The prime minister shared his impressions of scuba diving in Taman Bay with reporters.

Transcript:

Vladimir Putin: (holding two amphoras) Here’s my catch!

Question: Did you find them on the seafloor?

Vladimir Putin: Yeah, the guys and I found them during the dive.

Question: And what are they?

Vladimir Putin: Amphoras. Mr Kuznetsov (Vladimir Kuznetsov, head of the archaeological expedition to Taman and director of the Classical Archaeology Department at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Archaeology Institute) says they date back to around the 6^th century AD.

Question: And how deep were they?

Vladimir Putin: Not very, about two metres.

Question: Is it beautiful down there? Did you find this by yourself?

Vladimir Putin: Well, the locals gave me some tips as to where I should search. So I ended up finding these two items.

Question: You’ve seen so much at the presentation, and you’ve been shown a reconstruction site. Was it really an impressive sight? Have you seen anything like it elsewhere in Russia?

Vladimir Putin: No. This is the oldest settlement on the territory of modern-day Russia, actually. It goes back to the 6^th century BC. So many things happened here over the centuries; so many historical figures lived here, including Greeks and Khazars. By the way, the capital of an old Slavic principality was somewhere near here. It was Prince Svyatoslav who ruled it, right?

Remark: There were several rulers, in fact…

Vladimir Putin: Adyghe people also settled here at some point. They were later supplanted by Turks. And then Russians retook the area.

Question: Would you like to travel back in time and stay in a town like this for a while?

Vladimir Putin: Well, I prefer to observe from afar. We’re not accustomed to living in such conditions, you know. It would be like finding yourself in a jungle. So I’d rather observe from afar.  

Question: And what about tourism?

Vladimir Putin: We’ll be discussing this later today. Mr Kuznetsov proposes setting up a federal sanctuary here. This was already raised last year during a video conference when I was visiting Novgorod the Great. I asked my team to think this proposal over at the time. Upon consideration, my colleagues suggested the area should be incorporated into the Krasnodar Museum-Reserve. Mr Kuznetsov and his associates insist, however, that this should be a federal institution.

What he has in mind is quite interesting, I think: setting up a sanctuary on land as well as in the sea, so that anyone interested could get a glimpse of the nation’s archaeological heritage both on the shore and on the seafloor. But this is no easy task, as we’ll discuss shortly. To make a historical site attractive to visitors, we have to restore it to its original appearance, and restoration always carries with it the risk of loss. But, of course, it is up to the experts to decide how to strike the right balance between what’s in the public interest and what’s in the interest of science.   

Question: What could you compare it to in order to give people an impression of what it’s like here? Unfortunately, today we know more about foreign countries than about our own.  Would you compare it to the Coliseum in Rome, for example?

Vladimir Putin: It’s from a different era. Here we’re talking about the 6^th century B.C. when the Greeks established a colony (on the Taman Peninsula). Mithridates fought against the Romans later on, didn’t he?

Well, anyway, the world will be interested to know that we’ve got so much wealth here; not only Russian tourists will be keen to visit, but people from across the world, I think. There are fragments of statues, but the heads are well preserved.

Question: Have you ever tried scuba diving before?

Vladimir Putin: I did yesterday. And before that, I had tried it in the sea just once and also a couple of times in the swimming pool.

Question: Is it beautiful down there, on the seafloor?

Vladimir Putin: We swam with a torch yesterday because it was dark already. And in the daytime it’s really beautiful.

Question: Is the Russian Geographical Society going to provide any assistance with the excavations?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I’ve asked if these findings could be transferred to the Russian Geographical Society’s museum. They said this could be of interest to them.

Question: Have you tasted Phanagorian wine?

Vladimir Putin: No… When I came across those ancient statues here, I recalled how Silvio (Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi) showed me several heads from ancient sculptures in one of his country retreats. He told me that ancient sculptures can be found all over Italy.

I think we should show him what we’ve got here to knock him off his high horse.

Question: Is the visibility good down there? Were you able to see anything?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, the visibility was good. The skies are clear today.

Question: So it was easy for you to spot the amphoras?

Vladimir Putin: You spot them immediately.

Question: Have you ever been to this area before?

Vladimir Putin: No, never. Mr Kuznetsov says that in the past, when incoming vessels unloaded their cargo here, all the pottery broken in the process would have been cast overboard. And this is why they have survived to this day.

Question (addressing Mr Kuznetsov): And what was inside, do you think?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Wine, what else? Or olive oil, perhaps. Wine and olive oil were the two main staples that would have been brought from the Aegean Sea.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Kuznetsov has been working here for more than 30 years.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Thirty-eight, to be precise.

Question: The Russian Geographical Society is going to get involved in the project, isn’t it? And how will it contribute?

Vladimir Putin: In keeping with Mr Kuznetsov’s proposal, we will set up a sanctuary here and we’ll create the conditions for tourism. Under the Domestic Tourism programme that we are about to adopt, some 100 billion roubles shall be earmarked for such events between 2012 and 2018. If, hopefully, everything goes ahead as planed, we’ll see domestic tourism grow almost fivefold. This will increase turnover several times over. At this point, some 30 million of our fellow citizens take trips across Russia. And if we implement this programme, their numbers will rise to 45 million. That’s substantial growth. And people will come to know their native country better.

Remark: One third of the population, almost.

Question: And what is more exciting to you, scuba diving or descending in a submersible?

Vladimir Putin: Sure, scuba diving is a greater thrill. Of course, you can descend much deeper in a submersible. But scuba diving makes a greater impression, I think.

Question: Will you start diving regularly?

Vladimir Putin: No, I don’t think so. It takes too much time, and I’m a busy man.

Question: And what about ice skating?

Vladimir Putin: Skating is something I can afford to do every now and then. And I invite you to join in. Can you skate?

Question: Sure.

Vladimir Putin: And where did you learn to skate?

Question: At home.

Vladimir Putin: In your flat, you mean? Or in your backyard?

Remark: In my backyard. There’s enough space there.

Vladimir Putin: I see. Well, let’s get together some day for skating or diving, shall we?

Remark: Thanks.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.