Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov chaired a meeting of the State Border Commission. In his introductory remarks, Mr Ivanov noted that unregulated economic activity near the border is a threat to state security: according to the FSB border service, more than 15,500 land plots have been allotted for private ownership, lease or other use within five-kilometres of the state border. This is hindering demarcation of the border and in some regions it is an obstacle to normal movement of border patrol units. In addition, the formation of a coast guard system and the safeguarding of marine border spaces demands special attention.

Continuing on the subject of border security, Sergei Ivanov said that the implementation of the federal targeted programme State Border of the Russian Federation would be completed in 2011, and that work is currently in progress on the draft of a new program for 2012-2017, which would include, among other things, plans for installing and equipping checkpoints that will be used leading up to and during the Sochi Olympics and the APEC summit in Vladivostok. In the context of integration processes associated with the formation of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Mr Ivanov pointed out the importance of including the resolutions of the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community and the Customs Union Commission on transferring approved forms of monitoring the Russia-Kazakhstan border to the external border of the Customs Union.

Mr Ivanov also took a favourable view of the results of the Economic Development Ministry's work on modernising the system of checkpoints and designated the main priorities from the point of view of the government - the land borders with China, Mongolia and Ukraine, the Arctic region, as well as the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Ocean. Mr Ivanov added that today it is necessary to focus on installation of checkpoints at the most important transport infrastructure and transport corridors, including railroads.

Sergei Ivanov's opening remarks:

Good afternoon, colleagues,

Let's get down to work, all the more so because today we are holding the first meeting of the Border Commission in its new composition. We will have to discuss a wide range of issues.

First of all, this concerns the development of legal mechanisms and organisational and technical support of border security on the land borders and maritime border areas. As you know, our border regions are developing rather rapidly and seeing growth in business activity. Many projects are being implemented, including international ones. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore the fact that unregulated economic activity near the border in a number of instances poses a threat to state security.

For example, allocation of land for conducting the basic demarcation of the border is being hindered. Second, in some regions there are instances of obstacles to the normal movement of border patrol units along the border - meaning that they simply cannot pass through. There are also difficulties with selecting sections of the border for the use of security technology, which in recent times we have used widely and used correctly, intending to continue this use, i.e. securing the border not through the old methods of barbed wire and border guards with dogs, but technical equipment.

According to the FSB border service, more than 15,500 land plots have been allotted for private ownership, lease or other use within five kilometres of the state border.

Therefore our task, on the one hand, is to create such conditions that the economic activity of economic entities and individuals does not hinder the normal operations of the Border Service, and on the other hand, we must do everything to provide appropriate security of the state border without jeopardising the economic activity in the vicinity, i.e. not hinder normal, lawful, legal economic activity. In order to do this, we need to draft our proposals for legislative consolidation of the obligation to have the border authorities approve all decisions associated with allotment of land plots near borders and determining the location of facilities.

By the way, it's good that today we have State Duma representatives among us, since this issue can only be resolved through legislation.

As far as I understand it, this is the burdensome legacy of the 1990s, when land plots near borders were sold or given away and this was formalised by the municipal authorities or somebody else. And we are directly faced with this problem today.

Another important aspect is formation of a coast guard system and safeguarding the maritime border. Of course, this is a very complex and, let's face it, costly measure considering the length of our maritime borders.

Proceeding from the understanding that the key condition for successful implementation is organisation of close interaction between all government bodies engaged in providing maritime security and monitoring both the above-water and underwater situations in the waterways adjacent to our sea borders. Only by unifying the information resources of all agencies can we support the establishment of a common information space and a unified system for monitoring the above-water and underwater environment.

I would like to draw your particular attention to this, since it concerns already existing information systems in the Federal Border Service, Defence Ministry, Transport Ministry and Emergencies Ministry. So it must only be a matter of unifying these systems in a common information system, and God forbid that each ministry should attempt to set up its own separate monitoring system. So I draw your particular attention to this, because such attempts to set up a purely agency-specific monitoring system must be nipped in the bud.

The next set of items for discussion on today's agenda concerns equipping checkpoints with special customs control equipment - that is the third item on the agenda; installation of railroad checkpoints - the fourth item; development of a new programme of infrastructure development of the state border - the fifth item. I am referring to the new edition of the federal targeted programme State Border for 2012-2017.

As you all know, the main measures for infrastructure development of the state border are being implemented within the framework of the existing federal targeted programme, which expires next year.

At the present time, the border service is working on a draft concept for a new federal targeted programme, as I already said, for 2012-2017. This will, among other things, include plans for installing and equipping checkpoints that will be used leading up to and during the Sochi Olympics, APEC summit in Vladivostok and in a number of other endeavours.

Among our priorities for land borders are the borders with China, Mongolia, which the president highlighted during a working visit to the Russian Far East, and Ukraine, the Arctic region, as well as our Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Ocean. These are the main priorities for the next few years. We also need to focus on installing checkpoints at the most important transport infrastructure, including railroad transport corridors, motorways, etc. But of course we can't forget about equipping monitoring agencies with modern technology.

I emphasise that in the process of drafting this programme - the new edition of the federal targeted programme - we must broadly account for all the decisions made within the framework of the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community and the Customs Union Commission. This is what I briefly wanted to explain about the agenda. There is one more item, so please excuse me for lengthening the meeting time. We need to get a number of organisational issues sorted today.

You all know that in accordance with the Decree, the regulation on the State Border Commission has been amended. It has been established that the leader of the Commission is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

The composition of the Commission is approved by the government, and in order to resolve operational issues, the Commission may elect a presidium upon the proposal of the leader. According to the regulation, the Commission approves the bylaws and composition of the presidium.

You all have relevant materials on hand. Therefore, we need to adopt a protocol resolution today, first of all, on the dissolution of the previously functioning interagency commission on development of checkpoints; second, on approval of the regulations for the commissions operations; third, on forming the commission's presidium and approval of the composition of its members.

In addition, at the initial stage of the operations of our renewed commission, I propose that on the one hand, we form and on the other hand retain the working group we had before. It was called the working group on issues of analysis and forecasting for a system of authorisation of the passage of goods, accounting for the priority vectors for the economic development of the Russian Federation to the year 2020.

Such a group comes highly recommended. The matter at hand is that we must first set up checkpoints in places indicated by the economy and the country's development prospects, in places where there is major freight and passenger traffic. At the same time, we must continue the hard line of closing absolutely unnecessary checkpoints that are practically not functioning, have no future for being re-equipped or financed, on the one hand, and on the other - no money needs to be spent in places where there is no regular, good and full-blooded economic activity. Therefore, I propose to retain this working group.