and the access of Russian financial institutions and companies to global financial markets was limited.
I know that this is not easy for many people right now. Difficulties in the economy affect the incomes and, in general, the standard of living of our people. And I understand well that people are asking questions: when will we overcome difficulties and what will we do for this?
The situation is really complicated, but - I’ve already said this, I want to repeat it - not critical. Already today we see positive trends. Industrial production and the national currency exchange rate have generally stabilized, there has been a decline in inflation, and compared to 2014 we are recording a significant reduction in capital outflow.
But this does not mean that we should calm down and wait for everything to miraculously change, or just wait for oil prices to rise. This approach is fundamentally unacceptable.
We must be prepared for the fact that period low prices on raw materials, and, perhaps, external restrictions may drag on, and drag on for a long time. Without changing anything, we will simply burn through our reserves, and economic growth rates will fluctuate somewhere around zero.
But it's not only that. The main trends in global development cannot be overlooked behind current problems. The contours of the global economy are rapidly changing, new trade blocs are being formed, and radical changes are taking place in the field of technology.
It is now that the positions of countries in the global division of labor for decades to come are being determined, and we can and must take a place among the leaders.
Russia has no right to be vulnerable. We need to be strong in the economy, in technology, in professional competencies, to make full use of today's favorable opportunities, which may not exist tomorrow.
Of course, the authorities must hear people, explain the essence of emerging problems and the logic of their actions, and see civil society and business as equal partners.
What areas should be key for us?
First. Competitive production is still concentrated mainly in the raw materials and mining sectors. Only by changing the structure of the economy will we be able to solve large-scale problems in the field of security and social development, create modern jobs and improve the quality and standard of living of millions of our people.
It is important that we have successful enterprises in industry, in agriculture, in small and medium businesses. The goal is for the number of such companies to grow quickly and in all industries. Our programs for import substitution and export support, technological renewal of production and training of professional personnel should be aimed at achieving this goal.
Second. It must be taken into account that a number of industries are now at risk. This is primarily construction, automotive, light industry, and railway engineering. For them, the Government should offer special support programs. Financial resources are provided for this.
Third. It is necessary to support people with low incomes, the most vulnerable categories of citizens, and finally move to a fair principle of providing social assistance when it is received by those who really need it. In particular, it is necessary to take into account the individual needs of people with disabilities, and pay special attention to their vocational training and employment of people with disabilities.
We have done a lot in demography, education, and healthcare. The main guidelines in these areas are outlined in the May 2012 decrees. Of course, life makes its own adjustments, and significant adjustments, but now, given the current difficulties, responsibility for the well-being of people is only increasing, and I ask you to take these decrees most seriously. We must strive to fulfill them.
Fourth. We need to achieve budget balance. This, of course, is not an end in itself, but the most important condition for macroeconomic stability and financial independence of the country. Let me remind you that based on the results of the execution of the 2016 federal budget, its deficit should not exceed three percent, even if our revenues turn out to be lower than expected. I draw your attention to this, dear colleagues, State Duma deputies and members of the Federal Assembly, and the Federation Council as a whole. This important question. I just said that financial stability and the independence of the country are absolutely interconnected. Please proceed from these key, basic considerations.
Budget planning, each budget cycle must begin with a clear fixation of priorities; it is necessary to return the decisive role of state programs in this process. Control over the movement of public funds, including federal and regional subsidies to industrial and agricultural enterprises, should be significantly tightened. I believe that they should be transferred to the final recipient only through treasury accounts. State revenues should not go by the wayside, as they say. Due to “gray” schemes when paying customs duties, excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and fuels and lubricants, the budget annually loses hundreds of billions of rubles. This is outright theft.
I propose to form a single, holistic mechanism for administering tax, customs and other fiscal payments. There are different options here, we have already seen them many times Lately discussed. I am waiting for specific proposals from the Government. At the same time, I want to emphasize again: in coming years tax conditions for business should not change.
This year we have generally completed the implementation of plans outlined within the framework of the national entrepreneurial initiative. The dynamics are good, but, of course, you can’t stop.
The government, together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and leading business associations, must continue systematic work to improve business conditions and constantly monitor local law enforcement.
I consider freedom of enterprise to be the most important economic and social significant issue. It is with this - freedom of enterprise, the expansion of this freedom of enterprise - that we must respond to all the restrictions that they are trying to create for us.
That is why we have given such broad powers to the newly created Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium Businesses. I ask ministries and departments, governors, heads of all regions Russian Federation, state-owned companies and banks provide it with all necessary assistance.
Surveys show that entrepreneurs do not yet see qualitative progress in the activities of control and supervisory agencies. All instructions in this regard have been given for a long time and more than once. For as long as we have been talking about this, we are reducing and reducing these powers. In some places we reduce them, in others they grow again. A whole army of controllers continues to prevent honest businesses from operating. This does not mean that control is not necessary. Of course, we need to control it. But I ask the Government Commission on Administrative Reform, together with business associations, to submit, by July 1, 2016, specific proposals to eliminate redundant and duplicative functions of control and supervisory authorities.
I would also like to quote figures prepared by one of our business associations. In 2014, investigative authorities initiated almost 200 thousand criminal cases on so-called economic charges. 46 thousand out of 200 thousand reached the court, another 15 thousand cases fell apart in court. It turns out that if you consider that only 15 percent of cases ended in a verdict. At the same time, the absolute majority, about 80 percent, 83 percent of entrepreneurs against whom criminal cases were filed, lost their business completely or partially. That is, they were put under pressure, robbed and released. And this, of course, is not what we need in terms of the business climate. This is a direct destruction of the business climate. I ask the investigative authorities and the prosecutor's office to pay special attention to this.
Let me emphasize that the prosecutor’s office should make wider use of the tools available to it to monitor the quality of the investigation. I know that discussions on this matter have been going on for a long time, what additional information needs to be given to the prosecutor’s office. You know, at one time we separated the investigation from the prosecutor’s office in order to ensure the independence of the investigation; this was a conscious decision. Today, let me remind you, the prosecutor’s office has such tools as canceling the decision to initiate a criminal case, refusing to approve the indictment or even supporting the charges in court. We need to more actively use what is available, and only after that we will be able to analyze what is happening in practice.
In addition, I believe that during an investigation into economic crimes, placement in custody should be used as a last resort, and bail, recognizance not to leave, or house arrest should be used. Let me emphasize that the role of the law enforcement and judicial system is to protect the economy and citizens from fraud and criminals and to protect the rights, property, and dignity of everyone who follows the law and conducts their business honestly.
And one more topic. Last year, an amnesty was announced for capital returning to Russia. Meanwhile, business is not yet in a hurry to take advantage of this opportunity, which means that the proposed procedure is complex and there are not enough guarantees. I also follow the discussions that are going on in society now on this issue. They say that what we did and the decisions we made were a little better than similar decisions of previous years, but this is definitely not enough today. I ask the Government to hold consultations, additional consultations with the business community, with the Supreme Court, with law enforcement agencies and in short time make the appropriate adjustments, and I propose to extend the amnesty itself for another six months.
Dear Colleagues! The state will provide all the necessary assistance to those who are ready to move forward and be a leader. We are building such a system in dialogue with business based on their requests and tasks facing our country.
Financial support for import substitution projects is already provided by the Industrial Development Fund. Its programs are in demand by entrepreneurs. I propose to recapitalize the Fund by another 20 billion rubles next year.
We also guarantee stable tax and other basic conditions for investors who are ready to invest in import substitution projects. This is provided for by such a mechanism as a special investment contract. I propose, within the framework of such contracts, to give the regions the right to reduce the profit tax rate to zero. Some executives explicitly ask for this so that investors can cover their capital costs for creating new production facilities.
But, of course, we are also aware of the concerns of regional leaders. And therefore, the subjects of the Federation must have incentives to strengthen their economic base. Therefore, the increase in regional income from the implementation of such projects should not entail a reduction in federal subsidies.
We are ready to guarantee demand for these programs and these projects. I propose to give the Government the right to purchase on a non-competitive basis up to 30 percent of products created under special investment contracts. But everything else should go to the free market, including the foreign market, so that companies do not lose motivation, monitor quality, and strive to reduce costs.
