SKOLKOVO, October 29 (Itar-Tass) — Russia should promote its own brands as it is done all around the world, President Dmitry Medvedev said.
Speaking at a meeting with young scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs on Saturday, Medvedev said, “Any new initiative should get a sympathetic form.”
“I mean not only the promotion of concrete goods but also the image of cities. If we cannot present an idea, we won’t be able to buy it,” the president said.
“The promotion of brands is a priority task for the state and business,” Medvedev said.
He noted that foreign states spent considerable funding for this purpose. “Russia is only beginning this work,” he added.
Russia was inside the top ten for investments and innovation, Medvedev said. Russia “was inside the top ten for investments and innovation. However, the private sector does not take an active part in this.”
“We move into eight place by leaving behind Italy and Canada,” the president said. He noted that over the five years “investments in Russian research and advanced development amounted to 350 billion roubles in 2010”.
Medvedev also said the work of the customs service in Russia could not be improved without taking radical measures.“The work of the customs service, which makes a monkey of Russia, cannot be improved without taking radical measures.”
The president commented on the words of one of the participants saying a foreign specialist, who arrived in Russia for work, was asked to pay 20,000 euro tax on his own things, including old sling back pumps.
“Whatever they do, everything turn inside out,” Medvedev said annoyed that when he heard such things “I want to throw the microphone against the wall”. “These are idiot demands that make a monkey of all of us,” he said.
He considers the situation absurd when Russia is searching for investors abroad, and the customs considerably complicates their arrival in the country. “This is a big problem,” Medvedev said. “I’m afraid we must take radical measures although we’d done this,” the Russian president stressed.