4 Annual Big Press Conference Part 4
December 23,2004
President of Russia V.Putin
The Kremlin,Moscow
We are willing to act as mediators and as guarantors of agreements that may be reached and that I hope someday will be reached between the parties to this conflict, in this case Armenia and Azerbaijan. We do not want to become an unwelcome partner for one or other side in the long term. We do not want to take on this responsibility. The countries concerned must reach their own agreement and we will act as guarantor and mediator.
As for other areas of our relations, economic relations, for example, they are developing quite well. Armenia has taken some real steps towards Russia and Russia likewise towards Armenia. I am thinking here of the settlement of all our debts and their conversion into corresponding investment. I would like the governments of both countries to be more energetic and strive for even greater success. But we are heading in the right direction. Also, Armenia is one of our partners on the international stage as well; I am no longer talking about the South Caucasus here, in general, we have always coordinated our foreign policy efforts quite effectively. I would be pleased to see relations with Armenia continue to develop in this way in the future. We have a military base there and it is functioning well. The main thing is that the local people are happy with its activities. Many people have found employment at the base and it will continue to operate.
V.TEREKHOV (Interfax): Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich, I have a question about the energy companies. They are a component part, perhaps the most important part, of our economy and social development. In this connection my question will contain three sub-questions.
First. Do you think our energy companies bear a sufficient social burden? In other words, do they take part in solving burning social issues in the country?
Second. Are our minerals used correctly, according to science principles, rather than take now, make profits, with no thought for tomorrow?
And third. Naturally in the wake of serious events that occurred tonight, when Nefteyugansk passed into the ownership of a state company. Will you comment on all this?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: What was the second sub-question?
V.TEREKHOV: The first dealt with social matters. The second with the use of minerals, whether it is predatory or not.
PUTIN: I see.
Now concerning the burden on our energy companies. After a series of decisions this burden was redistributed, not in favour of the energy companies. In general, they are performing well, making progress, increasing their capital and developing at a good pace. All our energy companies I wish to emphasise this have increased their production. If memory serves me correctly, the oil companies raised their output by 5.2%, and the gas ones, I think, by 3%. And all of them have stepped up supplies of energy resources to foreign markets.
So the overall growth pattern is very positive. Following the adoption of a series of decisions designed to give priority development to the manufacturing in the economy, the tax burden was slightly redistributed. Not a great deal, but, I repeat, not in favour of the energy companies. The burden on them increased, and so, naturally, did their contribution to the national budget, a contribution which was and remains very high.
As far as the modern production techniques are concerned, I consider your comment is just. Companies, on the one hand, and the state, on the other, must see to it that production methods are not of a so-called colonial type when, as you justly remarked, you grab the tops and leave the roots. But to a considerable extent this responsibility rests with the state and, I repeat once again, with supervisory state agencies.
And lastly, both the state and the companies should pay more attention to mineral prospecting. These minerals are not inexhaustible, but I think, no am sure, that Russia's potentialities here are underestimated. We should focus more energetically on exploration and opening new deposits, especially in Eastern Siberia. There are no particular concerns about currently available resources, because, even according to the most averaged data, what has been explored, bearing in mind the rate of its exploitation, can be used for a comfortable 45 to 55 years. And that without any serious and active prospecting. But, I repeat, it is happening. And I would like to see it intensified. This is the main thing. Here both the state can give an impetus, and the companies themselves are perfectly aware of this, I think.
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Putin on Armenian Historyby SeaSnakeX197,830 views
Pizdit kak Raikin.
MrAzeriYaponchik 3 years ago