7 Annual Big Press Conference Part 24
February 14,2008
President of Russia V.Putin
The Kremlin,Moscow
Vladimir Vladimirovich, will the decision to progressively reduce the Interior Ministry's Interior Troops be revised? As I understand it, the threats for internal security, especially in the North Caucasus, are still very real. Street crime has not been defeated, and the heads of regions are very concerned about it. And finally, the Olympics will take place in 2014 and will constantly be in our purview. Is now the time to reduce the number of troops?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: You know, in Russia the effectiveness of the work of certain departments is not always directly proportional to the number of people working there. In health care, for example, the number of beds in Russian hospitals is about the same (even more), as in European countries, but the quality of the services provided is not as good. The quality and quantity are not always, I repeat, directly proportional to one another.
With regards to the Armed Forces and the Interior Troops. Eight years ago we invested significant funds in their maintenance. There had been almost no development in this field before that time, and no units had received modern weapons and equipment. I just went to Botlikh, looked at the situation and felt happy. I was then in Nalchik, and saw the mountain brigades of the Interior Ministry and really felt happy! There were six hundred-odd units of armored vehicles all brand new, absolutely new, adapted to mountainous conditions. Excellent troops, brilliantly equipped, and with good skills. The same applies to the Interior Troops. But we need to balance development and maintenance. The effectiveness of the armed forces and internal troops depends on how wisely we meet this challenge. The costs of maintenance are caused by excessive personnel numbers. This number should not be too low, it must be optimal. The decisions that we took earlier in the Security Council are being checked, and they were taken together with the heads of departments and the Interior Ministry. This affects the Armed Forces in general, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And we must proceed according to schedule. It also depends on resolving servicemen's social problems, namely their housing and wages. It is better to have compact armed forces, but forces that are self-sufficient, self-respecting, and with a good social base, rather than having a bunch of beggars who have no motivation to work or effectively carry out their duties. You have to look at the problem from this perspective.
QUESTION: Vladimir Vladimirovich, just recently last summer you and Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov visited one of the Moscow neighbourhoods and you drew his attention to some problems, and even set out certain tasks. How effectively do you think these tasks have been handled and, in general, can Yuri Mikhailovich cope with these assignments?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: You want me to give an assessment of the work of the Moscow authorities? Moscow is developing well. It is true that this megalopolis which has 10 million official inhabitants also has a lot of problems. And it is probably also true that not all the problems are solved in an optimal way, and so it is natural that there are a lot of tasks for the authorities. But on the whole Moscow is developing at a higher rate than the national average and social problems are being solved, as are infrastructure problems. Overall, we should be happy with the way the authorities are working in Moscow. I repeat this despite the fact that problems do remain. Look at what is happening in the field of construction, in transport infrastructure: where else, in what other city are there as many ring roads, and as many overpasses, tunnels and so forth being built? Everyone else is lagging behind Moscow in this respect.
Can it be done more efficiently? Perhaps it can and should be. But from my conversations with the Mayor of Moscow I can assure you that the leadership of Moscow sees these problems and, I am sure, will solve them.
RADIO MAYAK: I have another question about the Olympics. But not about the comic Olympics that were already mentioned here, but the ones that will be held in 2014. Few people believed that Sochi would win the Olympics, that it was even possible. But now there is another problem, another question: whether the money from the budget, billions of rubles, will actually reach Sochi and whether the Tuapse Sochi road will cost ten times more than anticipated? That is the first question.
Second. When talking about your achievements you did not mention the fact that Sochi was chosen to host the Olympics. Nevertheless, you made a lot of effort for this. Would you add the fact that Sochi is an Olympic capital to your successes of the past eight years?
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В.Путин.Выступление на церемонии.25.03.05by niknikolay7,894 views
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