You know, when such programs were implemented in other countries, in order to receive support from the state, even more stringent conditions were set: a certain volume of output must be sold on the foreign market. For what? In order for the manufacturer to strive to produce quality products.
We say that we will guarantee our own market. Our conditions are a little different than in those countries that acted in such a stricter manner. But we must proceed from the fact that the products that will be produced must be of the highest international level. Let me emphasize again that we will support competitive domestic production. No one should have any illusions that, under the guise of import substitution, it is possible to slip the state and citizens surrogates or stale, and even exorbitantly expensive, goods. Russia needs companies that are not only able to provide the country with modern, high-quality products, but also conquer world markets. To assist those who are ready for such work, the Russian Export Center has been created.
In addition, I propose to make the growth of non-resource exports one of the key indicators of the activities of industry departments, and the Government as a whole.
I also think it’s right to implement the initiative of the business community and create an agency for technological development, which will provide assistance to enterprises in acquiring domestic and foreign patents and licenses for engineering services. Entering foreign markets and expanding Russian products should become a natural strategy for the development of national business and the entire Russian economy. And of course, you need to break stereotypes and believe in your own capabilities. If you go forward, then the result will definitely come.
An example of this is our agriculture. Ten years ago, we imported almost half of our food products from abroad and were critically dependent on imports; now Russia is among the exporters. Last year, Russian exports of agricultural products amounted to almost $20 billion. This is a quarter more than revenue from arms sales, or about a third of revenue from gas exports. And our agriculture has made such a breakthrough in a short but fruitful period. Many thanks to the villagers.
I believe that it is necessary to set a national level task and by 2020 to fully supply the domestic market with domestic food. We can not only feed ourselves, taking into account our land and water resources, which is especially important. Russia is capable of becoming the world's largest supplier of healthy, environmentally friendly, high-quality food products, which have long been lost from some Western producers, especially since the demand on the global market for such products is steadily growing.
To solve such large-scale problems, it is necessary to concentrate resources on supporting, first of all, those farms that demonstrate high efficiency. It is on these principles that the development program for the agro-industrial complex should be built; I mean large, medium and small enterprises - all must be effective. I ask the Ministry of Agriculture to pay special attention to this.
It is necessary to put into circulation millions of hectares of arable land that are now idle, in the hands of large landowners, and many of them are in no hurry to engage in agriculture. Listen, how many years have we been talking about this? And nothing has changed. I propose to confiscate agricultural land that is not used for its intended purpose from unscrupulous owners and sell it at auction to those who want and can cultivate the land.
I ask the Government to prepare specific proposals, including draft regulations, by June 1, 2016, and I ask the State Duma deputies and all members of the Federal Assembly to amend the legislation over the next year and to adopt the relevant laws in the autumn session of next year.
We also need our own technologies for production, storage, processing of agricultural products, our own sowing and breeding fund. Extremely important task. We are still very vulnerable in these areas. I ask leading research institutes to join in solving this problem, Russian Academy sciences, as well as businesses that are already successfully implementing advanced developments.
In the last message, the launch of a national technology initiative was announced, its horizon is 15 - 20 years, however practical work is already underway. It showed that we have many strong teams capable of proposing and implementing innovative ideas. And in such areas as neurotechnologies, unmanned technologies in aviation, and in transport in general, energy storage and distribution systems, Russia has every chance of being among the first to break into global markets, and already in soon, in the coming years.
Development institutions must be aimed at solving priority problems, primarily related to technological modernization. We have more than two dozen of them. Let's face it, many of them, unfortunately, have turned into a real dump for “bad” debts. It is necessary to clear them, and, of course, to optimize the structure and mechanisms of this work. I know that both the Government and the Central Bank are now actively working on this.
To renew the economy, we should more actively use the investment potential of domestic savings. I ask the Central Bank and the Government to submit proposals for the development of the corporate bond market, which we have also discussed several times. It is necessary to simplify the procedure for their release and acquisition. And to make it profitable for investors and citizens to invest in the development of the domestic real sector, I propose to exempt coupon income on these bonds from taxation, including from personal income tax.
In industry and agriculture, transport and housing construction Dozens of large projects are currently being implemented or are being prepared for launch. They should have a positive effect not only for individual industries, but also provide an incentive for the integrated development of entire territories. First of all, these are, of course, private projects.
In order for them to be implemented faster and more efficiently, it is necessary to make targeted changes to legislation, remove administrative barriers, and provide assistance with infrastructure development and promotion to foreign markets. Often these issues go beyond the boundaries of one department, so I propose creating a mechanism to support the most significant projects. This could be done by a special project office. I ask the Prime Minister, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, to submit proposals for the work of such a structure.
By the way, one of the projects could be the creation of large private Russian companies in the field of e-commerce, so that Russian goods are delivered via the Internet to all countries of the world. We have something to supply.
Dear Colleagues! We are interested in broad business cooperation with foreign partners, we welcome investors who are focused on long-term work in the Russian market, even despite the current, not always simple, circumstances. We highly appreciate their favorable attitude towards our country, towards the advantages that they see here for the development of their business. To open up additional opportunities for increasing economic ties with Russia, our country is participating in integration processes.
We have already reached a qualitatively new level of interaction within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, a single space has been created with the free movement of capital, goods, work force. An agreement in principle was reached on linking Eurasian integration with the Chinese Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. A free trade zone with Vietnam has been created. Next year we will hold a Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi and, I am sure, we will be able to develop a joint mutually beneficial cooperation agenda.
I propose, together with my colleagues in Eurasian Studies, economic union begin consultations with members of the SCO and ASEAN, as well as with states that are joining the SCO, on the formation of a possible economic partnership. Together, our states make up almost a third of the world economy in purchasing power parity terms. Such a partnership at the initial stage could focus on issues of protecting investments, optimizing procedures for the movement of goods across borders, joint development of technical standards for products of the next technological generation, and mutual opening of access to the services and capital markets. Naturally, this partnership should be built on the principles of equality and consideration of mutual interests.
For Russia, such a partnership will create fundamentally new opportunities for increasing supplies of food, energy resources, engineering, educational, medical and tourism services to the Asia-Pacific region, will allow us to play a leading role in the formation of new technological markets, and also expand large global trade flows to Russia.
We will continue to modernize the transport infrastructure. We will develop powerful logistics centers, such as the Azov-Black Sea and Murmansk transport hubs, modern ports in the Baltic Sea and the Far East, strengthen the system of interregional air transportation, including in the northern and Arctic territories. At one of the upcoming meetings State Council We will consider in detail the state of inland waterways and river routes.
The Northern Sea Route should become a connecting link between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. To increase its competitiveness, we intend to extend the preferential treatment of the free port of Vladivostok to key harbors Far East, which is what entrepreneurs working in this region of Russia that is strategically important to us are asking us to do.
The socio-economic recovery of this region is the most important national priority. Investors are already showing serious practical interest in the new work mechanisms that we have proposed, including priority development areas.
I instruct the Government to speed up the adoption of a decision on equalizing energy tariffs for those Far Eastern regions in which they are significantly higher than the Russian average, and I ask the deputies to promptly consider the law on free provision of land to citizens in the Far East.
In recent years, significant resources have been invested in the development of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, and people see these changes. Komsomolsk-on-Amur should become another dynamic center of the Far East. This is a city with legendary history, with a modern high-tech industry that produces sought-after civilian products and successfully works for the defense industry. But urban and social infrastructure are in a state of disrepair here.
This also applies to the general appearance of the city, and to sports facilities, culture, healthcare institutions, education - all this does not correspond to the potential of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which is also why it is difficult to attract young promising specialists, whom the region's enterprises are in dire need of. I believe that within the framework of existing programs it is necessary to concentrate resources and, without delay, direct them to solving the urban problems of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Of course, this cannot be done from today to tomorrow, but you need, in any case, to understand what to do, how, and at what pace.
Dear Colleagues! We have a long-term agenda that should not depend on election cycles or the current environment. And it is clear that saving the nation, raising children and discovering their talents is what determines the strength and future of any country, including ours.
I would like to start with demographics. For three years in a row, Russia has experienced natural population growth. Yes, it’s small for now, but it’s there. What do I want to emphasize? According to all forecasts, we should have already slipped into a new demographic hole; in a generation, the echo of the 90s would have sounded, as we were told and predicted by demographers, including at the level of the United Nations. But this doesn't happen. And first of all, because half of newborns today are second, third and subsequent children. Families want to raise children, believe in their future, believe in their country, and count on state support.
