Vladimir Putin's introductory remarks:
Today we were saddened to learn of the death of Vitaly Sevastyanov, the first cosmonaut to make an extended flight in space, a man who made a significant contribution to space exploration and the Russian cosmonaut programme. Let's honour his memory with a moment of silence.
Dear colleagues colleagues, we have been planning to hold this meeting with Mr Perminov (head of the Federal Space Agency or Roskosmos) for a long time now to discuss further improvement of the centre and Star City.
The process of transferring the centre and Star City from the Ministry of Defence to Roskosmos is nearly complete. The main facilities were built in the mid to late 1980s, and during that time these were state-of-the-art facilities.
Obviously, many years have passed since then - 20 odd years. It is time to take a fresh look based on today's requirements. This is my first point. I'm referring primarily to social issues and certain pieces of equipment.
Clearly this centre remains a unique facility. There are only three such facilities in the world. Our centre was essentially the first. It continues to play the same role and it still meets modern standards, without a doubt. But it is time to look toward the future.
I propose that today we discuss the improvement of the centre, its simulators, laboratories and research equipment as well as social issues related to housing construction. Around 400 families here are in need of better housing. One apartment building is under construction, but this is not enough.
Let's discuss the whole range of issues today. These are pressing issues, particularly so given that Cosmonautics Day is fast approaching.
Let's get to work.