6 Annual Big Press Conference Part 15
February 1,2007
President of Russia V.Putin
Round Hall,the Kremlin,Moscow
VLADIMIR PUTIN: I have already many times said that the 2014 Olympics would be a good excuse for us to develop southern Russia, Sochi and the nearby regions. What happened now, a failure in electrical supplies, happens every year. When I used to work in the Supervision Directorate of the Presidential Executive Office, I went to Sochi for this reason, when there was a power failure. Every year the same thing happens: the wires ice over, the wires fail and so on. But this should in no way affect our plans to host the Olympics. As I already said in my opening address, we are now in the position to carry out large-scale regional investment projects that we couldnt even dream out before. And Sochi is one of these projects. The planned investments amount to 314 billion rubles and perhaps even more. If the Olympics take place then it will be a bit more. And if they do not take place then the amount would be a little less (because then we wont need, say, to build two ice palaces in Sochi that would simply be superfluous). But in any case we are going to carry out that investment project for us, for Russian citizens, so that people have the opportunity to vacation in their own country, to ski, to relax on the Black Sea coast. At present we only have few such opportunities. And in any case we need to develop this. Not only for those who live in Sochi. For the whole country. And I have no doubt that if the International Olympic Committee decides in favour of Sochi then we shall certainly be able to prepare all necessary installations in time.
STEVEN GUTTERMAN (Associated Press): After Anna Politkovskaias murder you said that there are people hiding from Russian justice who would like to damage Russias reputation. And after Aleksandr Litvinenkos death your aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky said that this could be part of a plot with that same goal. Can you now tell us a few more details, several months after the tragedy, or say more precisely who you think is behind these murders? Do you think they are foreigners or Russians living abroad? And if yes, then who? Can you name them?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Only an investigation can determine whoever is behind these murders. And moreover only a court can do so, because at the end of the day it is the court that, having weighed all the pro and contra both the prosecutors arguments and the defense of the accused makes the final decision.
As to prominent murders, then it is true that the problem of the perrsecution of journalists is a very acute problem both for our country and for many other countries. And we acknowledge our responsibility in this. We shall do everything possible to protect members of the press.
I recall not only Anna Politkovskaia she was quite a sharp critic of the authorities and that is a good thing. I recall other journalists as well, including Paul Khlebnikov. And not long ago one of our American partners said something very true: Paul Khlebnikov died for a democratic Russia, for the development of democracy in Russia. I completely agree with him. I fully agree with this evaluation.
As to other well-known crimes, you know that just recently the investigation into the murder of the Vice-President of the Russian Central Bank has been finished. I very much hope that the law enforcement agencies will manage to find the criminals who have committed other, no less prominent crimes, and ones that are no less harmful to our country.
With regards to Litvinenko, I do not have much to add here, except what I have already said. Aleksandr Litvinenko was dismissed from the security services. Before that he served in the convoy troops. There he didnt deal with any secrets. He was involved in criminal proceedings in the Russian Federation for abusing his position of service, namely for beating citizens during arrests when he was a security service employee and for stealing explosives. I think that he was provisionally given three years. But there was no need to run anywhere, he did not have any secrets. Everything negative that he could say with respect to his service and his previous employment, he already said a long time ago, so there could be nothing new in what he did later. I repeat that only the investigation can tell us what happened. And with regards to the people who try to harm the Russian Federation, in general it is well-known who they are. They are people hiding from Russian justice for crimes they committed on the territory of the Russian Federation and, first and foremost, economic crimes. They are the so-called runaway oligarchs that are hiding in western Europe or in the Middle East. But I do not really believe in conspiracy theories and, quite frankly, I am not very worried about it. The stability of Russian statehood today allows us to look down at this from above.
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В.Путин.6 Ежегодная большая пресс-конференция (Putin) Part 16by niknikolay515 views
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