The maternity capital program expires next year. It has already reached more than six and a half million Russian families, including in Crimea and Sevastopol. But we understand that all these efforts are not yet enough to heal the demographic wound of the past that Russia suffered.
Of course, we understand how difficult this is for the budget; these are large, serious funds. And we said earlier that we will have to calculate whether we, as financiers say, can bear it, whether we can reliably guarantee and pay for all this. We can, no matter what the problems. I consider it necessary to extend the maternity capital program for at least another two years.
One of the most important measures of demographic policy is the development preschool education. Over the past three years, about 800 thousand additional places in kindergartens have been opened. In almost all regions of Russia, children from three to seven years old are provided with access to such institutions. I know that the Prime Minister paid special, personal attention to this. Thank you, Dmitry Anatolyevich.
But for now, specific families still continue to face, many in any case, the problems of placing their child in kindergarten. And as long as this exists, we cannot consider the issue closed. I ask both the Government and regional leaders to pay special attention to this.
Now about healthcare. The main result of our entire policy in this area is an increase in life expectancy. Over the decade, it has increased by more than five years and this year, according to preliminary estimates, will exceed 71 years. But, of course, there are still a lot of problems that we have to solve.
From next year Russian healthcare completely switches to insurance principles. It is the direct responsibility of insurance companies operating in the compulsory medical insurance system to defend the rights of patients, including in the event of unreasonable refusals to provide free medical care. If the insurance organization does not do this, it must bear responsibility, including a ban on working in the compulsory medical insurance system. I ask the Government to ensure the strictest control here.
Further. We have significantly increased the volume of high-tech medical care. Let me remind you that in 2005, 60 thousand high-tech operations were performed in Russia (60 thousand!), and in 2014 - 715 thousand. For the first time in the history of the country, a significant part of such operations began to be carried out without a queue, and this is truly an achievement.
But you need to understand that some operations are expensive - as a rule, they are performed in leading federal medical centers and clinics. To finance such operations, I propose creating a mandatory health insurance... We thought a lot about this topic - whether to give additional money to the general system. Here, deputies, government leaders, and governors know what is actually happening in practice. The compulsory medical insurance system is territorial, and first of all it supports territorial health care institutions. The heads of large federal clinics, where most high-tech operations are performed, are, of course, very concerned about underfunding. Therefore, to finance such centers and carry out such operations, I propose to create a special federal part in the compulsory health insurance system. I ask that the necessary amendments to the legislation be adopted in the spring session.
But this is not enough, because while you and I are making these decisions, people still should not suffer; we need to ensure uninterrupted financing of high-tech medical care, including, until this decision is made, directly from the federal budget.
You also know that as part of the national project “Health”, a significant re-equipment of the ambulance service was carried out. We purchased a large number of modern ambulances and other equipment. It is clear that time passes, and the vehicle fleet needs repairs and renewal. Ten years have already passed. This is the responsibility of the subjects of the Federation, and they are primarily obliged to ensure the solution of this problem and find reserves.
Listen, when we did this ten years ago, I remember well, we agreed: we would pour in federal money, and then the regions should pick it up and keep it at a certain level. But that did not happen. It's a pity. I understand that there are problems, but, as I have said many times, priorities must be set correctly. It was impossible to wait again: now everything will fall apart, and we will again be given money from the federal budget. Apparently, this will have to be done, of course. But this is not what we agreed on. In any case, I ask both the Government and the regions to return to this now and solve this problem together.
People complain that they sometimes do not understand why hospitals, schools, cultural and cultural institutions, for example, are closing or merging. social centers, institutions. We talk all the time about the need to restructure the network, in some cases oversize. Yes it is. But we need to act very carefully here and understand that in order to reach certain indicators, closing FAPs in rural areas is not at all the best way to solve this problem. And, unfortunately, we also see this. And then people have to travel 100 kilometers to get medical care. This does not fit into any gates at all! I ask you to be very attentive to this. And I instruct the Government, by March 1, 2016, to prepare and approve a methodology for the optimal placement of social sector institutions. It should be mandatory for use in the regions. It is necessary to find a form, including a legally justified one, that would allow this to be done.
In issues such as helping the elderly and disabled, supporting families and children, we need more trust and civil society, non-profit organizations. They often work more efficiently, with better quality, with sincere care for people, and there is less bureaucracy in their work.
Based on the results of the “Community” civil forum, which took place in November, I propose a number of specific solutions.
First. A special program will be launched presidential grants to support NGOs working in small towns and villages.
Second. For NPOs that have proven themselves to be impeccable partners of the state, the legal status of “non-profit organization - provider of public benefit services” will be established and a number of benefits and preferences will be provided. And finally, I think it would be right to gradually allocate up to 10 percent of the funds from regional and municipal social programs to non-profit organizations so that NPOs can participate in the provision of social services that are financed from budgets. We proceed from the fact that we know the current legislation well, we do not impose anything, but I ask the heads of regions and municipalities to take this into account in their work.
Dear Colleagues! This year, on September 1, as you know, there was a meeting with the children who gathered in Sochi at the Sirius support center for gifted children. We really have very interesting, purposeful children and youth. We must do everything so that today's schoolchildren receive an excellent education, can engage in creativity, choose a profession to their liking, realize themselves, so that no matter where they live, what income their parents have, the children themselves would have equal opportunities for a successful start in life.
Every year our number of schoolchildren increases; over the next ten years there will be 3.5 million more. This is great, this is very good, but it is important that this growth does not affect the quality of education and learning conditions, so that the level achieved today continues to rise. Schools require additional places. On my instructions, the Government, together with the regions, has prepared a specific action plan in this regard. It was decided to allocate up to 50 billion rubles for repairs, reconstruction and construction of new schools next year at the expense of federal funds.
But I propose to look at these issues more broadly. For a good education, only comfortable buildings are not enough. We need a professional, motivated teacher, breakthrough new teaching technologies and, of course, opportunities for creativity, sports, additional education. And of course, we need to take all the best that was in the former palaces of pioneers, circles young technicians and so on, to build work on a fundamentally new, of course, modern basis, with the participation of both business and higher educational institutions, universities.
I would like to note such a positive fact as the growing interest of young people in engineering and blue-collar professions, in the professions of the future. Over the past two years, competition for admission to engineering universities has almost doubled. In 2019, the world championship in professional skills will take place in Kazan. By the way, Russia was the first in the world to start holding such competitions for children aged 10 - 17 years. It is important that these tournaments serve as a guide for schoolchildren, for those who are just choosing their profession. We must form a whole system of national competitions for workers. I propose to call this system “Young Professionals”. A very important direction.
In a word, Russian school, additional and vocational education, support for children’s creativity must be adjusted to the future of the country, to the needs of both people, young people in in this case, and to the needs of the economy, bearing in mind the prospects for its development. They guys have to decide even more complex tasks, and they must be ready to become the first, to become not only successful in the profession, but also simply decent people with strong spiritual and moral support.
Dear Colleagues! We have been confronted more than once with a principled fateful choice ways for further development. And we passed another such milestone in 2014, when the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia took place. Russia has loudly declared itself as a strong independent state with a thousand-year history and great traditions, as a nation that is consolidated by common values and common goals.
We act with the same confidence now, when Russia is waging an open, and I want to emphasize this, an open, direct struggle against international terrorism. We make decisions and implement them, knowing that only we ourselves can cope with the tasks facing us, but only together.
I will give one more quote, completely unexpected even for me, words said by a person far from politics. These are the words of Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, which were spoken 100 years ago. Here they are: “When we are scattered, we will be immediately destroyed. Our strength is in unity, in militancy, in complacent nepotism, which multiplies the growth of the people, and in the natural growth of our internal wealth and love of peace.” Wonderful words addressed directly to us today.
And at the same time, Russia is part of a global world that is rapidly changing. We understand well the complexity and scale of existing problems - both external and internal. There are always difficulties and obstacles on the path of any development. We will respond to all challenges, act creatively and effectively, work for the common good and for the sake of Russia. We will move forward together and together we will definitely achieve success.
Thank you.
Moscow Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly with his annual Address. More than 1,000 people listened to the Head of State in the St. George Hall of the Kremlin.
