Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Mr Luzhkov, let's start with the socio-economic situation.
Yuri Luzhkov: Mr Putin, here is my report.
The May holidays went well; 4.2 million Muscovites took to the streets to pay their respects to veterans. But beforehand, we resolved all the issues that the country's leadership raised with regard to providing housing for veterans.
More than that - in addition to our existing veteran housing obligations, we allocated another 295 flats for veterans. We have delivered housing to veterans several times already. We announced that May 9 was not the end of our support for veterans and that we will certainly continue.
As for the city's socio-economic situation, it is stable. Budget revenues have improved in 2010. The unemployment, which is, I would say, an overall, "synthetic" performance characteristic of the economic situation, was no more than 0.98% in 2009. This is one of the best figures in the country and, indeed, the world.
It started to rise in late January, but now it is on the decline due to our joint programmes with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development, funded out of municipal and federal budgets. And we are once again below 1%; currently, it is even lower than 0.98%.
In terms of the socio-economic situation, there is a trend towards stabilisation and improvement.
The main issues we have been addressing are support of major, state-level companies in the defence sector and special measures to support small and mid-sized businesses, since approximately 7.5 million Muscovites out of 12 million depend on small and mid-sized businesses for their livelihood. We have 360,000 enterprises.
In Moscow we're resolving issues related to support of small businesses to a great degree, not only last year but we're continuing and expanding it in 2010. We have implemented an entire system of measures: benefits, our own solutions geared towards reducing interest rates on loans for enterprises so that they are able to take out more loans, and allocation of real estate.
Work in this regard is ongoing. There are, of course, difficulties, and these difficulties are often associated with allocation of real estate. We are trying to overcome these problems through the establishment of industrial parks.
Take, for example, business incubators. These are places where small businesses can begin to operate. There are now even more benefits there. And the second group is industrial parks.
We are currently finishing construction of one of the largest industrial parks on the grounds of the ZIL plant, which freed space that was previously used to store outgoing inventory. We are taking over this large territory in order to accommodate small and mid-sized businesses.
As for measures for the social programme, we're working well on issues of social support. Having adopted a resolution back in 2008, this year we are paying government pensions and municipal subsidies to each pensioner at no less than two minimum subsistence incomes set for each pensioner. This involves 1.8 million people. The rest - depending on the number of years they were employed - are being paid pensions higher than this standard. No pensioner is getting less than 10,275 roubles.
Mr Putin, you may ask: What problems do we have? Our problems today are primarily connected with kindergartens. In 2009, the birth rate continued to grow. This is a good sign. It is a sign that there is confidence that the city's economy will not worsen. Last year, there were 116,000 newborns. If we compare this with 1996, there were fewer than 60,000 then.
Vladimir Putin: Kindergartens are a general problem right now. In the 1990s, many kindergartens were closed and their premises put to other uses.
Yuri Luzhkov: Mr Putin, in 2009, we ran into difficulties, because we needed to concentrate municipal funds to support pensioners and other social support, so fewer kindergartens were build. We are now restoring that potential, and I think that by the end of 2012 - maybe even earlier - we will complete this task by virtue of construction and by virtue of an issue that I would like to ask your help in resolving. We want the previously built kindergartens to be returned into the social sphere as per Law No. 122. This is a crucial issue.
Vladimir Putin: Many of them were put to other uses in the 1990s.
Yuri Luzhkov: They are used in different ways: some of them have been turned into police stations, while others are now municipal council buildings. This is our issue, but the issue remains.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Luzhkov, in matters that depend on the federal government and the Federal Agency for State Property Management, we will of course work on the problem with you.
Yuri Luzhkov: This is a very important issue. It has become one of the most pressing issues in terms of the social situation. The number of newborns is increasing from year to year. In 2009, there were around 108,000, and there are 116,000 this year. Of course, we must decrease the waiting lists. Compared with other regions, we have fewer problems, but still, if there is a waiting list, all kinds of unpleasant consequences follow.
Vladimir Putin: Of course, if a child cannot be placed in a kindergarten, its mother will not be able to work.
Yuri Luzhkov: Everything else is in working order.
Vladimir Putin: You also wanted to discuss the plans to develop Vnukovo Airport.
Yuri Luzhkov: What is the issue with Vnukovo? The decision on Vnukovo, which you made six years ago, turned out to be the right decision. You transferred ownership of the airport, which was in famous disrepair, to the city. We took responsibility for it and built Terminal 1 - a large, modern terminal. We now receive both foreign and domestic flights at this terminal. We built a business terminal, a second business terminal and an air traffic control centre. We cleaned up the entire grounds and built the presidential terminal. Now we have practically completed construction of possibly the largest terminal in the country - a 250,000 square metre facility - which is serviced by a train from Kievsky train station, a direct express link. All issues associated with access for buses, taxis and private cars have been resolved and regulated. This terminal will be commissioned within the next few months.
In front of this terminal, there is a ramp that is very difficult to use to fully accommodate flights. There is a differential of 2.5 metres there. Therefore, [Deputy Prime Minister] Sergei Ivanov made the right decision to allocate, and in the most expedient manner at that, money for full renovation of this ramp. Our target for Vnukovo is a potential 20 million passengers. It will be a major airport.
The main issue with regard to Vnukovo is the runways. We have the resources to keep the runways in a normal operating condition, but if we are to fully use this terminal, there will be large airplanes landing. Large airplanes need a different runway.
Vladimir Putin: How long is the runway now?
Yuri Luzhkov: It's 3,200 metres long, and we need a runway of about а four kilometres in length. We need to add 800 metres.
Vladimir Putin: Are you going to land space shuttles there? You have 3,200, and you want another 800 to make four kilometres. 3,600-3,700 is enough for any Boeing.
Yuri Luzhkov: Mr Putin, that is what the experts say. The current runway can also be used for landing large planes, but the experts calculated that the necessary runway length, taking into account emergency situations, and according to their estimates, the length must be 800 metres longer. This is what the experts say, and in this matter, I listen only to them.
Vladimir Putin: I will certainly ask the Transport Minister to deal with this. Airport runways are federal property. We will certainly look into this. The Il-96 can land there, can't it?
Yuri Luzhkov: Yes, but it's still necessary, simply necessary.
Vladimir Putin: Alright.