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The national flag has been hoisted on the large freezing trawlers Captain Vdovichenko and Captain Sokolov, as well as on the longline fishing vessel Gandvik-1.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends.

Representatives of Russian fishing companies and shipyards, and the crews of the new vessels on which the Russian flag will be hoisted today are with us online.

But before starting the ceremony, I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues on the upcoming Fisherman’s Day. Millions of people for whom fishing is a hobby celebrate this holiday. But above all, it is a professional holiday, uniting workers of the fishing industry, which employs tens, and taking into account allied industries – hundreds of thousands of specialists.

Your hard work has always been respected in Russia. This is a profession which requires not only knowledge and skills, but also special personal qualities, reliability and mutual support.

I would like to thank all of you for your excellent work, for your loyalty to and love for your profession, and wish success to you and your families.

Today the fishery industry as a whole is certainly one of the most important and key industries making a substantial contribution to the social and economic development of many Russian regions and ensuring the country’s food security. Your products are on the table of almost every Russian family.

I would like to point out good results in the volumes of aquatic bioresources production. Our supplies to foreign markets are also growing.

I am sure that the Russian fishing industry – despite all the external challenges and attempts at sanctions pressure – will continue to advance steadily and increase its competitiveness. And the Government will certainly provide the necessary support to companies and work groups for addressing priority tasks.

This above all means developing our own production and resource base, thereby saturating the domestic market with a wide range of high-quality products, and, more importantly, with products that are affordable to people with different income levels. The share of highly-processed foods should also grow substantially, and we would very much like to see a tangible share of highly-processed foods in exports. This means not only additional income, but also that new jobs will be created here in Russia, and not abroad.

In this regard, another important task is to reduce dependence on foreign technologies, components and services. We have all the capabilities to do this, and first and foremost, the tremendous potential of Russian scientists, engineers, designers and workers. We will develop advanced know-how here at home, conduct promising R&D, and shorten the path from an idea and design concept to its implementation in real production.

It is equally important to stimulate further investment in the fishing industry, build and upgrade processing plants, improve all related transport, logistics, engineering and social infrastructure, and raise the quality of life for people in the Far East, North and Arctic regions, along the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea, and other traditional centres of the fishing industry.

And of course, one of our key strategic priorities is to upgrade the fishing fleet, to build modern, well-equipped, reliable vessels for fishing companies, that would meet high environmental standards and can fish sustainably, without harming ecosystems, the wealth that we have to pass on to future generations.

Today, on the eve of Fisherman’s Day, three state-of-the-art fishing vessels built by Russian shipbuilders will fly the flag of our country.

I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who has taken part in their construction – the engineers, designers, installers and riggers of the vessels and their technical equipment, and the staff of Severnaya Verf and Admiralty Shipyards.

I am sure the new vessels will take their rightful place in the ranks of the Russian fishing fleet, expand its capabilities and competitive advantages, and their crews will proudly sail under the flag of the Russian Federation and excel through their professional, concerted and coordinated work.

I sincerely wish you success and all the best.

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