Members of the Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma, members of the Government, heads of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, governors, chairmen of legislative assemblies of the constituent entities of the Federation, heads of traditional faiths, public figures, including heads of public chambers of the regions, heads of the largest mass media were invited to the announcement of the Address. information.
Vladimir Putin began his address with words of gratitude to Russian military personnel who are fighting international terrorism and asked everyone to take a minute of silence to honor the memory of the soldiers who died in this fight.
V. Putin: Dear members of the Federation Council! Dear deputies of the State Duma! Citizens of Russia!
I would like to begin this year’s Message with words of gratitude to the Russian military personnel who are fighting international terrorism.
Today here, in the St. George Hall, the historical hall of Russian military glory, there are combat pilots and representatives of the Armed Forces - participants in the anti-terrorist operation in Syria.
Gelena Yuryevna Peshkova and Irina Vladimirovna Pozynich, who lost their husbands in the war on terror, found the strength to join us. Low bow to you and the parents of our heroes.
I ask you to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives while fulfilling their duty, and the memory of all Russian citizens who died at the hands of terrorists.
(Minute of silence.)
Dear Colleagues!
Russia has long been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. This is a fight for freedom, truth and justice. For the lives of people and the future of the entire civilization.
We know what the aggression of international terrorism is. Russia faced it in the mid-90s, and our country and its citizens experienced brutal terrorist attacks. We remember the hostage takings in Budennovsk, Beslan, Moscow, the merciless explosions of residential buildings, the crash of the Nevsky Express train, terrorist attacks in the capital's metro and at Domodedovo airport.
These tragedies claimed thousands of lives. This is a grief that is forever with us, with the country, with the relatives and friends of the innocent people who died.
It took almost ten years to break the back of the bandits. We have practically driven the terrorists out of Russia, but we are still waging an irreconcilable fight against the remnants of the underground gangs. But this evil still makes itself felt. Two years ago there were terrorist attacks in Volgograd. Just recently, a Russian civilian plane was blown up over the Sinai.
It is impossible to defeat international terrorism by the forces of only one country, especially in conditions when the borders in the world are actually open, and the world is also experiencing a new migration of peoples, when terrorists receive constant financial support.
The threat of terrorism is growing. The problem of Afghanistan has not yet been resolved. The situation in this country is alarming and does not inspire optimism, and recently stable, quite prosperous, by the way, countries of the Middle East and North Africa - Iraq, Libya, Syria - have turned into a zone of chaos and anarchy, from which a threat to the whole world emanates.
And we know why this happened. We know who wanted to remove unwanted regimes and roughly impose their own rules. As a result what? They started a mess, destroyed statehood, pitted people against each other, and then simply, as we say in Russia, “washed their hands of it,” opening the way for radicals, extremists and terrorists.
A particular danger to us comes from militants who have concentrated in Syria. Among them are many people from Russia and the CIS countries. They receive money, weapons, accumulate strength. And if they get stronger and win there, they will inevitably end up with us to sow fear and hatred, blow up, kill, and torture people. And we are obliged to meet them and destroy them at distant approaches.
That is why the decision was made on a military operation based on an official appeal from the legal, legitimate Syrian government. And in Syria, our Armed Forces are fighting, first of all, for Russia, defending the safety of our citizens.
The Russian Army and Navy have convincingly demonstrated their combat readiness and increased capabilities. Modern Russian weapons operate effectively, and the invaluable practice of their use in combat conditions is generalized and will be used to further improve our military equipment and weapons. Thanks to the engineers, workers, everyone who works at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
In the fight against terrorism, Russia has demonstrated utmost responsibility and leadership. These decisive actions are supported by Russian society. And in this absolutely definite position of our citizens there is a deep understanding of the total threat of terrorism, the manifestation of true patriotic feelings and high moral qualities, the conviction that national interests, our history, traditions, and our values must be protected.
The lessons of the past have come full circle to the world community. The historical parallels are obvious.
In the twentieth century, the reluctance to timely unite efforts in the fight against Nazism was paid for with tens of millions of lives and the bloodiest world war.
Today we are again face to face with a destructive, barbaric ideology and have no right to allow the newly emerged obscurantists to achieve their goals.
We need to put aside all disputes and differences, create one powerful fist, a united anti-terrorist front that will operate on the basis of international law and under the auspices of the United Nations.
Every civilized state is now obliged to contribute to the defeat of terrorists, to confirm its solidarity, and not with declarations, but with concrete actions.
This means no shelter for bandits. No double standards. No contact with any terrorist organizations. No attempts to use them for your own purposes. No criminal, bloody business with terrorists.
We know, for example, who in Turkey is lining their pockets and allowing terrorists to make money by selling oil stolen in Syria. It is with this money that the bandits recruit mercenaries, buy weapons, and organize inhumane terrorist attacks directed against our citizens, against the citizens of France, Lebanon, Mali, and other countries. We also remember that it was in Turkey that the militants who operated in the North Caucasus in the 90s and 2000s took refuge and received moral and material support. And now we still notice them there.
Meanwhile, the Turkish people are kind, hardworking and talented. We have many long-time and reliable friends in Turkey. And I emphasize: they should know that we do not equate them with part of today’s ruling elite, which is directly responsible for the death of our military personnel in Syria.
We will not forget this complicity with terrorists. We have always considered and will continue to consider betrayal to be the most recent and shameful thing. Let those in Turkey know this who shot our pilots in the back, who are hypocritically trying to justify themselves, their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists.
In general, dear colleagues, I don’t understand why they did this. Any questions, any problems, any contradictions that we did not even see could have been resolved in a completely different way. Moreover, we were willing to cooperate with Turkey on its most sensitive issues and were willing to go to lengths that their allies were unwilling to do. Only, probably, Allah knows why they did it. And, apparently, Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey, depriving it of reason and reason.
But they will not expect a nervous, hysterical reaction from us, dangerous for ourselves and for the whole world. A reaction designed for some external effects or even momentary domestic political consumption. It will not happen.
Our actions will be primarily based on responsibility to our country, to our people. We are not going to and will not rattle sabers. But if anyone thinks that having committed a vile war crime, the murder of our people, they will get off with tomatoes or some kind of restrictions in the construction and other industries, then they are deeply mistaken. We will remind you more than once of what they did. And they will regret what they did more than once. We know what needs to be done.
Now our Armed Forces, special services, and law enforcement agencies have been mobilized to repel the terrorist threat. But everyone must understand their responsibility: the government, political parties, civil society structures, and the media.
The strength of Russia lies in the free development of all peoples, in the diversity, harmony of our cultures, languages, and traditions, in mutual respect and dialogue between Orthodox Christians and Muslims, followers of Judaism and Buddhism.
We are obliged to firmly counter any manifestations of extremism and xenophobia, and to preserve interethnic and interreligious harmony. This is the historical basis of our society and Russian statehood.
Elections to the State Duma will take place in 2016. And addressing the party leaders and participants in the future electoral process, all socio-political forces, I would like to quote the outstanding historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. This is what he wrote: “Whoever does not respect himself will, without a doubt, be respected by others. I’m not saying that love for the Fatherland should blind us and convince us that we are better than everyone and in everything. But a Russian must know his worth.”
Yes, we can argue about ways to solve certain problems. But we must maintain our unity and remember that the main thing for us is Russia.
Election competition must be fair and transparent, within the framework of the law, and with respect for voters. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure unconditional public trust in the election results and their strong legitimacy.
Dear Colleagues! I believe that the necessary attention in the programs of candidates for deputies will be given to issues of combating corruption. They, these questions, really concern society. Corruption is an obstacle to Russia's development.
Today, officials, judges, law enforcement officers, and deputies of all levels are required to provide declarations on income and expenses, on the availability of real estate and assets, including foreign ones.
Now information about contracts and contracts that state and municipal employees plan to enter into with the companies of their relatives, friends and loved ones will also be subject to disclosure. A situation in which there are signs of personal interest or a conflict of interest will immediately fall into the zone of increased attention of regulatory and law enforcement agencies. And of course, civil society.
Just the other day, participants in the All-Russian Popular Front project “For Fair Procurement” told me about the facts of abuse they had identified, about outright violations. I ask the Prosecutor General's Office and law enforcement agencies to immediately respond to such information.
