I would like to thank all those who voted for the incumbent president, your loyal public servants, and those who voted for other candidates. In any case, even if your candidate failed to be elected president, this result is important. It's important to me because for the current regime for me, this information is necessary and we have to take into account the opinions and views of the politicians who got the votes. No matter how many voters vote for them. That is one thing.
Secondly, I would like to thank all those who supported me in the General Election and those who did not participate in the General Election for one reason or another but who held me in good stead. I can now say that the result is satisfactory. I am very grateful to you all, as this is the most important means of support and confidence. Thank you all very much.
I think that those who made this choice supported not only the positive changes, modest but positive upturns that have taken place in our country in recent years: we have ensured stable and high rates of growth of the country's economy in recent years, the stabilization of the social situation, the consolidation of the state. In my opinion, it is not these simple achievements, but the emotions and dedication of your loyal public servants, the current President who has worked with you in recent years, that have won support.
In view of this, I want you to believe and I assure you that I will work to the best of my ability in the next four years in order to make the government strengthen its work.
I assure you that all the democratic gains of our people will be safeguarded. And we will not rest on the gains we have made; we will consolidate the multi-party system. We will consolidate civil society and do everything we can to guarantee freedom of expression in the media. And we will create a system in which no official can enrich himself in the name of the national interest, and no rhetorician can use the rhetoric of democracy to his advantage. We will do our utmost to ensure that our economy grows steadily. There is no doubt that we will cherish economic and social stability, as we have said many times in recent times. I would like to emphasize that stability is not an end in itself. It is only a condition for solving the main task - ensuring the growth of our people's welfare.
All that is being done at this stage is not yet welfare, nor is it growth in welfare, it is just the starter for welfare. Of course, we should cherish it, but on a stable basis we should take the next step to actually ensure the welfare of our people. We should take the next step in the economic and social spheres. We will certainly do so.
Lastly, in foreign relations we will strive to safeguard the national interests of the Russian Federation. But under no circumstances will we defend our interests in an aggressive manner or descend into confrontation. We will pursue our national interests flexibly and cooperatively. We will strive to reach compromises that are acceptable to us and to our partners. We will do our best to create a favorable external environment for Russia's development.
That is all I want to say first of all.
Putin then answered questions from journalists.
Q: For you, if you look at four years ago, what is the difference? What is the difference between the last election and this election? What exactly are the differences between the two elections, even though the last election was the first time and this one is not?
Putin: Of course there are differences. You know: actually the second general election is always more complicated than the first. It is more complicated for the current regime, because those in power are responsible for everything. Even if the current regime is not at fault according to objective circumstances, it is at fault in the eyes of the citizens. Therefore, the second general election is always more complicated. The results are much more important today than they were four years ago. I would say that it stirs not only inner satisfaction, but also confidence in what has been done in the last 4 years, and thus in the next 4 years.
The last general election was held 4 years ago after I had been Prime Minister of the Government for 4 months and Acting President for 3 months. During that time, I was only able to identify what I saw as the pain points of our development and establish the main direction of our country's development. I think that at that time people basically voted according to their intuition, and after my short time in the two highest positions in Russia, people trusted me and believed in their intuition. Today, after four years, we have not only repeated this result, but made it better. I repeat: this is an acknowledgement and, to be precise, a positive evaluation of everything that has been done in the last four years. I repeat: for me, this is very important!
Q: There have been concerns about general election turnout. How do you assess the positivity of the electorate today?
Putin: I don't know anyone who has such concerns. I think the statement that the turnout was insufficient and low is a conscious attempt to imply that our citizens are lowering their votes. According to the social analysis and research I know, the turnout was high enough. In my opinion, one can criticize the current regime, argue, disagree, and point fingers, but one should never subtly undermine the political process of the country. This is not only harmful, but dangerous! On the eve of the elections, in my message to the citizens of our country, I said that for such a complex country as Russia, at a turning point in its development, it is inconceivable that there should be no supreme organ of state power and administration. This would lead to chaos. All will suffer. This cannot be allowed. This is not a political struggle, it is covert sabotage. I think it is a sign of the civic consciousness of our people that they have not succumbed to covert sabotage.
