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In opening the meeting, the President asked that a minute of silence be observed in honour of the victims of a helicopter crash that took place on August 20 in Kamchatka.

He stressed that Sakhalin’s residents, who took the tragedy very much to heart, should be sure that all current social and economic issues in the region and any other problems would be solved smoothly and without any hitches.

The President asked his envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, Konstantin Pulikovsky, to pay particular attention to Sakhalin in the near future. The President singled out the next year’s budget among matters that he said should be of special concern to all levels of authority.

Commenting on remarks made by meeting participants, President Putin drew attention to the fact that regional output was on the rise, that the labour market was improving and positive trends in the demographic sphere had gained strength in Sakhalin. In his opinion, people were staying on the island largely thanks to major oil and gas projects. The President said the state would continue to sponsor these projects, describing them as a power house of the region.

He said he had a half-an-hour discussion with Mr Pulikovsky and the Sakhalin Region’s acting Governor, Ivan Malakhov, before the meeting. The President said they discussed things that needed particular attention, especially in the context of preparations for autumn and winter.

President Putin stressed that a lot depended on the heads of municipal bodies in that respect.