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Putin Hails Economic Growth, Vows to Pursue Pragmatic Foreign Policy
President Vladimir Putin Monday spoke highly about Russia's domestic economic situation and pledged to make continued efforts for better living conditions of Russians and to pursue a realistic foreign policy.
Russia sees the most favorable economic situation in 2000 over the past decade, and the growth of its gross domestic product is expected to surpass 7 percent with a 15-30 percent rise in some sectors. All this has generated "certain positive social expectations in society," Putin said in a joint interview with the RTR and ORT TV channels and the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
Putin said Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's cabinet has been fulfilling its duties successfully and he is generally happy with the performance of the premier, thus ruling out any major reshuffles in the government.
"I have no doubt that as of now the government and its chairman are coping well with their job ...I think political stability is worth much more." Putin said.
This year is one of the most successful for the Russian economy, which has greatly benefited from high oil prices and the 1998 devaluation of the Russian currency of ruble, which made domestic manufacturers more competitive.
Putin said he had discussed with Kasyanov ways to further improve the government's performance and he will do anything possible to ensure that "the entire system of authority starts working more efficiently."
When answering a question concerning the "oligarchs," the president said he associates them with big business representatives who "try to influence political decisions from the shadows."
"There should not be such people, and I do not see such people around me any more," he said, adding that the state should support big business and guarantee the maximum freedom of action for citizens and legal entities.
Putin said his efforts are focused on improving the living standards of millions of ordinary Russians, creating a better environment for honest business and crushing the political influence of tycoons.
"I never forget that despite all the positive changes we see today, life for a huge majority of our people is very difficult," Putin said. "This feeling never leaves me and always helps to make pragmatic economic decisions."
Russian parliament has passed a series of important reformist laws, including a tax code and a tough 2001 budget, and "we came to the conclusion that we cannot do anything without an effective instrument in hand to pursue our course," Putin said, defending his bid to centralize power.
However, after almost one year at Russia's helm, the relative economic success of the past year has not obscured for him the difficulties most Russians still face, he said.
Meanwhile, Putin said Russia needed a pragmatic foreign policy that leaned neither to Soviet-era imperial expansionism nor to naive faith in the West.
"In the Soviet days we scared the world so that huge military and political blocs emerged... Did we really benefit from this? Of course not," he noted.
"But 10 years ago for some reason we decided that everyone heartily loves us," he added, referring to Russia's post-Soviet honeymoon with the West. "It turned out wrong as well."
Putin, who won a presidential election in March with a promise to restore order and national dignity, ensured that he will carry out a more practical foreign policy and vowed to fight for Russia's national interests in the world arena.
"We must get rid of imperial ambitions on the one hand, and on the other hand clearly understand where our national interests are, to spell them out and fight for them," he said.
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