The law must be harsh towards those who deliberately committed a serious crime and caused damage to people’s lives and the interests of society and the state. And of course, the law must be humane towards those who have stumbled.
Today, almost every second criminal case that comes to court is related to petty, insignificant crimes, and people, including very young people, end up in prison.
Staying there and the criminal record itself usually have a negative impact on their future fate and often lead to subsequent crimes.
I ask the State Duma to support the proposals of the Supreme Court of Russia to decriminalize a number of articles of the Criminal Code and transfer crimes that do not pose a great public danger to the category of administrative offenses, but with a fundamental caveat: repeated commission of an offense should be qualified as a criminal act.
It is necessary to increase the independence and objectivity of the judicial process. In this regard, I propose to strengthen the role of the institution of jurors and expand the number of crimes that they can consider. And taking into account the fact that it is not always easy to form a board of 12 people, I know the position of human rights organizations, they proceed from the fact that it should be exactly 12 assessors, but, I repeat, it is not easy to form this board, and it costs a lot if To be honest, you can think about reducing the number of jurors to five to seven people, but it is imperative to maintain full autonomy and independence of the jury when making decisions.
Dear Colleagues! Last year we faced serious economic challenges. Prices for oil and our other traditional export goods fell, and the access of Russian financial institutions and companies to global financial markets was limited.
I know that this is not easy for many people right now. Difficulties in the economy affect the incomes and, in general, the standard of living of our people. And I understand well that people are asking questions: when will we overcome difficulties and what will we do for this.
The situation is really complicated, but - I’ve already said this, I want to repeat it - not critical. Already today we see positive trends. Industrial production and the national currency exchange rate have generally stabilized, there has been a decline in inflation, and compared to 2014 we are recording a significant reduction in capital outflow.
But this does not mean that we should calm down and wait for everything to miraculously change, or just wait for oil prices to rise. This approach is fundamentally unacceptable.
We must be prepared for the fact that the period of low prices for raw materials, and, possibly, external restrictions, may drag on, and drag on for a long time. Without changing anything, we will simply burn through our reserves, and economic growth rates will fluctuate somewhere around zero.
But it's not only that. The main trends in global development cannot be overlooked behind current problems. The contours of the global economy are rapidly changing, new trade blocs are being formed, and radical changes are taking place in the field of technology.
It is now that the positions of countries in the global division of labor for decades to come are being determined, and we can and must take a place among the leaders.
Russia has no right to be vulnerable. We need to be strong in the economy, in technology, in professional competencies, to make full use of today's favorable opportunities, which may not exist tomorrow.
Of course, the authorities must hear people, explain the essence of emerging problems and the logic of their actions, and see civil society and business as equal partners.
What areas should be key for us?
First. Competitive production is still concentrated mainly in the raw materials and mining sectors. Only by changing the structure of the economy will we be able to solve large-scale problems in the field of security and social development, create modern jobs and improve the quality and standard of living of millions of our people.
It is important that we have successful enterprises in industry, agriculture, and small and medium-sized businesses. The goal is for the number of such companies to grow quickly and in all industries. Our programs for import substitution and export support, technological renewal of production and training of professional personnel should be aimed at achieving this goal.
Second. It must be taken into account that a number of industries are now at risk. This is primarily construction, automotive, light industry, and railway engineering. For them, the Government should offer special support programs. Financial resources are provided for this.
Third. It is necessary to support people with low incomes, the most vulnerable categories of citizens, and finally move to a fair principle of providing social assistance, when it is received by those who really need it. In particular, it is necessary to take into account the individual needs of people with disabilities, and pay special attention to the issues of their professional training and employment of people with disabilities.
We have done a lot in demography, education, and healthcare. The main guidelines in these areas are outlined in the May 2012 decrees. Of course, life makes its own adjustments, and significant adjustments, but now, given the current difficulties, responsibility for the well-being of people is only increasing, and I ask you to take these decrees most seriously. We must strive to fulfill them.
Fourth. We need to achieve budget balance. This, of course, is not an end in itself, but the most important condition for macroeconomic stability and financial independence of the country. Let me remind you that based on the results of the execution of the 2016 federal budget, its deficit should not exceed three percent, even if our revenues turn out to be lower than expected. I draw your attention to this, dear colleagues, State Duma deputies and members of the Federal Assembly, and the Federation Council as a whole. This is an important question. I just said that the financial stability and independence of the country are absolutely interconnected. Please proceed from these key, basic considerations.
Budget planning, each budget cycle must begin with a clear fixation of priorities; it is necessary to return the decisive role of state programs in this process. Control over the movement of public funds, including federal and regional subsidies to industrial and agricultural enterprises, should be significantly tightened. I believe that they should be transferred to the final recipient only through treasury accounts. State revenues should not go by the wayside, as they say. Due to “gray” schemes when paying customs duties, excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and fuels and lubricants, the budget annually loses hundreds of billions of rubles. This is outright theft.
I propose to form a single, holistic mechanism for administering tax, customs and other fiscal payments. There are different options here, we have discussed them many times recently. I am waiting for specific proposals from the Government. At the same time, I want to emphasize again: tax conditions for business should not change in the coming years.
This year we have generally completed the implementation of plans outlined within the framework of the national entrepreneurial initiative. The dynamics are good, but, of course, you can’t stop.
The government, together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and leading business associations, must continue systematic work to improve business conditions and constantly monitor local law enforcement.
I consider freedom of enterprise to be the most important economic and socially significant issue. It is with this - freedom of enterprise, the expansion of this freedom of enterprise - that we must respond to all the restrictions that they are trying to create for us.
That is why we have given such broad powers to the newly created Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium Businesses. I ask ministries and departments, governors, heads of all regions of the Russian Federation, state companies and banks to provide her with all the necessary assistance.
Surveys show that entrepreneurs do not yet see qualitative progress in the activities of control and supervisory agencies. All instructions in this regard have been given for a long time and more than once. For as long as we have been talking about this, we are reducing and reducing these powers. In some places we reduce them, in others they grow again. A whole army of controllers continues to interfere with the work of honest businesses. This does not mean that control is not necessary. Of course, we need to control it. But I ask the Government Commission on Administrative Reform, together with business associations, to submit, by July 1, 2016, specific proposals to eliminate redundant and duplicative functions of control and supervisory authorities.
I would also like to quote figures prepared by one of our business associations. In 2014, investigative authorities initiated almost 200 thousand criminal cases on so-called economic charges. 46 thousand out of 200 thousand reached the court, another 15 thousand cases fell apart in court. It turns out that if you consider that only 15 percent of cases ended in a verdict. At the same time, the absolute majority, about 80 percent, 83 percent of entrepreneurs against whom criminal cases were filed, lost their business completely or partially. That is, they were put under pressure, robbed and released. And this, of course, is not what we need in terms of the business climate. This is a direct destruction of the business climate. I ask the investigative authorities and the prosecutor's office to pay special attention to this.
Let me emphasize that the prosecutor’s office should make wider use of the tools available to it to monitor the quality of the investigation. I know that discussions on this matter have been going on for a long time, what additional information needs to be given to the prosecutor’s office. You know, at one time we separated the investigation from the prosecutor’s office in order to ensure the independence of the investigation; this was a conscious decision. Today, let me remind you, the prosecutor’s office has such tools as canceling the decision to initiate a criminal case, refusing to approve the indictment or even supporting the prosecution in court. We need to more actively use what is available, and only after that we will be able to analyze what is happening in practice.
In addition, I believe that during an investigation into economic crimes, placement in custody should be used as a last resort, and bail, recognizance not to leave, or house arrest should be used. Let me emphasize that the role of the law enforcement and judicial system is to protect the economy and citizens from fraud and criminals and to protect the rights, property, and dignity of everyone who follows the law and conducts their business honestly.
And one more topic. Last year, an amnesty was announced for capital returning to Russia. Meanwhile, business is not yet in a hurry to take advantage of this opportunity, which means that the proposed procedure is complex and there are not enough guarantees. I also follow the discussions that are going on in society now on this issue. They say that what we did and the decisions we made are a little better than similar decisions of past years, but this is definitely not enough today. I ask the Government to hold consultations, additional consultations with the business community, with the Supreme Court, with law enforcement agencies and make the appropriate adjustments in a short time, and I propose to extend the amnesty itself for another six months.
