Д.Медведев.По прикаспийскому сотрудничеству.17.08.09.Part 1

Описание: Opening Remarks at Meeting on Cooperation in the Caspian Region.Part 1
August 17, 2009
Astrakhan

Вступительное слово на совещании по прикаспийскому сотрудничеству.
17 августа 2009 года
Астрахань

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Colleagues,

We have gathered here at a meeting on the Caspian Sea cooperation. But two tragic events have occurred in our country today. One of them is the terrorist attack in Nazran, and the other is a major, large-scale accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Station, which killed several people. I would like to begin with a moment of silence to honour their memory.

(Moment of silence.)

DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Please be seated.

I would like to say a few words about these events. First, a word about the terrorist act in Ingushetia. This morning, I gave the Interior Minister a number of instructions. Clearly, we must conduct an official investigation. It is imperative to ascertain the circumstances, especially given that this terrorist attack is just one in a series of events that has taken place in the Caucasus region and in Ingushetia in particular. Earlier, there was an attempt to assassinate the President of Ingushetia. Every day, something new happens within the republic, and these are all links in the same chain, resulting from the significant amount of terrorist activity we have recently seen in the area. We will talk more about this at special meetings, but I wanted to make a separate statement about what happened.

I suppose that this is not only a consequence of problems related to the terrorist activity that I mentioned, but also a consequence of unsatisfactory work by law enforcement agencies, particularly the republics Ministry of the Interior.

This terrorist attack could have been prevented. In fact, the car that was used in the attack was already on a wanted list. There were also corresponding reports. Overall, this situation is unacceptable. Law enforcement agencies must defend the people and be able to hold their own.

Thus, I think we will soon investigate all the details and sort things out. Today, I made the decision to dismiss Ingushetias Interior Minister and to conduct an official investigation. Meanwhile, Russias Interior Minister must present concrete suggestions on how to bring peace and order and reinforce the personnel at Ingushetias Interior Ministry.

Now, I would like to talk about the accident that took place at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Station. Our Government is looking into this situation; Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu and Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko are dealing with these issues in Abakan in order to determine the necessary measures for mitigating the negative consequences of this large-scale, complicated, major accident on location. We have created a government commission, the Government is dealing with this, and I hope that soon, it will present its conclusions and recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future and providing the proper balance of energy, as well as energy supply to major consumers and the general public in this region.

Many major consumers get their energy from the Sayano-Shushenskaya station. This includes many industrial complexes, so we must do everything in our power to ensure that production continues, and we must think about how to put the station back into operation.

Winter is just ahead, so our main goal now is to provide the public with electricity, to ensure that housing and utilities sector is prepared for winter, even with a power station that is out of service. Overall, the situation is under control. I think that under the new energy supply plan, we will be able to provide the necessary electricity, but nevertheless, the Government must monitor this matter carefully. I hope that all executives involved in this situation, including the Government, will make all the necessary efforts and decisions to ensure that these ideas are implemented.

Heads of corresponding ministries and departments must remember that they are personally responsible for implementing all the necessary measures in resolving this difficult situations and preventing similar accidents as quickly as possible. These are my direct instructions to the Government.

This is how things currently stand in regard to the two horrible, tragic events that took place today. But we must also address todays agenda. Today, we have gathered to discuss the situation in the Caspian region, so it is no coincidence that we are meeting in Astrakhan, a city that has particular significance in this region. The city brings together the trade and economic interests of many countries, and in essence, creates conditions for development in both Europe and Asia.