{{Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s appeared for his 11th televised call-in show, the first since he returned to the presidency last year. }}
The show was broadcast on three federal TV channels — Channel One, Rossia 1 and Rossia 24 .
below are excerpts of the show
{{16:48}}: The call-in show has ended after almost five hours.
{{16:39}}: The show is ending on a series of more lighthearted questions. Sittel asked Putin whether he is happy. “That’s a philosophical question, but I’m eternally grateful for my fate and that Russian citizens have trusted me to lead the country. That is my life. Whether that’s enough, I don’t know,” Putin said.
{{16:33}}: The call-in show has just set a new record length, surpassing the duration of the 2011 show.
{{16:26}}: Putin’s call-in show is approaching its closing stages, according to the show’s hosts. For the final section, Putin is answering quickfire questions.
One such question concerned Putin’s successor. “Do you consider [Defense Minister] Sergei Shoigu as your successor?” Maria Sittel asked Putin. “The Russian people will choose my successor,” Putin replied.
{{16:18}}: Call-in show moderator Maria Sittel read out a question submitted by text message: “When will all the money for the Skolkovo innovation center be stolen?”
Putin vowed that “any plundering of money will be prevented.” Citing investigators, he said State Duma Deputy Ilya Ponomaryov, who is suspected of illegally obtaining $750,000 from the Skolkovo Foundation, might have not performed the lectures he was paid to give.
“I don’t assert anything though,” Putin said. He didn’t mention Ponomaryov’s name but said that if investigators are wrong and the deputy gave the lectures, he did a good job. “Let him continue performing lectures, although I don’t know whether they’re worth $750,000.”
{{16:15}}: Commercial banks fuel risks in the economy by setting excessive interest rates, Putin said, adding that private lenders “are much too fond of their own benefits.” He also pointed out that Cyprus is not always a safe place to invest.
{{16:08}}: Putin assessed the development of Russia’s scientific infrastructure positively. He pointed out that Russia participates in many prominent international projects and provides scientific grants. “We have an intellectual services market, … but it’s difficult to promote it without government support,” he said.
{{16:05}}: А call center representative interrupts the call-in show to inform viewers and listeners that over 2 million people have submitted questions for today’s event. “An absolute record,” she says.
{{15:49}}: Putin defended the fact that French actor Gerard Depardieu received fast-tracked Russian citizenship, while other foreigners wait years to become Russian citizens. The president described Depardieu as a special case owing to his career as an actor who has contributed to Russian culture, describing Depardieu as an “impulsive man.”
Putin then invited other foreigners from CIS countries and further afield to become Russian citizens. “If they are of a reproductive age, are well-educated and can adapt well to our culture, we are waiting for such people,” he said.
{{15:39}}: Russia has the potential to develop shale gas exploration, Putin said. “I don’t think that we have slept through something here,” he said. He pointed out that shale gas exploration is extremely costly and requires strict environmental protection measures.
{{15:19}}: Editor-in-chief of Nezavisimaya Gazeta Konstantin Remchukov asked the president about Russian-U.S. Relations and suggested finding a strategy to restore trust between the two sides, since the current situation recalls the Cold War.
Putin agreed with Remchukov that there is a coolness in Russia’s relationship with Western countries, especially the United States. But he laid the blame on the U.S. side for escalating the tension.
“Did we approve this Magnitsky List? Why on earth did they do that?” he said. Canceling the Jackson-Vanik amendment after Russia’s accession to the WTO was a good chance for the U.S. government to “forget everything from the Cold War era,” Putin claimed. He called the Magnitsky List the U.S. government’s effort to demonstrate that they are “the coolest,” accusing the U.S. of an “imperialist” attitude to foreign policy. He said Russian-U.S. relations deteriorated from the invasion of Iraq.
{{15:00}}: Fending off claims that authorities are clamping down on free speech on the Russian Internet, Putin said: “What restrictions on the Internet? It’s a free space, but society should be protected from pedophilia, child pornography, from sites promoting drug use and suicide. Such restrictions have been in developed countries for a long time.”
{{14:55}}
Leave a Reply