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Russia's PM signs decree on creation of 14 priority development territories

SOCHI, February 15. / TASS /. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that he had signed government decrees on the creation of 14 territories of priority development in the country's regions, at the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi on Friday.

"I have just signed government decrees on the creation of 14 territories of advanced socio-economic development: 11 in single-industry towns and 3 in Closed Administrative Territories," said Medvedev at the meeting with regional leaders.

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"These are the PDA - Yasny, Orenburg region; Kataysk, Kurgan region; Neftekamsk, Bashkortostan; Beloretsk, Bashkortostan; Blagoveshchensk, Bashkortostan; Kostomuksha, Karelia; Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region; Seversk, Tomsk region; Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk region; Mendeleevsk, Tatarstan; Chapayevsk, Samara Region; Glazov, Udmurtia; Reshetiha, Nizhny Novgorod Region; Volodarsk, Nizhny Novgorod region," Medvedev explained.

In his opinion, the creation of advanced development areas is "an interesting topic for the regions, because there is preferential taxation in PDA, it is easier to attract investors and there is an opportunity to use additional tools, for example, the tools of the company development in single-industry towns." "All this as a result should help the regions to overcome their dependence on the city-forming enterprises and, most importantly, should lead to the creation of new jobs that are not connected with this enterprise, give life to these places," Medvedev said.

He noted that "this is especially important now when we begin work on national projects."

At the same time, Medvedev drew attention to the fact that "significant resources" have been allocated for the implementation of national projects. "All of them are in demand by the regions, almost all the subjects have entered into agreements with the federal authorities on the provision of subsidies, including for national project implementation," he said. According to Medvedev, this suggests, "we have very seriously approached the solution of new problems." He went on to thank the governors, who at the start of the national projects "demonstrate their readiness for productive work."

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