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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Goldshtein, I would like to thank you for what you accomplished in the Far East. I can offer you a position in the Komi Republic, where, as I am aware, you started working in 1990 as a driver.

You gradually moved up to become a member of the State Council of the Republic, and then a State Duma deputy. You have then worked for five years in the Far East.

How do you feel about returning to Komi?

Rostislav Goldshtein: Mr President, it is a great honour and tremendous responsibility for me. Komi is a vast and economically developed republic. Your trust always doubles the amount of responsibility for me, and I am proud and honoured to accept your offer. I am confident we will be able to do our best to move the republic forward. I am sure we will succeed.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Goldshtein, you accurately noted that the republic boasts a strong potential. I also worked there for a short while as a student construction team member. But I got a sense of the republic’s potential over the past few years. What do you see as the most promising areas?

Rostislav Goldshtein: Mr President, coal mining and bauxite production hold a lot of promise. Rusal is operating there. Originally, there was a project to build an alumina plant for deeper processing, but, unfortunately, it was suspended.

There are titanium projects, as well as a vast Timan-Pechora oil and gas province developed by Lukoil and Rosneft, among other companies. Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta and Severgazprom are major gas transit operators on the Yamal–Western Europe pipelines. There is also an extensive deep-processing lumber industry. A Komi entrepreneur bought factories from IKEA and then took the operations to a whole new level.

Notably, there are a number of longstanding issues in the Komi Republic, such as improving and supporting northern towns such as Vorkuta, Inta, and Pechora. I would like to ask your permission and ask you to issue an instruction for Maxim Oreshkin and me to work on plans to further develop these territories and to see what we can do. I would like to take three to four months to get up to speed with the things on the ground, and then report back to you and obtain your instruction to address these issues. Solving these issues is a long time coming, so we need to address them properly.

Vladimir Putin: I urge you to rely on local personnel and to work closely with local specialists. I am sure you will succeed. You have an extensive track record in this regard.

Rostislav Goldshtein: Thank you, Mr. President. That is exactly how we will proceed.

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