MOSCOW, January 16 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin explained why he agreed to run for presidency.
“I do not want and will not play down anyone’s merits in the construction of a new country. There were many of them. But it remains the fact that in 1999, when I became the prime minister and then the president, our country was in a deep systemic crisis. That group of like-minded people, which the author of this article was destined to form and head, with the support of an absolute majority of citizens, national unity over common tasks, led Russia from the deadlock of the civil war, crushed the spine of terrorism, restored territorial integrity of the country and the constitutional system, revived the economy and secured one of the highest economic growth rates in the world and a growing level of real incomes of our citizens for the past ten years,” Putin wrote in his article, which the Izvestia daily published on Monday.
He noted that he sees a top priority for years to come in the efforts “to remove all that hampers us to go forward on the path of national development.” “To complete in Russia the creation of such political system, such structure of social guarantees and the security of citizens, such economic model, which will make up together an integral, lively, constantly developing and simultaneously steady and stable, sound state organism. Capable to guarantee firmly the sovereignty of Russia and the prosperity of citizens in our great power for decades to come. Protect the justice and dignity of each person. The truth and trust in the relations between the state authorities and the society,” Putin said.
“Russia is not a country, which yields to challenges. Russia is consolidating and gathering strength and gives a worthy response to any challenges. Overcomes any hardships and always wins. We raised a new generation of creative and responsible people, who see the prospects for the future. They are already coming and, certainly, will continue to come in the leadership of enterprises and the whole industries, governmental agencies and the whole country,” Putin pointed out.
“This depends only from us, what response we will give to current challenges and how we will use our chance to strengthen ourselves and our position in a rapidly changing world,” Putin underlined.