Q: Tomorrow is your first working day after your election. How will you work?
Putin: Work! It's the first working day. Work on the working day. During the day we may change it a little bit depending on the time, and by that I mean that today's working day will end late or start too early for many people. As has been the rule in recent years, there are the usual scheduled meetings with government leaders, as well as working meetings with colleagues from various departments, government and powerful agencies. There will also be a series of telephone meetings with my counterparts, who have now offered to talk to me on the phone and discuss bilateral relations. I think everyone understands that this is linked to the outcome of the election. People want to talk and congratulate. Usually, some of these phone conversations are scheduled.
Q: As you know, you went to the boxers right after the vote today. How was your visit to them and why did you go to the boxers?
Putin: As you know, not long ago I met with the Olympic athletes, and some of them invited me to the base to see their training. It just so happened that the first to invite me were the boxers. I do not hide the fact that I was interested to see under what conditions our athletes who have achieved unique results train. I would like to draw attention to the fact that this is only the replacement team. At the most recent European Championships, out of 11 possible gold medals, they claimed 9. At the last World Championships in our country, in Perm they won 9 out of 12 possible gold medals. At that time it was thought to be only by chance. Now they prove that there is no chance. They are the strongest in Europe. I get great satisfaction from my interaction with them. The boys are competitive and likeable. I think that we have a chance to do well in Olympic boxing.
Q: Congratulations on your victory! Allow me to ask a question: what will be your priority direction in foreign activities?
Putin: I can only say that the main purpose of our policy is not to demonstrate imperial ambitions, but to ensure a favorable external environment for Russia's development. There is nothing different here. We will adhere to a multilateral foreign policy, we will cooperate with the United States and the European Union, we will cooperate with our Asian partners, China and India, with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Geographically, Russia is at the same time a Eurasian country. Everything we have done so far, guided by these considerations in our foreign policy, has helped us to realize our stated task of developing Russia. I hope that, utilizing the positive things developed in recent years by the former Foreign Minister who now heads the Russian Security Council, we, together with the new Foreign Minister, who has extensive experience of working in the United Nations, will be able to develop effective instruments for the foreign policy of the Russian Federation.
Q: What do you consider to be the first things in the reform of internal affairs?
Putin: First and foremost is the consolidation of democratic means, that is, the development of a multi-party system, a realistic multi-party system. So that political parties in the federal sense have real influence at the local level. So that localities, through political parties, can influence the highest organs of power and administration in Russia. This is the main goal.
I think that if we solve this task, Russia's political system is balanced. We should create conditions for the development of political parties of different tendencies in order to be more heard in the political arena of the country all - both small and large parties. To this I have already said that we should create conditions more for consolidating the means of civil society. If these we do successfully, it will create good ground for building a modern economy.
Q: It is well known that the current elections started way back when the last elections were completed. Do you have some kind of concept of who to pick as your successor and when to start picking candidates?
Putin: The selection of candidates started long ago, four years ago. I also had a notion of what this person should be like: this is a decent person, an honest person, who intends and is able to serve his own people, and is able to do that with his own talents and personal character. Such people are plentiful in our country.
Q: Can you explain why there was such a substantial increase in your vote compared to the last election?
Putin: Honestly, I have been working intensely over the years. When I was inaugurated four years ago, I said this: I will work honestly. I assure you that I have fully honored my word in this regard. I do not think that people will be insensitive to that. I am very grateful to those who recognize that and voted for me today.
Q: An hour ago Kozak, the leader of your campaign headquarters, told us that he thinks that the president, in his first term, can't do everything he wants to do because he has to think about running for reelection. It's only in the second term that the "work of history" really begins. Do you agree with this, and are you ready to "work for history"? Second question: Are you feeling lonely in this campaign?
Putin: No, because I am working intensely. When a man is doing real work, he is never lonely. That is one point. The second point: what matters to me is, after all, results. This is not an empty word. I don't know whether you have noticed or not, but it is true that I have not undertaken any specialized campaign work. If I had taken the plunge, the results might have been different, and the percentage of votes would have been higher. But I consciously didn't do that because I wanted to see if people valued actual work more than campaign skills, and that was very important to me. So I didn't actually change my consistent work style for four years, even during the campaign. The results of the campaign are important to me. Of course, I am satisfied with that.
