7 Annual Big Press Conference Part 26
February 14,2008
President of Russia V.Putin
The Kremlin,Moscow
BBC NEWS: Two questions if I may, Vladimir Vladimirovich.
First, following up on the topic of Kosovo: if Kosovo proclaims independence and a number of countries in Europe and the United States recognize its independence, do you think that Russia should take any similar action in the territory of the former Soviet Union and recognize any disputed territories such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Transdniestria?
And the second question. Two or three weeks ago on Vladimir Pozner's programme Vremena, a number of high-ranking representatives of the Russian leadership (Kudrin, Chubais) commented on Russian foreign policy in not very flattering tones, saying that it was acting as a brake or, at the very least, having a negative impact on the development of the economy. Such disagreement is quite rare for modern Russian leadership. How would you comment these statements?
Thank you.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: I have not heard these statements, I would have to look at them in writing. Our foreign policy has no detrimental effect on the development of the Russian economy. I already gave the figures: the inflow of private capital into Russia in the past year amounted to 80-odd billion dollars. Is this a reflection of the fact that investors are being deterred or bad policy? On the contrary. Many international experts, I have already said this too, believe that the Russian economy is a quiet haven in the fairly turbulent ocean of today's global economy. This is in light of the stability of macroeconomic indicators (and despite inflation), and in terms of political stability. That is why everyone wants to work with us. And these 82.3 billion dollars of private investment are not just portfolio investments: many of them are direct private investments into the Russian economy. Therefore, there is no need to sing songs about the fact that foreign policy is preventing anything. It simply helps because it demonstrates the Russian Federation's increasing possibilities, its confidence, and the openness of our economy at the same time.
As to certain delicate questions, which look delicate from the outside, they are really related to only one thing, the desire to be treated as equals when we have to resolve problems in the economic, political or cultural spheres.
QUESTION (indecipherable).
VLADIMIR PUTIN: No, no. And the people you referred to by name, not all of them, I would say, belong to the country's political leadership. Why political leadership! I haven't seen anyone from the political leadership among the people you cited. Let them mind their own affairs. Everyone should tend his own garden, like St Francis, boom boom, every day, and then success will be assured. But everyone has the right to express themselves. Incidentally, this bears witness to the good, reasonably democratic status of the domestic elite. After all, people express themselves openly, freely and, I repeat, are entitled to do so. Overall, I believe that this is a good, positive signal.
ALEKSEI GROMOV: The first part of the question was about the recognition or non-recognition in connection with Kosovo.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: What will we do if they start to recognize Kosovo's independence unilaterally, and will we not do the same?
We are not going to start to play the fool. If someone takes a bad, incorrect decision, it does not mean that we should act the same way. But of course it would be a signal to us, and we would respond to the behaviour of our partners in order to ensure that our interests are protected. If they believe they have the right to promote their interests in this way, then why can't we? But, I repeat, we will not play the fool and act like this is a necessary consequence or do the same thing. We have our own affairs, and we know what we will do.
QUESTION: Vladimir Vladimirovich, we recently heard about Bush's vision of how to improve the situation in the Middle East. You just said that his is not an easy lot. I think that it is «not so easy» because he settled a lot of issues in a very crude way, especially in the Middle East. In Bush's vision Israel is a Jewish State, Jerusalem is its eternal capital, and the refugees' right of return to their occupied territories is only secondary. Can I hear your vision for solving the Middle Eastern problem, especially since you are known there and Russia is trusted in the Middle East?
Thank you.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Of course there is nothing simpler than Middle Eastern problems: they have lasted for many years and we are certainly not going to solve them together now.
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7 Ежегодная большая пресс-конференция Part 29 В.Путин (Putin)by niknikolay895 views
Mr. Putin is the man, Osu master.
skhstyle7 3 years ago