Dear Colleagues! The state will provide all the necessary assistance to those who are ready to move forward and be a leader. We are building such a system in dialogue with business based on their requests and tasks facing our country.
Financial support for import substitution projects is already provided by the Industrial Development Fund. Its programs are in demand by entrepreneurs. I propose to recapitalize the Fund by another 20 billion rubles next year.
We also guarantee stable tax and other basic conditions for investors who are ready to invest in import substitution projects. This is provided for by such a mechanism as a special investment contract. I propose, within the framework of such contracts, to give the regions the right to reduce the profit tax rate to zero. Some executives explicitly ask for this so that investors can cover their capital costs for creating new production facilities.
But, of course, we are also aware of the concerns of regional leaders. And therefore, the subjects of the Federation must have incentives to strengthen their economic base. Therefore, the increase in regional income from the implementation of such projects should not entail a reduction in federal subsidies.
We are ready to guarantee demand for these programs and these projects. I propose to give the Government the right to purchase on a non-competitive basis up to 30 percent of products created within the framework of special investment projects and special investment contracts. But everything else should go to the free market, including the foreign market, so that companies do not lose motivation, monitor quality, and strive to reduce costs.
You know, when such programs were implemented in other countries, in order to receive support from the state, even more stringent conditions were set: a certain volume of products must be sold on the foreign market. For what? In order for the manufacturer to strive to produce quality products.
We say that we will guarantee our own market. Our conditions are a little different than in those countries that acted in such a stricter manner. But we must proceed from the fact that the products that will be produced must be of the highest international level. Let me emphasize again that we will support competitive domestic production. No one should have any illusions that, under the guise of import substitution, it is possible to slip the state and citizens surrogates or stale, and even exorbitantly expensive, goods. Russia needs companies that are not only able to provide the country with modern, high-quality products, but also conquer world markets. To assist those who are ready for such work, the Russian Export Center has been created.
In addition, I propose to make the growth of non-resource exports one of the key indicators of the activities of industry departments, and the Government as a whole.
I also think it is right to implement the initiative of the business community and create an agency for technological development, which will provide assistance to enterprises in acquiring domestic and foreign patents and licenses for engineering services. Entering foreign markets and expanding Russian products should become a natural strategy for the development of national business and the entire Russian economy. And of course, you need to break stereotypes and believe in your own capabilities. If you go forward, then the result will definitely come.
An example of this is our agriculture. Ten years ago, we imported almost half of our food products from abroad and were critically dependent on imports; now Russia is among the exporters. Last year, Russian exports of agricultural products amounted to almost $20 billion. This is a quarter more than revenue from arms sales, or about a third of revenue from gas exports. And our agriculture has made such a breakthrough in a short but fruitful period. Many thanks to the villagers.
I believe that it is necessary to set a national level task and by 2020 to fully supply the domestic market with domestic food. We can not only feed ourselves, taking into account our land and water resources, which is especially important. Russia is capable of becoming the world's largest supplier of healthy, environmentally friendly, high-quality food products, which have long been lost from some Western producers, especially since the demand on the global market for such products is steadily growing.
To solve such large-scale problems, it is necessary to concentrate resources on supporting, first of all, those farms that demonstrate high efficiency. It is on these principles that the development program for the agro-industrial complex should be built; I mean large, medium and small enterprises - all must be effective. I ask the Ministry of Agriculture to pay special attention to this.
It is necessary to put into circulation millions of hectares of arable land that are now idle, in the hands of large landowners, and many of them are in no hurry to engage in agriculture. Listen, how many years have we been talking about this? And nothing has changed. I propose to confiscate agricultural land that is not used for its intended purpose from unscrupulous owners and sell it at auction to those who want and can cultivate the land.
I ask the Government to prepare specific proposals, including draft regulations, by June 1, 2016, and I ask the State Duma deputies and all members of the Federal Assembly to amend the legislation over the next year and to adopt the relevant laws in the autumn session of next year.
We also need our own technologies for production, storage, processing of agricultural products, our own sowing and breeding fund. An extremely important task. We are still very vulnerable in these areas. I ask leading research institutes, the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as businesses that are already successfully implementing advanced developments to join in solving this problem.
In the last message, the launch of a national technology initiative was announced, its horizon is 15-20 years, but practical work is already underway. It showed that we have many strong teams capable of proposing and implementing innovative ideas. And in areas such as neurotechnology, unmanned technologies in aviation, and in transport in general, energy storage and distribution systems, Russia has every chance of being among the first to break into global markets, and in the near future, in the coming years.
Development institutions must be aimed at solving priority problems, primarily related to technological modernization. We have more than two dozen of them. Let's face it, many of them, unfortunately, have turned into a real dump for “bad” debts. It is necessary to clear them, and, of course, to optimize the structure and mechanisms of this work. I know that both the Government and the Central Bank are now actively working on this.
To renew the economy, we should more actively use the investment potential of domestic savings. I ask the Central Bank and the Government to submit proposals for the development of the corporate bond market, which we have also discussed several times. It is necessary to simplify the procedure for their release and acquisition. And to make it profitable for investors and citizens to invest in the development of the domestic real sector, I propose to exempt coupon income on these bonds from taxation, including from personal income tax.
In industry and agriculture, in transport and in housing construction, dozens of large projects are currently being implemented or are being prepared for launch. They should have a positive effect not only for individual industries, but also provide an incentive for the integrated development of entire territories. First of all, these are, of course, private projects.
In order for them to be implemented faster and more efficiently, it is necessary to make targeted changes to legislation, remove administrative barriers, and provide assistance with infrastructure development and promotion to foreign markets. Often these issues go beyond the boundaries of one department, so I propose to create a mechanism for supporting the most significant projects. This could be done by a special project office. I ask the Prime Minister, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, to submit proposals for the work of such a structure.
By the way, one of the projects could be the creation of large private Russian companies in the field of e-commerce, so that Russian goods are supplied via the Internet to all countries of the world. We have something to supply.
Dear Colleagues! We are interested in broad business cooperation with foreign partners, we welcome investors who are focused on long-term work in the Russian market, even despite the current, not always simple, circumstances. We highly appreciate their favorable attitude towards our country, towards the advantages that they see here for the development of their business. To open up additional opportunities for increasing economic ties with Russia, our country is participating in integration processes.
We have already reached a qualitatively new level of interaction within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union; a single space has been created with the free movement of capital, goods, and labor. An agreement in principle was reached on linking Eurasian integration with the Chinese Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. A free trade zone with Vietnam has been created. Next year we will hold a Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi and, I am sure, we will be able to develop a joint mutually beneficial cooperation agenda.
I propose, together with my colleagues in the Eurasian Economic Union, to begin consultations with members of the SCO and ASEAN, as well as with states that are joining the SCO, on the formation of a possible economic partnership. Together, our states make up almost a third of the world economy in purchasing power parity terms. Such a partnership at the initial stage could focus on issues of protecting investments, optimizing procedures for the movement of goods across borders, joint development of technical standards for products of the next technological generation, and mutual opening of access to the services and capital markets. Naturally, this partnership should be built on the principles of equality and consideration of mutual interests.
For Russia, such a partnership will create fundamentally new opportunities for increasing supplies of food, energy, engineering, educational, medical and tourism services to the Asia-Pacific region, will allow us to play a leading role in the formation of new technological markets, and also expand large global trade flows to Russia.
We will continue to modernize the transport infrastructure. We will develop powerful logistics centers, such as the Azov-Black Sea and Murmansk transport hubs, modern ports in the Baltic and the Far East, and strengthen the system of interregional air transportation, including in the northern and Arctic territories. At one of the upcoming meetings of the State Council, we will consider in detail the state of inland waterways and river routes.
The Northern Sea Route should become a connecting link between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In order to increase its competitiveness, we intend to extend the preferential treatment of the free port of Vladivostok to the key harbors of the Far East, which is what entrepreneurs working in this strategically important region of Russia are asking us to do.
The socio-economic recovery of this region is the most important national priority. Investors are already showing serious practical interest in the new work mechanisms that we have proposed, including priority development areas.
I instruct the Government to speed up the adoption of a decision on equalizing energy tariffs for those Far Eastern regions in which they are significantly higher than the Russian average, and I ask the deputies to promptly consider the law on free provision of land to citizens in the Far East.
