NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 2. /TASS/. Russia’s former Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, who held the position of director at the foreign intelligence service SVR until recently, will take charge of the board of directors at Almaz-Antei corporation and will preside over the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS).
President Vladimir Putin took a decision on this appointment on Wednesday at a meeting with Fradkov and Rostec state corporation President Sergei Chemezov.
"We made an agreement earlier on your presidency over the board of trustees at (the state railway corporation) RZD but Mr. Chemezov turned to me with a request to ask you if we could place you to Almaz-Antei, considering the fact it’s a defense industry enterprise and your past experience as the Prime Minister and the foreign intelligence service director would be beneficial there," Putin said.
"I’m ready to consider this," he assured Fradkov.
"The knowledge Mikhail Yefimovich (Fradkov’s patronymic, a constituent element of a person’s full name in Russian official communications - TASS) accumulated at his previous posts will be highly instrumental at Almaz-Antei, especially if you recall there’s a lot of confidential R & D then," Chemezov said.
"The information he has will help him," he added.
Fradkov said on his part the proposals voiced by Putin and Chemezov were interesting for him.
"I know these issues from my previous positions and I think I’m on board with them all," he said.
Putin also told Fradkov he would like him to take director’s position at Russian Institute for Strategic Studies. "Thank you, it’s a very interesting proposal because I’m getting a kind of a package - strategic research plus defense industry programs," Fradkov answered.