Truth and Justice regional and local media forum
Vladimir Putin took part in the third Truth and Justice regional and local media forum.
The media forum is organised by the Russian Popular Front and focuses on topical issues in regional life, the development of independent Russian journalism, and international issues. The forum participants include journalists from all around Russia, bloggers, heads of federal media outlets, and the heads of relevant government ministries and agencies.
Excerpts from transcript of the III Truth and Justice regional and local media forum
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends and colleagues. It is a great pleasure to be here once again with you.
This forum is a unique event that brings together representatives of local and regional media outlets from all around the country. It is symbolic that you are meeting in St Petersburg. Why do I say this? Because Leningrad-St Petersburg used to be called the city of three revolutions. I hope that your efforts will not bring about a fourth revolution, but rather the contrary.
Through your active, honest and open work, you will help us to achieve a natural, correct and fair balance of interests in our society, and at the same time, you will do all you can to ensure that officials at all levels and ordinary people respect our laws on government bodies and public administration, and that the law enforcement agencies remain neutral and perform their professional duties with honour.
I know that you have presented awards to 300 of your colleagues for their journalistic work. I know that each of the reports and articles distinguished, and the many others that did not receive awards, represent the concrete results of your efforts to improve people’s lives in the housing sector, medical care, organisation of procurement contracts and tenders and other areas.
I looked through the information documents before coming here, and I see that this is all specific and much-needed work that is important for our country and our people.
It is very important that you are working with the Russian Popular Front because this cooperation will certainly raise the effectiveness of both the Russian Popular Front’s efforts and the work of journalists, as the Russian Popular Front has possibilities for contact with the federal authorities and the President, and you have direct contact with people at the grassroots level.
In this respect, let me say that your work and the role and function you perform entail tremendous responsibility and involve a big burden. It is one thing to sit at the summit and survey everything from on high, after all, and quite another thing to work directly with the people, get a feel for what is going on, and most important of all, take responsibility for your words and actions.
Let me say again, you have a wonderful and honourable job, but also a difficult and highly responsible one. Let us discuss the things on your minds now. You have been working for three days now and I imagine that many different issues have been raised at the various discussions. I would like to hear your proposals regarding your work and the various areas of our life and our economy. As in the previous years, I will do everything I can to respond to your proposals as best I can.
Let us begin.
<…>
Alikber Abdulgamidov: Good afternoon Mr President. I am Alik Abdulgamidov, a journalist and member of the regional headquarters in Dagestan.
Nearly 17 years ago, in the Botlikh district, when federal troops and local militia forces eliminated the terrorist groups that had invaded Dagestan, you promised me an interview and said that it would take place after the next big success, a victory over terrorists. I think the time has come now. I am referring to the events in Syria – the successful operations of Russian forces there.
First of all, I would like to ask a question about international politics. There has been a turnaround in Syria thanks to the Russian Aerospace Forces’ effective operations. The situation has changed and Russia’s active support has helped to liberate hundreds of settlements, and most importantly, it has liberated the symbolic city of Palmyra, a cultural jewel and world cultural treasure.
The Syrian people are thanking you personally, and Russia, for this help. However, these events have gone largely ignored by foreign media outlets. In your view, why are ‘our Western partners’ as you refer to them, ignoring Russia’s latest success in the fight against international terrorism?
Vladimir Putin: It is still too early to talk about a fundamental turnaround in Syria, but it is clear that we have carried out our mission with success. Our mission was above all to bolster Syria’s statehood and support the legitimate government.
Incidentally, if you followed the events, this is precisely what I spoke about back at the General Assembly session that marked the UN’s 70th anniversary. I said that if we want to stop the flow of refugees into Europe, for example, if we want people to want and be able to live in their home country and not flee abroad, we need to restore statehood where it had been lost. I was referring above all to Libya. We need to support and strengthen statehood in the countries where it still exists, and here, I am referring to Syria.
In this respect, our Armed Forces, and not just our Aerospace Forces, and I will say this again, have certainly been up to the task. Syria’s statehood has been strengthened. The government bodies and armed forces there are stronger now. Note that after the bulk of our forces withdrew, Syria’s government forces continued their active offensive and, with our support, are liberating more and more towns. Incidentally, no one disputes that this current action really is directed only against terrorist organisations such as ISIS. This is something that we, our American partners, and the Europeans all recognise. Everyone recognises it.