In recent years, significant resources have been invested in the development of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, and people see these changes. Komsomolsk-on-Amur should become another dynamic center of the Far East. This is a city with a legendary history, with a modern high-tech industry that produces popular civilian products and successfully works for the defense industry. But the urban and social infrastructure here is in a state of disrepair.
This also applies to the general appearance of the city, and to sports facilities, culture, healthcare institutions, education - all this does not correspond to the potential of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which is also why it is difficult to attract young promising specialists, who are in dire need of enterprises in the region. I believe that within the framework of existing programs it is necessary to concentrate resources and, without delay, direct them to solving the urban problems of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Of course, this cannot be done from today to tomorrow, but you need, in any case, to understand what to do, how, and at what pace.
Dear Colleagues! We have a long-term agenda that should not depend on election cycles or the current environment. And it is clear that saving the nation, raising children and discovering their talents is what determines the strength and future of any country, including ours.
I would like to start with demographics. For three years in a row, Russia has experienced natural population growth. Yes, it’s small for now, but it’s there. What do I want to emphasize? According to all forecasts, we should have already slipped into a new demographic hole; in a generation, the echo of the 90s would have sounded, as demographers told us and predicted, including at the level of the United Nations. But this doesn't happen. And first of all, because half of newborns today are second, third and subsequent children. Families want to raise children, believe in their future, believe in their country, and count on state support.
The maternity capital program expires next year. It has already covered more than six and a half million Russian families, including in Crimea and Sevastopol. But we understand that all these efforts are not yet enough to heal the demographic wound of the past that Russia suffered.
Of course, we understand how difficult this is for the budget; these are large, serious funds. And we said earlier that we will have to calculate whether we, as financiers say, can bear it, whether we can reliably guarantee and pay for all this. We can, no matter what the problems. I consider it necessary to extend the maternity capital program for at least another two years.
One of the most important measures of demographic policy is the development of preschool education. Over the past three years, about 800 thousand additional places in kindergartens have been opened. In almost all regions of Russia, children from three to seven years old are provided with access to such institutions. I know that the Prime Minister paid special, personal attention to this. Thank you, Dmitry Anatolyevich.
But for now, specific families still continue to face, many in any case, the problems of placing their child in kindergarten. And as long as this exists, we cannot consider the issue closed. I ask both the Government and regional leaders to pay special attention to this.
Now about healthcare. The main result of our entire policy in this area is an increase in life expectancy. Over the decade, it has increased by more than five years and this year, according to preliminary estimates, will exceed 71 years. But, of course, there are still a lot of problems that we have to solve.
Starting next year, Russian healthcare will completely switch to insurance principles. It is the direct responsibility of insurance companies operating in the compulsory medical insurance system to defend the rights of patients, including in the event of unreasonable refusals to provide free medical care. If the insurance organization does not do this, it must bear responsibility, including a ban on working in the compulsory medical insurance system. I ask the Government to ensure the strictest control here.
Further. We have significantly increased the volume of high-tech medical care. Let me remind you that in 2005, 60 thousand high-tech operations were performed in Russia (60 thousand!), and in 2014 - 715 thousand. For the first time in the history of the country, a significant part of such operations began to be carried out without a queue, and this is truly an achievement.
But you need to understand that some operations are expensive - as a rule, they are performed in leading federal medical centers and clinics. To finance such operations, I propose to create compulsory health insurance in the system... We thought a lot about this topic - or give additional money to the general system. Here, deputies, government leaders, and governors know what is actually happening in practice. The compulsory medical insurance system is territorial, and first of all it supports territorial health care institutions. The heads of large federal clinics, where most high-tech operations are performed, are, of course, very concerned about underfunding. Therefore, to finance such centers and carry out such operations, I propose to create a special federal part in the compulsory health insurance system. I ask that the necessary amendments to the legislation be adopted in the spring session.
But this is not enough, because while you and I are making these decisions, people still should not suffer; we need to ensure uninterrupted funding for high-tech medical care, including, until this decision is made, directly from the federal budget.
You also know that as part of the national project “Health”, a significant re-equipment of the ambulance service was carried out. We purchased a large number of modern ambulances and other equipment. It is clear that time passes, and the vehicle fleet needs repairs and renewal. Ten years have already passed. This is the responsibility of the subjects of the Federation, and they are primarily obliged to ensure the solution of this problem and find reserves.
Listen, when we did this ten years ago, I remember well, we agreed: we would pour in federal money, and then the regions should pick it up and keep it at a certain level. But that did not happen. It's a pity. I understand that there are problems, but, as I have said many times, priorities must be set correctly. It was impossible to wait again: now everything will fall apart, and we will again be given money from the federal budget. Apparently, this will have to be done, of course. But this is not what we agreed on. In any case, I ask both the Government and the regions to return to this now and solve this problem together.
People complain that they sometimes do not understand why, for example, hospitals, schools, cultural and social centers, and institutions are closed or merged. We talk all the time about the need to restructure the network, in some cases oversized. Yes it is. But we need to act very carefully here and understand that in order to reach certain indicators, closing FAPs in rural areas is not at all the best way to solve this problem. And, unfortunately, we also see this. And then people have to travel 100 kilometers to get medical care. This does not fit into any gates at all! I ask you to be very attentive to this. And I instruct the Government, by March 1, 2016, to prepare and approve a methodology for the optimal placement of social sector institutions. It should be mandatory for use in the regions. It is necessary to find a form, including a legally justified one, that would allow this to be done.
In issues such as assistance to the elderly and disabled, support for families and children, we need to place more trust in civil society and non-profit organizations. They often work more efficiently, with better quality, with sincere care for people, and there is less bureaucracy in their work.
Based on the results of the “Community” civil forum, which was held in November, I propose a number of specific solutions.
First. A special program of presidential grants will be launched to support NGOs working in small towns and villages.
Second. For NPOs that have proven themselves to be impeccable partners of the state, the legal status of “non-profit organization - provider of public benefit services” will be established and a number of benefits and preferences will be provided. And finally, I think it would be right to gradually allocate up to 10 percent of the funds from regional and municipal social programs to non-profit organizations so that NPOs can participate in the provision of social services that are financed from budgets. We proceed from the fact that we know the current legislation well, we do not impose anything, but I ask the heads of regions and municipalities to take this into account in their work.
Dear Colleagues! This year, on September 1, as you know, a meeting was held with the children who gathered in Sochi at the Sirius support center for gifted children. We really have very interesting, purposeful children and youth. We must do everything so that today's schoolchildren receive an excellent education, can engage in creativity, choose a profession they like, realize themselves, so that no matter where they live, what income their parents have, the children themselves have equal opportunities for a successful start in life .
Every year our number of schoolchildren increases; over the next ten years there will be 3.5 million more. This is great, this is very good, but it is important that this growth does not affect the quality of education and learning conditions, so that the level achieved today continues to rise. Schools require additional places. On my instructions, the Government, together with the regions, has prepared a specific action plan in this regard. It was decided to allocate up to 50 billion rubles for repairs, reconstruction and construction of new schools next year at the expense of federal funds.
But I propose to look at these issues more broadly. For a good education, only comfortable buildings are not enough. We need a professional, motivated teacher, breakthrough new teaching technologies and, of course, opportunities for creativity, sports, and additional education. And of course, we need to take all the best that was in the previous palaces of pioneers, circles of young technicians, and so on, and build work on, of course, a fundamentally new, modern basis, with the participation of both business and higher educational institutions and universities.
I would like to note such a positive fact as the growing interest of young people in engineering and blue-collar professions, in the professions of the future. Over the past two years, competition for admission to engineering universities has almost doubled. In 2019, the world championship in professional skills will take place in Kazan. By the way, Russia was the first in the world to start holding such competitions for children 10-17 years old. It is important that these tournaments serve as a guide for schoolchildren, for those who are just choosing their profession. We must form a whole system of national competitions for workers. I propose to call this system “Young Professionals”. A very important direction.
In a word, Russian schools, additional and vocational education, and support for children’s creativity need to be adjusted to the future of the country, to the needs of both people, young people in this case, and to the needs of the economy, bearing in mind the prospects for its development. They, the guys, have to solve even more difficult problems, and they must be ready to become the first, to become not only successful in the profession, but also simply decent people with a strong spiritual and moral support.
