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President Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

Four years ago, when the State Duma of the third convocation had only just begun working, we began to hold meetings regularly at this forum. In point of fact, we began working in the “round table” format, at which we regularly discussed not only problems of legislative activity, priorities of legislative work and interaction between parliament and executive bodies of power, the Government and the Presidential Administration. On the agendas of our meetings, we discussed, as a rule, important issues of internal and international politics.

I would like to note particularly the important stabilizing role of such meetings in quite dramatic periods of what we can call the most recent history of our country of the last four years. There have been many such moments, and almost every time when it was necessary to consult with you, we gathered here, at the Kremlin. And we regularly met, when necessary.

Then, four years ago, it was difficult to predict how the new deputy body would work, and what it would prefer: hard, routine legislative work or political scandals and squabbles. And most importantly, whether it would justify the trust of those who had voted for the Duma of the third convocation, and whether it would be able to work to realize their interests and orders.

At the same time, the ability to cooperate, pragmatism of approaches and receptivity to society’s demands made it possible to begin developing laws required by the country literally right away. Laws whose absence has for many years slowed down developed in the economy and in the social sphere, and which did not make it possible to solve the accumulated social problems.

In your “luggage” and the “luggage” of you colleagues are 18 federal constitutional laws, eight codes, the second part of the Tax code, and the third part of the Civil code of the Russian Federation.

Each of the third convocations of the State Duma, of course, made its contribution to the formation of Russian parliamentarianism. But a kind of breakthrough in the development of Russian legislation was only possible in the last period – the Duma of the third convocation.

At the same time, not so much the amount of laws passed by the State Duma, but their quality and significance for the country, were determined by the efficiency of your work.

Your work served to create more favourable conditions for the development of economic freedoms, to manage property, for a whole range of civil and criminal legal norms and procedural guarantees. A large contribution was made to modernizing federal relations, and conductions pension, legal and land reforms. And, of course, in the development of people’s sovereignty. This concerns election laws, the status of parties, and of local self-administration. I know that on each of these issues, everyone present here has their own opinion and views. Some agree with the norms passed, some agree completely, some partially, some support them fully, but the fact remains that all these important laws have been passed.

It is also important that the main blocks of legislation have worked together with the Government at different stages. And I particular note your work on the federal budget. All these years, it has been conducted systematically and in close cooperation with the Government. It was extremely important for the budget process for the temporary limits established by legislation to endure.

Unfortunately, there are also things that were not possible to do. A series of problems were not overcome. I am not inclined to think that this is only because of the work of parliament. I mean a certain lack of system, and a static nature, in the legislative process. I know for certain that executive power is also to blame here – it did not present the necessary projects on time, and perhaps did not clearly react to deputies’ remarks. This is all true, and the newly elected State Duma should take this into consideration.

And finally, I want to thank you all present here, all your colleagues, all the deputies of the State Duma of the third convocation for your effective professional activity in parliament. For your contribution to creating the atmosphere of stability that we have turned to on many occasions, which we strived towards for so long, and which is so needed by our country to move forward. This is our common achievement.

I am certain that the State Duma of the third convocation, the authority of which is already coming to an end, will leave an appreciable and positive trace in the history of Russian state hood and parliamentarianism.

Thank you very much.