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Question: This is not the first time you are chairing a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council and sessions of the State Council. The new mechanism has been in place for some time, the working groups and so on. How do you see the work of the new mechanism, its pluses and minuses? Are you satisfied with its work or not?

Vladimir Putin: It is one of those rare cases when I see no minuses. The purpose for which the State Council was formed and the goals set before it are being implemented. It was conceived as an advisory body to help the executive branch prepare decisions at the federal level with due account of the opinions of the regional leaders and their experience and knowledge of the situation in the regions where they work. In my opinion the mechanism is working as well as could have been expected. Our discussion today confirms this. I think those of you who are familiar with the topic and who have followed the complicated situation in the public health sphere in all the nuances see how committed the people are in discussing and expressing their opinions and offering practical recommendations. All this will take the shape of the President’s directives to the Government of the Russian Federation and will be taken into account. All this has been formalized in the shape of a presidential decree, but actually the discussion has been highly informal and very animated and effective.

Question: Who monitors the execution?

Vladimir Putin: We have a small team in my Executive Office, which monitors the execution of the decisions. When the results of discussions at the State Council take the shape of directives, they are instantly put under review by the President’s Main Control Directorate.