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President Vladimir Putin: Let’s begin with the weather. I know that the government is taking all the necessary measures within its competence. I ask the Prime Minister to organise the necessary work with the regions where help is needed.

Alexei Leonidovich [Kudrin], you have a meeting planned with your G-8 colleagues. Could you tell us about it.

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin: The G-8 finance ministers will hold a meeting in Moscow on February 11. Practically all the ministers have already confirmed their participation. I have also worked on the approval and preparation of the main reports and the main agenda for the G-8 meeting.

Over the last two weeks I have met with the finance ministers of Germany, Britain, the United States and Japan. This week I am meeting with the French finance minister and we will be continuing work on preparations for the G-8 finance ministers’ meeting, which will be devoted to the main issues that you approved as the issues Russia will focus on during its presidency of the G-8: energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and the development of education programmes. These issues are all reflected in our agenda, as are separate issues linked to developing and ensuring the stability of the world oil market, combating the financing of terrorism and money laundering and a number of other issues on which we have already coordinated our positions. Separate from the G-8 finance ministers’ meeting we will be holding a meeting with the finance ministers of China, India, Brazil and South Africa, countries with large and rapidly growing economies, and this meeting will discuss economic matters, the role of these countries in the world economy and the results of the recent trade discussions that took place in Hong Kong. We, all the ministers, agree that this would be a useful discussion that will take place alongside the main G-8 finance ministers’ meeting.

Work is now underway on the reports themselves and the main drafts of documents, so we are busy with our preparations. I should say that I am receiving the support of all the ministries and agencies and I would like to thank my colleagues for their joint work.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

German Oskarovich [Gref], you are planning to make a presentation at Davos on the projects for the special economic zones and on business schools? Could you say a few words about this?

Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref: Aside from our participation in the official delegation we have three key issues at Davos.

First, we will be holding talks with eight countries on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation.

Second, we will be meeting with 12 major world companies and we will be making a presentation on special economic zones and will hold talks on the participation of major investors and Russian high-tech companies on investing in these special economic zones.

We also have the task of finding partners to carry out one of the presidential projects – that of creating two business schools, one in Moscow and one in St Petersburg. Several companies confirmed their potential interest at the meeting last June in St Petersburg. Now we would like to hold talks on their financial participation and the timetable for implementing this project. We have already prepared the draft projects and selected the sites. We already have interest from Russian businesspeople and we also want now to find investors among major Western corporations.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

I would like to draw the Interior Ministry’s attention to the fact that I have just been speaking with the director of the Federal Security Service and I instructed him to strengthen security at energy facilities in the Caucasus. Last year, after all, there was a blast at a gas pipeline in Dagestan.

Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev: Yes, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Vladimir Putin: It is clear now that there has already been a blast this year too. The Prosecutor’s Office has already launched a criminal case and an investigation has to be made. If the Prosecutor’s Office needs help, please provide this help.

I ask Gazprom and RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES) to work with the government to oversee that all repair work is rapidly carried out there.

Rashid Nurgaliyev: Vladimir Vladimirovich, we have set up operations and investigations groups. The 49th Brigade has sealed off the area in North Ossetia-Alania where the explosion took place at 2.35 on January 22, 2006. The 58th Army together with the Federal Security Service and the 44th Border Guards Detachment are carrying out search operations. A criminal case has been opened. Interior Ministry personnel are among the members of the operations and investigations group. The same kinds of measures are being carried out in Karachayevo-Cherkessia where there was an explosion at the LEP-500 electricity transmission line.

The relevant instructions concerning the protection of gas and electricity facilities, including those currently most vulnerable to terrorist attack, were sent out yesterday evening to all the regions.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Report to me later on the results of your work.

We need to work as quickly as possible to restore the energy supply.

Mikhail Yuryevich [Zurabov], could you report on the bird flu situation, please.

Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov: Vladimir Vladimirovich, in accordance with the instructions you gave on this issue, health and quarantine controls have been stepped up at border checkpoints as from January 7, for people entering the Russian Federation from Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

More than 76,000 people entered the country from these countries from January 7–22, but no cases of infectious diseases have been detected.

At the same time, also on your instruction, the evacuation of pilgrims who travelled by road to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj has been organised from the airport of Amman in Jordan. Two flights have been organised every day. So far there have been 11 flights and 3,352 people have been evacuated. No cases of infectious diseases have been detected among them.

Furthermore, a programme of measures to prevent the spread of bird flu in the Russian Federation has been drawn up. The government gave the instruction to draw up this project and this was done by January 22 and was submitted in approved form together with the draft instruction. Work is underway at the moment on preparations for signing this instruction.

To date, no cases of bird flu have been detected in the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin: Continued efforts need to be made to prevent the possible spread of this disease to our territory. In particular, as I have already said, we need to be ready for the spring so that all our services are on the alert when the birds begin migrating from the south.

Sergei Borisovich [Ivanov], you are set to visit Azerbaijan and Armenia. Could you say a few words about your plans there.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov: Over the next three days I will be making an official visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia. I plan to meet with my colleagues, the defence ministers of these countries, and with the military and political leadership of these countries in order to discuss developing bilateral military and military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan and with Armenia, and also to discuss the situation regarding security and stability in the Trans-Caucasus and Caspian regions.

I also plan to visit the Russian military units based in Azerbaijan – the Daryal space forces radar location station not far from Gabala. In Armenia I will inspect our 102nd Military Base and will also check the state of facilities for ammunition and military equipment that is being prepared now for transfer to our bases in Armenia, that is, military equipment and ammunition from Georgia. When the withdrawal of our bases in Georgia begins, part of the equipment and ammunition will be relocated primarily to Armenian territory, to our base at Gyumri. I want to check first that these bases are ready.

Vladimir Putin: Good.