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Medvedev to discuss current socio-economic problems with government members

The exact agenda however was not made public

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday will hold a government meeting on current issues of the country’s socio-economic development, the press service of the government reported.

The exact agenda however was not made public. Participants in the meeting will include Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Minister of Construction and the Housing Sector Mikhail Men, Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Maxim Topilin, Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, and governor of the Saratov region Nikolai Merkushkin.

At a budget meeting on Monday, Medvedev said cutting budget spending was necessary but it did not imply proportional reduction of all budget items. "I should in particular stress that cutting spending is necessary. Unfortunately, there are no perfect solutions that would suit everyone. But in any case it does not imply proportional reduction of all budget items," Medvedev said.

He added that it was necessary to optimize costs so it would not damage those positive trends that had been taken shape in the Russia economy, particularly in such sectors as agriculture, metallurgy, certain segments of the chemical industry, machine-building, railway machinery.

Medvedev expressed confidence that even in the current difficult economic conditions, "one can and should finds an adequate set of measures for every industry, measures that will support these growth points and gradually reach the sustainable development of the whole economy.".