The meeting focused on the results of the ministry's work for last year and medium-term priorities for the period up to 2014. As Dmitry Rogozin noted in his introductory remarks, Russia's large territory makes future development impossible without a transport infrastructure. The Ministry of Transport is the "nation's cornerstone and one of its main pillars," he said.

Russia needs efficient transportation links with its exclave, the Kaliningrad Region, despite all obstacles. "This should be achieved either by adopting a completely new approach to air communication or by launching speed ships capable of transporting our citizens from one part of Russia to another," Mr Rogozin said.

Russia urgently needs to intensify the development of the transport system in the eastern direction due to geopolitical changes, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.