Why is this being passed over in silence? This is for logical reasons. First, they spoke of the need to isolate Russia following the events in Crimea, for example; then it became clear that this would not be possible, and with the start of the operations in Syria, it became absolutely clear that this kind of destructive action against our country is simply not possible. However, they would rather keep silent about this if possible and avoid talking about it if they can.
At the same time, our active efforts in combatting international terrorism have gone some way to improve our relations with the leading powers in this important for us all area of cooperation in fighting international terrorism. We have set up an information exchange centre with the United States, we also hold regular consultations, and I want to emphasise that we have established effective measures to monitor the ceasefire. This work continues.
The most important thing now is to organise efforts to find a political settlement, and here too, we continue regular consultations. Therefore, no matter how much someone might wish to do so, it is not possible to lessen the importance of our efforts in the fight against terrorism, and it is not possible to pass over these events in silence. This is simply not possible. The desire does exist. Everyone has their job to do. Your job is to bring information to public light, and their job is to lessen the significance of events or pass them over in silence, and not give their viewers, listeners and readers the full picture. This is an exercise in futility, as lawyers would say. Life goes on and we are not worried about this. It is the result that counts.
<…>
Margarita Morozova: Good afternoon Mr President, colleagues. I am a journalist and an expert of the Public Monitoring Centre for Environmental and Forest Protection Issues. This centre was set up a year ago at your initiative.
Over this year, the centre has done a lot of work, and we have two achievements we can be proud of. First are the two draft laws that we prepared. The first is now close to completion and we are preparing to submit it to the State Duma for consideration. It was broadly discussed at the Baikal Environmental Forum that we held in Irkutsk at the start of this year. The draft law concerns tightening control over logging and toughening liability for improperly carried out forest regeneration.
Today, I would like to talk about the ‘green shield’, the plans to create a ‘green shield’ of forests in Moscow Region, 70 kilometres from Moscow. This will make it possible to prevent unlawful forest destruction, reduce the amount of construction, and protect water conservation zones. Moscow Region is currently one of the most problematic regions in terms of noncompliance with environmental rules and regulations. An appropriate law was drafted and submitted to the State Duma, but it has been there for a long time now and has not even passed the first reading. We have the impression that lobbyists are at work here.
I would like to ask for your help. Why do I get this impression? We received a negative evaluation from the State-Legal Directorate and the Russian Federation Government. Given the importance of this draft law and the importance of the environment, we ask you to look into this situation. People not only in Moscow and Moscow Region are expecting this draft law, but in other regions as well. It was discussed at the Baikal forum too, and it was very important for our people, and especially for the big cities.
In addition, with 2017 coming up, the Year of the Environment, we sincerely hope that the next elections will bring into the State Duma people who will lobby above all the interests of our people and our nature, rather than businesses and industry. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Business and industry are, naturally, closely linked to the people in the positive sense of the word, as both industry and business create the foundation of our economic well-being and provide conditions for the development of the social sphere, our defence capability, and so on, and create jobs. However, you are absolutely correct in that all Russian people without exception have a vested interest in the preservation of the environment and forests, one of our principal assets. In this respect, your activity, I am certain, evokes and will continue to evoke a response and support in the hearts of all Russian citizens.
A large number of people work in the timber industry (it is also very important for our economy). It is an important part, an important component of our economy. This is also related to jobs and wages. However, without any doubt, the state should regulate this kind of activity and prevent abuses at any cost.
I move about the country a great deal in cars, airplanes, and helicopters and indeed I often see a picture that catches one's eye and arouses serious concern. What is this picture? Vast empty spaces around large population centres, above all, cities with a population of over 1 million people. It is easier and cheaper to procure timber there. However, this does not always correspond to the interests of the entire country, the entire state, of all our people, and is often in conflict with people’s interests.
We know there are a lot of problems in the [Russian] Far East. I can see with my own eyes that these problems are proliferating in Karelia, the Leningrad Region, the Moscow Region, the Novgorod Region and other regions in the European part of the country. If this goes on, there will be absolutely no forests left around large cities. This issue requires additional, special attention from the public (thanks to the Russian Popular Front, you have become involved in this) and the legislative and executive bodies of power. I promise that we will revisit this problem without fail. I will see where this law is and why it is stuck, kept on the back burner.
To be continued