The prime minister emphasised in his speech at the rally that “this nation has always leaned on the powerful and strong shoulder of miners or steel workers, especially during hard times.”
After the meeting, the prime minister signed a long-term programme for the development of the coal industry to 2030.
The prime minister asked if the federal and regional authorities and the mine owners have done what they promised to do, if they have paid out compensation, provided tuition for the miners’ children, resolved housing problems and helped with the repayment of loans.
“When we are together, when we feel that we are a united nation, Russia has always managed to overcome any difficulties and times of trouble, to defeat its enemies and to uphold its freedom and independence.”
The meeting focused on proposals for the development of the Far East and Eastern Siberia, which had been drafted on the prime minister’s instructions. In Vladimir Putin’s opinion, they must include the establishment of a development institute and the attraction of modern and efficient managers in order “to address the acute problems” in the region.
Welcoming his guest, the prime minister described Henry Kissinger as one of the finest experts in Russian-U.S. relations. The former U.S. Secretary of State in reply expressed the hope that relations between Russia and the United States would continue to grow and improve in the coming months and years.