As to whether I am ready to "work for the history", no, I am not ready to do that. I don't think it is necessary or possible to follow some absurd idea that is not understood. It is necessary to work for the people living today, and for the future generations living in the future. It should always be grounded on the soil of reality.
In response to a question from one of your colleagues not long ago, I said that "the art of politics lies in finding the golden mean between the necessary and the possible", a formula which I came up with myself, and which may have been stated on other occasions by other people, but which I think I came up with myself. Stability, as mentioned earlier, the stability that we cherish so much today, is a necessary condition for development. And the goal of development is the well-being of citizens. To achieve that goal, we must take corresponding steps in economic and social modernization. This needs to be done in an orderly manner that does not produce harm or cause people to lose confidence in what we are doing. For if it brings such consequences, we will not be able to accomplish anything at all in the future.
So we will modernize the country, and we will take firm steps, while at the same time we will try to explain every step we are going to take. To make people understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what we are trying to achieve with all the reforms we are going to carry out in the economic and social fields. I think there will be people who will disagree with us about our reforms, and there will be people who will oppose them. But in all cases, the Government will try to make it possible for everyone to understand what we are doing. I think that if we reach such a coordinating mechanism with the community, we can really accomplish a lot by relying on the people's understanding and support.
But I emphasize again that it is wrong to pursue the historical role of the individual according to some theoretical concept.
Q: I understand that by historic work, I should mean unusual decisions made by the president.
Putin: As I said earlier, if we make what are usually called unusual decisions, meaning, first of all, reforms in the social sphere, then the government should explain clearly what steps they are going to take, why they are doing it, what they expect to achieve, and it has to be done in the course of a broad social discussion, listening to a variety of points of view, what the proverb says " Take your measurements seven times and cut your clothes once".
Q: Talk specifically about your priority areas for future work.
Putin: This has been said many times. I would like to reiterate it once again. Our main priority is to ensure economic growth. We should continue to take steps to improve the tax system and take the necessary measures to reorganize the natural monopolies. Recently, and even this week, I have elaborated on this in some detail. I hope that we will be able to do so. With regard to the rail transportation and electric energy sectors, we have just passed foundational legislation. We still need to take further steps.
Returning to the previous question, I would like to emphasize once again that our approach must be methodical, because mistakes are too costly, but action is necessary and we will act. In the social sphere, we should certainly pay special attention to the reform of the pension system. Clear measures have been taken to enable high-quality services to be provided in the area of health education. There are of course many other goals of particular social significance that need to be reached. That is all I have to say.
Q: When you talk about the reform of the "following" natural monopolies, do they include "Gazprom"?
I am not talking about the reform of the "following" natural monopolies, but about the need to take the "following" steps to continue the ongoing reforms. As for the "National Gas Industry Company", it should be said that our economic growth is largely based on it. For we all know very well that natural gas for daily and industrial use is sold below cost on our domestic market. We rely on NGIC to ensure economic growth in many other sectors. This is a fact that we should not forget. Therefore, if we try to bring all sectors to the market at once, the price of natural gas that we will sell to domestic consumers tomorrow will rise to $110 per 1,000 cubic meters, the same as the price at which we sell to Western Europe. That is not possible. Since it is impossible, we should cherish the National Gas Industry Corporation. But this does not mean that nothing needs to be done in this sector, and it cannot be done. At the very least, it should guarantee the supply of the domestic gas market, and independent producers should be allowed to exploit it freely. And of course they need to be made to understand that this does not mean that they have free access to foreign markets. This should be done in a clear and transparent manner, guaranteeing the transparency of the shares of the "National Company Gazprom".
Q: Can you outline the basic principles of relations between the authorities and business representatives for the next four years?
Putin: Stability, transparency, legality.
Q: Are there plans to reorganize the presidential office?
Putin: Yes.
Q: Can you tell us now?
Putin: I can't.
