ello (@piers)

#Putin: "Friends, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Prabowo Subianto, Mr Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, and Mr Ding Xuexiang. "Friends, I welcome the participants and guests of the 11th Eastern Economic Forum. This business event held in the capital of the Primorye Territory traditionally brings together business leaders, professionals and experts from dozens of countries, primarily from the Asian-Pacific region, of course, which is a powerful growth hub setting the development pace for the global economy as a whole. "Russia is an active member of investment and trade cooperation in the Asian-Pacific region. We are working on an equal footing with our partners and the region’s leading integration associations. Our strategic goal is to make the Far East a territory of cooperation and dynamic change in the economy and infrastructure, technological development, the training of personnel, and of course, in the social sphere. This is what our projects and programmes, and our support instruments for business and social initiatives are aimed at. "I would like to say that over the past 11 years Russia’s Far Eastern regions have attracted about 25 trillion rubles in capital investment. The dynamics of investment activity and industrial and construction growth have confidently been above the country’s average. As a result, regional GDP in the Far East has more than tripled over the past 11 years. It is a very good pace. "These figures and indicators cover a large number of modern enterprises, infrastructure and energy projects that have been launched and are working, including port terminals and railway lines, as well as industrial giants such as the Zvezda shipbuilding complex, which I visited yesterday. It is truly impressive, considering the difficulties we faced at the beginning. But the result is really very good. There are also modern high-tech facilities, such as the first production lines of the Amur Gas Processing Plant, which is a world-class facility, the Amur Gas Chemical Complex, and other facilities. "New, productive jobs are being created in the Far East, directly impacting both citizens’ incomes and the labour market. Incomes here are slightly higher than the national average. True, the cost of living is also higher, but earnings have increased. Just 20 years ago, the unemployment rate in the Far Eastern Federal District stood at around 8%, while the national average was a percentage point lower. This was a lingering legacy of the 1990s, when it was difficult to find promising, well-paying work in the region, particularly for young people. "Since then, unemployment in the Far East has dropped to just a quarter of that level. This year, it stands at 2.2% – on a par with the national average and a record low for the region. "For comparison, the highest unemployment rate ever recorded in the Far East was 16.4% in 1998. "Compared to that figure, the current rate represents less than one-seventh of that figure. "Strong economic activity is now observed across virtually all Far Eastern regions of the Russian Federation. This is particularly noticeable in small and medium-sized businesses that employ approximately one-third of the working population, which is a positive indicator. What does this tell us? It tells us that the Russian Far East is on the rise. Businesses and entrepreneurs see prospects for growth and expansion, and citizens understand that their knowledge and skills are in demand and can deliver tangible results – for the region, for the country as a whole, and for individuals themselves. "**I repeat: the dynamics of the Far East’s key macroeconomic indicators continue to outpace the Russian average**. This is precisely what we set out to achieve when we declared the region’s development a strategic priority for Russia throughout the 21st century. This is our shared success – a tangible result, the current culmination of systematic efforts by government agencies, businesses, entrepreneurs, and, above all, the people of the Far East themselves. "I would like to thank everyone who has contributed, and continues to contribute, to this major undertaking, so significant for our country. We also greatly value the participation of our foreign partners and investors who are channelling capital and technology into development projects, not only in the Far East and the Arctic but across Russia. "Today, we can confidently say that a solid foundation for the Far East’s accelerated growth has been laid. Its resource, industrial, and logistical capabilities have increased significantly. "Using this as the basis, we are proceeding to the next stage, the implementation of the updated Development Strategy for the Far Eastern Federal District for the next ten years, through 2036. Its key task is to maintain the high development speed, launch new investment cycles, and dramatically increase investment in three key areas [...]." Kremlin (3.9.26) http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/80677