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Interview with the ORT TV Channel Part 5 February 7, 2000 Moscow Интервью телеканалу ОРТ 7 февраля 2000 года Москва VLADIMIR PUTIN: Present it to Russia and not just present it but follow through on it so I know that I have fulfilled my duty to my country regarding that situation. But that is only the start of the restoration and strengthening of the state. That is why I think there is such massive support among the population, because I think that even ordinary people are aware of the move to strengthen this state. We will continue to move in that direction. MIKHAIL LEONTYEV: What is your concept of the state in politics and economics? There is talk of a police state By the way, one of your predecessors, Yevgeny Primakov, when announcing he would not run for office, said that it had been a difficult decision for him because, as it turned out, we were not a democratic or civilised country and that he wouldnt want to demean himself by joining the fray. VLADIMIR PUTIN: Well, thats not exactly what he said and I think it would be unfair to interpret what he said in that way. In general, Yevgeny Maksimovich is one of those people who have no other interests but the interests of the state. One can interpret these interests in different ways, and one might argue with him. He has often been described as a supporter of a strong state, that is, as someone who puts the interests of society above his personal interests, as we used to say. This is certainly true of Primakov. He is a very experienced man. And whatever his official position, I know he will always be prepared to meet me and discuss concrete problems and concrete issues. Even if he does not hold any official government post, informally I will always respect and value that mans for your question about what the state is for me, it is above all an apparatus for guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of the individual and the citizens. What does that mean in economics? More or less the same thing. The state must lay down the general principles for managing the economy and guarantee that these rules are applied uniformly. There should be no preferences or privileges for any individual groups or citizens or firms and so on. This is the main function of the state. It is a highly moral function. But it is justified from the economic point of view. Indeed, there is a need for it in Russia my opinion, when we speak about the strengthening of the state, and I think it is worth repeating: the strengthening of some institutions of the state directly linked with the market will guarantee a level playing field for all participants in economic activities. That is very important. No investment can be expected without it. MIKHAIL LEONTYEV: The relations between government and business are a distinct aspect. We have a certain history. We have the so-called oligarchs. Well, the oligarchs are not quite what they used to be, they have been somewhat deflated and their role has changed. VLADIMIR PUTIN: I dont think they have been deflated. I think they are pretending to be half-dead. Actually they are sitting pretty, as they themselves seriously, the unfortunate events of August 1998 caused great damage to our finances, and to many industrial should the Governments relationship with them be? We should treat them as agents in the market. They have a bigger stake than anyone in working out coherent and acceptable rules in this country, and these rules being honoured by everyone. And the Government would guarantee that these rules are honoured. Without granting any privileges or preferences to anyone, regardless of political leanings or the scale of their activities. MIKHAIL LEONTYEV: How big an impact can they have on decision-making? This is not an abstract question, this is a real problem for Russia. VLADIMIR PUTIN: And not only for Russia. In some countries, such activities, lobbying activities, are legal. Take the United States, where there are lobbying groups. These activities are not expressly legal in some other countries, but all the same major corporations and major players on the market have a big say in taking decisions and passing laws. There is no getting away from that. One should clearly understand that whatever influences may be at work on the decision-making process, there should be established institutions in the country. And the institution of the President, who is immune to such influences and who looks after the interests of the whole society rather than the interests of major companies and monopolies, has to be one such institution. We should prevent such things from happening.
