Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Volodin, you have gained extensive management experience in different positions. We have known each other for a long time. You have performed important functions both in the State Duma and the United Russia party for quite a long time.

However, as you know well, a job in the Government Executive Office, and particularly, in the management of the Executive Office, differs considerably from the work in Parliament. It is much less public but very important.

I hope that you will use your positive experience as the deputy mayor of Saratov and deputy governor of the Saratov Region (in charge of finances and the economy), the State Duma, where you tackled legal issues, and in United Russia, where you devoted a lot of time to work with the regions.

I hope that you will use all the positive experience you have gained over the years in your new job and your new position as chief of the Government Executive Office.

Vyacheslav Volodin: Mr Putin, thank you for placing confidence in me. It goes without saying that this is a new job for me but I'll try to justify your trust and guarantee an effective performance of the Government Executive Office and the implementation of your instructions. I will try to make sure that the government is provided with everything it needs, primarily at its meetings, and, of course, that the government staff supports the major directions of the government's activities, that this work is coordinated.

Vladimir Putin: Now the State Duma has started active work on adopting the main financial and economic law of the next year, the budget of the Russian Federation. It's all in your hands, so to speak. I hope that you will join these efforts and bring them to successful completion together with the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development and other departments, and with your long-standing colleagues in parliament.

Vyacheslav Volodin: Mr Putin, I understand the responsibility you are entrusting me with. I worked with the government as a member of the Legislation Commission and I know this part of the work reasonably well.

As for the budget, I supervised our budget policy in the Duma before taking up the party position and we worked with the Ministry Finance a lot. Your idea on the zero reading of the budget, which removes many questions, is now being carried out and helps us make well-balanced decisions.

The budget has been reviewed in the first reading, and now amendments are being formulated. No doubt, this work is very important, and we will try to hear all the opinions of the deputy corps and report to you so that you can make decisions on issues that we will follow through in the State Duma.

Vladimir Putin: But now you will do this in a new capacity and will consider not only the opinion of our parliamentary party, not only the opinion of United Russia but also the views of all parliamentary parties in the State Duma.

Vyacheslav Volodin: Yes, of course, I understand this. Moreover, literally before coming to see you, I submitted my resignation as secretary of the party General Council Presidium because in my opinion this position is incompatible with the job of a government employee.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you success.

Vyacheslav Volodin: Thank you.