Q: When can I speak about it?
Putin: Within 10 days.
Q: When do you think you will be able to make an evaluation of the functioning of the new government and, accordingly, a preliminary evaluation of the members of the new government team?
Putin: An evaluation can already be made this Monday. The work of the new government has already begun. One cannot sleep a day. From the day of the appointment, the salaries have already been calculated. If the salaries are transferred and the money is received, it is necessary to think about what the money is used for.
Q: What do you make of the statements made today by Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice on the Russian election process?
Putin: First of all, I have good relations with them. We also know the state of domestic political life in the United States and the state of political power configuration. To a large extent their statements are driven by domestic political needs. This is the first point.
The second point is that we listen to all criticisms and we will not ignore them, we will analyze them, and if there is something to think about, we will take it seriously and we will draw conclusions accordingly.
Lastly, thirdly, I don't think anyone has the right to think that if they criticize others it means that they have nothing to criticize themselves. As you probably know, we have this Russian saying, since you are so fluent in Russian, our saying is: you can see the grit in other people's eyes, but not the log in your own. In many of the so-called developed democracies, there are also many, very many problems with their democracies, including problems with the election process. About nearly four years ago, we were surprised to find that the electoral system of the United States was in such a mess. Therefore, I hope that while criticizing us, they will draw a corresponding conclusion for themselves and perfect their democratic procedures. All in all, I think it would be beneficial if we are treating certain shortcomings and deficiencies of each other amicably, and I think this should not lead to conflicts but should make our democratic institutions and electoral procedures better.
Q: Have you followed the campaigns of your rivals and political opponents? They have also criticized you a lot, and in those criticisms, do you think there are any reasonable elements and have you learned something new from them?
Putin: You know, I am not due to contempt, but simply because I am too busy to pay serious attention to all the things that are going on in the election campaign, including the debates, and a lot of what is said in the televised debates is correct. We all want to live well, we all want to be healthy and wealthy. The question is how to get there. Why is it always more difficult for the current regime in elections? Because it has something to criticize. And those on the sidelines who do criticize are less vulnerable. Because they seem to have nothing to criticize, because they have done nothing. I repeat, all the contenders in my campaign seem to me to be well deserving. They showed a good level of knowledge, boldness, they understood the problems of the country and brought them to the attention of Russian citizens and representatives of the power structures. I think that the election campaign was beneficial for all of us.
Q: Now it is prudent to talk a little about the heir apparent. May I ask if you have thought about what you will do after you leave office in another four years?
Putin: I haven't started the next four years yet, and you have already whisked me out of retirement.
Of course, I think about it sometimes, but now it's time to focus on doing a good job for the next 4 years. Doing the new job is not at all easier than the last 4 years. The Office of the President will change its face accordingly, and the government will have to keep up with the same speed and pace. That's the thing to think about now! Of course, the eighth year will be an unusual one, and I am very much aware of that. Of course, we should all consider this. But I think that the less we think about it, the more we will achieve in those four years - all of us together. At that point, 2008, intense as it may be in its political implications, will not put us on the brink of unsolvable problems such as the disintegration of political systems and States. On the contrary, the better our work goes these four years - all of us, I want to emphasize - the easier it will be for us to cope with 2008 in the face of a multiplicity of political views.
Last question.
Q: Your political opponents often you don't participate in televised debates. How do you answer to them?
Putin: It's not interesting. I think that for the current president it has no meaning. Because, all my words and deeds have been shown during these four years. I am fully aware of every word of my polemical enemies. I think that this game is either along for the ride or the party participating in the game already knows the outcome of the game and is therefore meaningless. I think our tactic of choosing not to participate in televised debates on the campaign trail is well founded.
Repeat, I could have used a variety of campaign tactics as well, another televised debate, another dance, another song. But even the common man who stays away from politics can really feel a lot of things with his heart.For more than 4 years now, even the average citizen who does not engage in and does not care about politics on a daily basis has been able to understand what is happening in the country quite well and know what can be expected in the coming years. This, I think, is the main thing. The results of the election have once again proved this reaction of the common man. It is a positive reaction.