“The recent tragic events at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station have made it perfectly obvious how much we still have to do to increase the reliability of technical structures in general, and hydro-technical facilities in particular. We must conduct a thorough inspection of all strategic and vital installations of the infrastructure and work out a procedure for their regular modernisation and monitoring over their technical condition.”

They discussed preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Viktor Zubkov responded positively to efforts to develop a vaccine for the new virus. “The first samples are already available. Clinical tests are in progress. Commercial production and supply of the vaccine will start in November of this year,” he said.

Mr. Zhukov said that the policy regarding inter-budget relations in 2010-2012 will try to correct the methods of providing financial aid to constituent entities and municipalities, as well as to stimulate the growth of the revenue base and improve the quality of budget management at the regional and local levels.

“There are extremely important objectives in this area, as has always been the case. I am talking about Russia gaining a leading position in this area of research, establishing cutting-edge production facilities, and expanding into international nanotechnologies markets. The current economic problems are no reason to abandon these goals. On the contrary, they only challenge us to work more effectively and more intensively if we want to diversify the country’s economy and provide it with a modern technological foundation.”

At the meeting, the Commission decided to assign an additional expert appraisal of the proposal to raise import duties from 5% to 25% on specific types of navigation equipment for users of GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation systems.

“We have singled out development of aircraft engineering, along with the space industry, shipbuilding and nuclear energy, as key priorities in Russia’s industrial policy. Due to these specific industries, we expect a significant increase in the share of high-tech production in the Russian economy, thereby increasing the economy’s sustainability and diversifying its exports.”