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The meeting was attended by Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin, Head of the Republic of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, and Head of the Cossack Bay educational centre Tatyana Dontsova.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.

The topic of today's meeting is the socioeconomic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. We will discuss the region’s performance results and the priorities for the future.

But before we begin, I would like to wish all the best to the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol and all citizens of our country on the upcoming Day of Crimea's Reunification with Russia.

Nine years ago, the people in Crimea and Sevastopol made their unequivocal and final historical choice to become part of our large and united country once again and for all time.

Clearly, security is a priority for Crimea and Sevastopol, especially today. We will do our best to stop any threats.

And of course, despite all the challenges and difficulties, we will consistently and systematically work to accelerate the socioeconomic development of Crimea and Sevastopol, to implement all our plans to improve the quality of life of local people, increase family incomes and investment, ramp up the region’s industrial, agricultural and tourism potential, support entrepreneurship and business initiative, create new jobs, and implement dedicated projects to improve transport and energy infrastructure, housing and utilities, healthcare, education, and culture.

We have expanded the state programme for the socioeconomic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, which is the main tool in this comprehensive work, and extended it for another two years, until 2027. The total amount of funding for the entire period is over 1.6 trillion rubles, and we have already allocated most of these funds, including more than 116 billion rubles in 2022 alone.

Today, that investment has brought tangible returns and advanced the region’s development. I would like to thank everyone involved in the implementation of this significant and important programme: our colleagues from the Government and relevant agencies, regional authorities, municipalities, businesses, and teams of various companies, especially representatives of the construction industry. Local residents and guests of Crimea and Sevastopol have a chance to see the results of your hard and professional work with their own eyes.

Over the last years, hundreds of important facilities in various areas have been created and put into operation, including support facilities, hubs necessary for the development of the entire transport infrastructure of the peninsula. I mean the Simferopol airport, modern Tavrida highway, and, of course, the Crimean bridge. Its restoration after the terrorist attack continues, and I am confident this work will be completed on schedule. It is already open to vehicle traffic, and the railway tracks are being repaired. I would like to ask you to report on this separately today.

Today, the road network is actively developing, the utilities infrastructure is improving, housing construction is speeding up, and sports facilities, schools and kindergartens are opening under the state programme. Last year alone, the construction of nine preschool facilities for 1,630 places was completed, and this year’s plans include the opening of about 140 different new facilities. Today we will discuss how the work is progressing, what problems and what specific construction projects require assistance, need to be addressed separately.

I repeat, the state programme is, of course, the main, key tool for the socioeconomic development, effective planning and investment of significant public funds. At the same time, I set the task of significantly increasing the inflow of private investment, creating more comfortable, favourable conditions for businesses that want to work in the Crimea and Sevastopol.

A lot has already been done in this area: the regulatory framework is being updated, various barriers and excessive requirements are being removed. As a result, over 250 investment projects with a total investment of 450 billion rubles are being implemented in the Republic of Crimea. There are about 100 other projects in Sevastopol worth over 217 billion rubles.

It is important to develop an up-to-date and in-demand mechanism of public-private partnership in the form of a special economic zone created on the peninsula. According to the results of its work for eight years, every ruble invested, every ruble of the benefits provided by the state raised three rubles. I repeat, for one ruble of public funds, three rubles are invested. By the beginning of this year, over 1,578 companies had registered as residents, 85 percent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises.

And of course, we need to keep a strong focus on this segment of domestic business and generally meet investors halfway, stay in touch with them, and respond to requests and suggestions, given their willingness to work in rather difficult conditions of external restrictions.

Colleagues,

These nine years, and last year especially, showed that together we can overcome any difficulty, achieve really significant, big results, and make progress towards the goals we have set. And you always need to work in this way, for the people, in unison, as a team. This fully applies to supporting the development of Crimea and Sevastopol.

Let us move on to our today’s agenda. I would like to ask Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev to speak first. Please, Mr Razvozhayev.

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Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,

I would like to thank you all for the work that has been done over the past year for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol.

I would like to once again congratulate all residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as all citizens of the Russian Federation. This is a great event in the life of the country. I think it is very appropriate that every year we give attention to this, including by doing everything we can to develop Crimea and Sevastopol, to support those people who live in these historically Russian territories and who decided in 2014 to reunite with their historic homeland. This, I repeat, is the most important event. And now, as in previous years, and in the coming period, we will, of course, do everything for the development of these territories.

Thank you all very much and once again congratulations on the holiday.

All the best.