Dear Colleagues! More than once we have been faced with a fundamental, fateful choice of the path of further development. And we passed another such milestone in 2014, when the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia took place. Russia has loudly declared itself as a strong independent state with a thousand-year history and great traditions, as a nation that is consolidated by common values and common goals.
We act with the same confidence now, when Russia is waging an open, and I want to emphasize this, an open, direct fight against international terrorism. We make decisions and implement them, knowing that only we ourselves can cope with the tasks facing us, but only together.
I’ll give one more quote, completely unexpected even for me, words said by a person far from politics. These are the words of Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, which were spoken 100 years ago. Here they are: “We will be destroyed immediately if we are scattered. Our strength is in unity, in militancy, in complacent nepotism, which multiplies the growth of the people, and in the natural growth of our internal wealth and love of peace.” Wonderful words addressed directly to us today.
And at the same time, Russia is part of a global world that is rapidly changing. We understand well the complexity and scale of existing problems - both external and internal. There are always difficulties and obstacles on the path of any development. We will respond to all challenges, act creatively and effectively, work for the common good and for the sake of Russia. We will move forward together and together we will definitely achieve success.
Entry:
Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual address to the Federal Assembly, where he will outline his vision of the main directions of the country's development for the coming year and for the future.
This message will be the 22nd in the newest Russian history and 12th for Putin.
According to tradition, the event will begin at noon Moscow time in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. In addition to parliamentarians from the State Duma and the Federation Council, members of the government, chairmen of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the Prosecutor General, heads of the Central Election Commission, Accounts Chamber and the Public Chamber, regional leaders, other high-ranking officials, heads of major faiths and media representatives.
The performance is broadcast live on television and radio.
The president’s duty is to announce a message that assesses the state of affairs in the country and determines the main directions of domestic and foreign policy, defined by the Constitution.
Handmade work
The head of state always personally pays a lot of attention to preparing the message, working on its text, main messages and ideas. As the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov reported, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week became the main days in this work (which did not prevent Putin from making a trip to Crimea late in the evening on the eve of the announcement of the message).
The head of the Kremlin administration, Sergei Ivanov, in turn, emphasized that it depends on the desire of the president how to place emphasis, “when he reads the outline of the draft message and makes his own adjustments.” “And most often he does it with his own hands, literally,” noted the head of the Russian Presidential Administration.
At the same time, according to Putin himself, “the message is the result of collective work.” “Without the government, without the Central Bank, it cannot be done at a high professional level,” said the head of state.
The Kremlin traditionally does not disclose the contents of the message until it is announced. And this time, the president’s press secretary immediately rejected the journalists’ attempts to lift the veil: “Have we ever talked (about the themes of the message)? What makes you hopeful that it will happen this year?” — Peskov was surprised.
At the same time, commenting on publications that appeared in the press over the past month, the Kremlin representative denied some guesses about what the message will be devoted to. Thus, in particular, he answered negatively to the question whether security issues would become the central topic of the president’s address to parliament, and whether (in connection with the events around Turkey) the issue of construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline would be raised. “Of course, this is not a topic to be included in the President’s Address to the Federal Assembly if you have one specific project in mind,” Peskov said in particular.
Expectations of parliamentarians
The parliamentarians to whom the message will be addressed also have their own expectations regarding the content of this policy document.
Thus, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin believes that the message to the Federal Assembly “will be balanced.” In his opinion, Putin will make proposals related to both external challenges (primarily in the fight against terrorism) and solving internal problems. Among the latter, Naryshkin named stimulating economic growth, supporting entrepreneurship, protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, the legal consciousness of Russians and their social protection.
Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko believes that, among other priorities of domestic and foreign policy, the president will also touch upon the topic of the upcoming State Duma elections in 2016.
In turn, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov hopes that the president will touch upon the topic of education. “There is no defense and security without quality science and education,” the leader of the Communist Party is confident.
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Franz Klintsevich expects Putin to make “the most unexpected moves, including in the field domestic policy" According to the senator, all measures “will be proposed in the context of further consolidation Russian society" Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Andrei Isaev (United Russia) expects that the president in his message will talk about his vision of overcoming the economic crisis, give answers “to questions of war and peace that concern everyone,” as well as issues of further relations of the Russian Federation with Turkey and with Western partners .
Not only parliamentarians, but also representatives of various structures and associations are waiting for the message. Thus, the secretary of the Public Chamber and co-chairman of the All-Russian People's Front, Alexander Brechalov, hopes that the message, in particular, will include some proposals from social activists for the development of non-profit organizations in Russia.
The head of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), Andrei Nikitin, expects to hear in his message the topic of supporting the investment climate and removing administrative barriers.
Press attention
The Address to the Federal Assembly is considered one of the main presidential events of the year and arouses corresponding interest in both Russian (federal and regional) and world media. This time, more than 500 journalists representing various newspapers and magazines, online media, television and radio companies, etc. were accredited to work in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Among them are foreign reporters, including from Turkey, China, European countries, the USA and others. 495 journalists were accredited for last year’s address by the head of state; in 2013, this figure reached 522 people.
About tradition
The date of the president’s speech with the message is not fixed and is determined every year depending on the work schedule and the readiness of the document itself.
President Boris Yeltsin made the first such appeal to both chambers of the Federal Assembly in February 1994. In the first two presidential term Putin's message was announced in the spring-summer period, and under President Dmitry Medvedev, the date of the speech moved closer to the end of the year. All of Putin's addresses to the Federal Assembly during his current presidential reign took place in December.
December 3, 2015 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly. The performance traditionally took place in the St. George Hall of the Kremlin. The annual address was held for the 12th time and lasted 58 minutes. The speech of the head of Russia is actively discussed both in Russia and abroad, where every thesis and every expression is analyzed in detail.
In his address, Putin drew the attention of all those gathered to the many aspects of the development of the Russian Federation and the solution to the main problems. One of the most important topics was the international fight against terrorism and the conflict situation between Russia and Turkey. The President of the Russian Federation said that Turkey will regret more than once that it shot down a Russian plane in Syria. Many note that Putin has not demonstrated any intentions to ease the conflict with Turkey, but on the contrary, he has made it clear that reckoning is yet to come. However, in his speech, Putin emphasized that he does not equate the leadership of Turkey with its people.
All media outlets quote Vladimir Vladimirovich’s loud statements that Turkey will not get off with tomatoes for the downing of the plane: “We are not going to and will not rattle weapons. But if anyone thinks that having committed a vile war crime, the murder of our people, they will get off with tomatoes or some kind of restrictions in the construction and other industries, then they are deeply mistaken.” One of the boldest and most striking statements in this address by Putin was the expression that Allah has blinded the Turkish government. This expression will probably be remembered for a long time: “Only Allah probably knows why they did it. And, apparently, Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey, depriving it of reason and reason.”
Vladimir Putin also drew the attention of those gathered to the problems international struggle with terrorism. He compared the war with ISIS* to the destructive war of the 20th century: “In the 20th century, the reluctance to timely unite efforts in the fight against Nazism was paid for by tens of millions of lives, the bloodiest world war. Today we are again face to face with a destructive barbaric ideology and have no right to allow the newly emerged obscurantists to achieve their goals.” Putin also hinted in a rather open form at the role of the United States in the outbreak of conflict and the creation terrorist group(Islamic State): “And we know why this happened. We know who wanted to remove unwanted regimes, roughly impose their own rules... They stirred up a mess, destroyed statehood, pitted people against each other, and then simply, as we say in Russia, washed their hands of it, opening the way for radicals, extremists and terrorists.”
The President of the Russian Federation also touched upon the problems of the economy and social policy. Putin proposed extending the capital amnesty for six months and recapitalizing the industry support fund by 20 billion rubles. One of the most interesting proposals of the head of state was the confiscation of agricultural land from unscrupulous owners for their further sale at auctions and use of the land for its intended purpose. In this way, Russia will be able to make a powerful leap and not only not depend on food from abroad, but also become the world's largest supplier of healthy, environmentally friendly food. As for social policy, Putin proposed extending the maternity capital program for another two years.
"pros" and "cons" of democracy
Surveyor. Who is a surveyor? Description of the profession. Profession surveyor Surveyor training
Magellanic clouds: who are they?
Pepper Steak Sauce Creamy Pepper Sauce
How to create a competent portfolio for a designer