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Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Speaker of the State Duma Sergei Naryshkin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich, Presidential Adviser Mikhail Abyzov, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Rector of the Russian Economy and Civil Service Academy Vladimir Mau, and Rector of National Research University the Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov.

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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Colleagues,

We reviewed our national social and economic development results at the end of last year and examined the short-term forecast. 

Today we have brought together Government officials and members of the State Duma and the expert community to discuss work on social and economic development strategy through to 2020 – the Strategy 2020 document.

In this document we are to define and set out the mechanisms for innovative growth and the means by which we will develop effective market and state institutions.

I make no secret of the fact that achieving these objectives will not be easy. This is partly due to internal problems, many of which remain to be resolved, and, sadly, just as much due to the global economy’s worsening situation. The big economies are growing more slowly now and expert community has serious concerns today about the state of transnational banks and the main reserve currencies. In this context, our country’s development results for the last year are not so bad, as was discussed at a recent Government meeting.

”Our national economic policy must be balanced and carefully calculated and considered. It must not be pegged to any political calendar but must look to the long term and give us the conditions we need to be able to resolve the toughest issues, including social issues.“

Rather than looking back, however, we should look forward and reflect on our long-term development strategy. As I said, this coming year will clearly not be easy. We have set up a special expert group and today will hear from our colleagues about what has been done so far.

Whatever the case, in situation where we still have internal problems to deal with as well as global instability to face, our national economic policy must be above all balanced and carefully calculated and considered. It must not be pegged to any political calendar but must look to the long term and give us the conditions we need to be able to resolve the toughest issues, including social issues, and provide our people with a high quality of life.

At the same time, we have to put in place a model that will stimulate development and capital inflow, encourage companies to modernise their technology and promote the development of modern new production facilities. Among the key issues that I have spoken of already, but that remain on the agenda today, are improving the investment climate (this is our top priority), cutting back red tape and making business regulation more effective, and maintaining the macroeconomic parameters that form the foundation for our economic growth and our ability to reach our Strategy 2020 objectives. These goals include low inflation, structural diversification of the economy, and an increase in high-technology exports. 

Ultimately, Strategy 2020 must address these issues and many others besides. This is all the more important now that we are living in a new economic reality. Russia has joined the WTO and the final ratification process is now underway. Furthermore, we have established the Common Economic Space with Belarus and Kazakhstan, and this also creates a completely new situation in what is now a common market.

Let’s begin work.

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