Mikhail Mishustin: “I will list several significant areas that require maximum coordination at all levels. This is demography first of all. Social conditions in this district should not be lower than the European part of Russia. The second is upgrading infrastructure. The third block of questions is related to the preservation of the natural resources of the Far East. And fourth, all projects require feedback from people living there.”
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Mikhail Mishustin chairs strategic session on development of Far East
Good afternoon, colleagues.
At today’s regular strategic session, we will discuss measures that will help the socioeconomic revival of all Far Eastern regions as well as ensure the fulfilment of tasks set for us by the President.
The head of state emphasised that the advanced development of Far Eastern regions is our priority, our common responsibility and the task of the Government, the regions, and the largest domestic companies.
We are guided by this in our activities. We regularly visit the federal district to inspect the details of what is being done to improve the quality of life and determine where additional support is required from the Cabinet of Ministers. Moreover, due to external restrictions, we see how intensively transport corridors to Southeast Asia are being developed, and how the interest of businesses in participating in joint projects with friendly countries is growing. New opportunities are also emerging for the development of border regions.
I will briefly outline the results achieved.
Over the past ten years, hundreds of new enterprises have been launched and tens of thousands of new jobs have been created.
Production volumes have increased not only in the mining sector, but also in several other industries, such as construction, seaborne freight turnover, the agricultural complex and many others.
Increasing the accessibility of air travel is an important part of the federal district’s spatial development. Discounted fares are provided for passengers, and 34 socially significant routes are in demand. Travel time is now shorter, meaning the necessary infrastructure for this has appeared on earth. During our visits, we can see how airports are changing, creating comfortable conditions for flights that are so in demand among domestic and foreign tourists.
In line with the President’s instructions, this year payments for air ambulances doubled, which made it possible to quickly provide medical assistance to more than 4,000 patients, including children. We will allocate funds for these purposes next year, too.
The Far Eastern Mortgage programme is also in demand. Over the four years since its launch, 87,000 families were able to purchase housing. This year alone, more than 28,000 have signed contracts and moved in.
Another opportunity to improve living conditions came in the form of obtaining land plots under the Far Eastern Hectare state programme. Over eight years, it has benefited 122,000 participants, including more than 10,000 this year.
In addition to this, 3,000 facilities needed for people were built and repaired thanks to the single Far Easter presidential subsidy: schools, medical and obstetric centres, sports and cultural institutions.
New tools that have begun to be introduced quite recently are also widely used. In particular, the Far Eastern Neighbourhood programme has been running for the second year. Steps have been taken to streamline integrated development in priority development areas, which will improve the quality of the entire urban environment.
The appearance of more than two dozen cities, such as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Chita, Tynda, Korsakov, and Severobaikalsk, will also change. The corresponding plans for their development have already been approved and, of course, must be implemented.
The reconstituting of production capacities in the Far East is also actively underway. Last week the Government extended the borders of the Amurskaya advanced development territory in the Amur Region, where a logistics hub and a timber processing enterprise will be created.
This week, the same decision has been made about the Yuzhnaya advanced development territory on Sakhalin, where the construction of a fish processing complex is planned, in addition to a shipyard that will produce passenger, cruising, and tourist vessels from up-to-date composite materials. The corresponding Government resolution has been signed.
It is important that behind each such document there are specific investment projects, which will create new jobs in the regions.
This year, more than 64 billion roubles were allocated from the federal budget to carry out these decisions and many other initiatives in the Far Eastern regions, within the Far Eastern socioeconomic development state programme alone, that is, without industry support measures, which are financed through a number of other instruments.
Next year we plan to increase budget allocations. The total amount of funds reserved for the regions in this district exceeds 80 billion roubles.
I will list several significant areas that require maximum coordination at all levels.
This is demography first of all. The necessary living conditions, schools and kindergartens, hospitals, and polyclinics must be created, so that a young specialist can have comfortable housing to bring his family to. A good salary for an interesting job. Internet and accessible public transport. That is, social conditions in this district should not be lower than the European part of Russia. Then local residents will also stay here, and young people from other regions will be happy to go there.
The second very important key point is to upgrade infrastructure, including roads, housing and utility services, and energy grids. Both people and businesses need this.
The third block of issues is related to the preservation of the natural resources of the Far East. Our tourists travel many thousands of kilometres just to breathe in the fresh taiga air one day, to see volcanoes, lakes, the beautiful Pacific coast, rare plants and animals in this natural environment. Therefore, it is absolutely normal that respect for ecosystems should be considered in every project, whether it is clearing wrecks from the waters as part of the general cleanup we are doing, or creating new walking trails for our travelers.
The fourth point is the most important. Every project requires feedback from people living there. They have ideas, strong will, their own opinion; and, of course, their wishes must be considered in order to implement these initiatives. For example, this was done in the past when developing a master plan for the development of the Vladivostok agglomeration until 2030. Back then, locals submitted over 1,000 proposals that were all processed.
The President has stressed many times that we must above all be guided by people’s requests and advised by them. Locals can help us achieve the most effective results.
We worked on Far Eastern issues at our previous strategic sessions and during our trips to the Far East.
I am sure that today, like back then, solutions will be proposed that will primarily be of use to the people who live there.
