Hot Line with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.Part 18
October 25, 2006
Moscow, Baltiisk, Bryansk, Irkutsk, Kaspiisk, Kondopoga, Naberezhniye Chelny, Nakhodka, Tver, and the village of Podgorodnyaya Pokrovka in Orenburg Region
Прямая линия с Президентом России
25 октября 2006 года
Москва, Находка, Иркутск, Кондопога, с.Подгородняя Покровка, Набережные Челны, Каспийск, Тверь, Севастополь, Брянск, Балтийск
YEKATERINA ANDREYEVA: Ilya, lets have another question.
ILYA KANAVIN: Who else has a question? Please, go ahead.
GARI GULUSANI: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich. My name is Gari Shotovich Gulusani. I have been living here for more than 30 years now and I moved here from Abkhazia. My parents and my brother still live in Abkhazia. I was there just a week ago and so I know for myself what kind of tension there is there today. People are waiting for war. Is there not a way for Abkhazia to become part of Russia? South Ossetia and Trans-Dniestr also want to be with us. The referendum in Kosovo was recognised, and why should Abkhazia be any different?
Thank you.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Yes, it seems you have already heard what I have said on this issue and have formulated your question accordingly, Gari Shotovich. Indeed, people in Abkhazia and in South Ossetia are very worried by the military build up in Georgia, and we in Russia are also very worried by this. The worsening in relations between Russia and Georgia is linked precisely to this issue, to the attempt or preparations to try to settle the problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia through the use of force. If the Georgian leadership does decide to follow such a path this would be a big mistake, and I do not think it would benefit the Georgian people. Under no circumstances should events be allowed to develop in this way. If people want to live together, they need to find peaceful means of settling their problems, through consensus and finding compromise solutions.
As for the question of any other territories becoming part of the Russian Federation, I must say that we do not seek to expand our territory. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia remains the biggest country in the world. We have enough territory of our own. But we cannot allow bloodshed in this region. The action that we have taken with regard to Georgia lately has nothing at all to do with plans to join NATO or anything else. Every country has the sovereign right to decide its own security matters. The only motive behind our action is a desire to prevent any bloodshed.
We know the background for the relations between the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We know that the Georgian armed forces carried out three punitive operations against the Ossetians in 1920. These are the difficult pages of history that are part of our inheritance, and we need to remember these things and be very careful in our action.
There are some contradictions in international law. On the one hand, international law states the need to uphold the principle of territorial integrity, and Russia abides by this principle, also in respect to Georgia, of course, and in respect to all other countries. International law also defines the concept of a nations right to self-determination. We therefore need to find a solution to the situation in spite of all the contradictions. But we will, of course, follow with attention the international precedents in this area, including that of Kosovo.
YEKATERINA ANDREYEVA: Ilya, theres time for one more question for the President.
ILYA KANAVIN: Thank you. Please dont forget to introduce yourself.
ALSU SABITOVA: Hello, my name is Alsu Sabitova and I am a third-year student. Vladimir Vladimirovich, why do we sell oil and not petrol? And why is oil getting cheaper but petrol is getting more expensive? And what will happen if the oil runs out? Thank you.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: I will start from the end. Speaking to you and everyone out there who is worried about our excessive dependence on the current high world prices for oil, gas and coal, yes, we still are very dependent on these sectors, but at the same time, our main priority is to diversify our economy and the government is taking consistent steps to achieve this objective. I note that we have already established the Investment Fund and the Venture Fund. We have developed high-technology zones and are putting more money into education. All of this, and also the governments tax regulation measures, show that the authorities are working consistently towards achieving this goal of economic diversification.
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Путин дал интервью ARD 3-3by 390059390 views
Long live V. putin!
antiwestpropaganda 3 years ago
jebote bush
kosovousa 3 years ago 2