MOSCOW, April 22, /ITAR-TASS/. A plan of action in the case of introduction of sanctions against Russia by the West, an earliest possible integration of Crimes, economic consolidation measures, and migration policies are the issues the MPs are keen to get answers to when Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev appears in the State Duma Tuesday with a report on the cabinet’s activity last year.
Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Speaker of the Duma told reporters Monday the MPs take interest not only in the government’s report as such or the work done by government members in the reporting period. He believes many questions will be asked about the cabinet’s plans as regards the economy in the short term.
“Many MPs are interested in a plan of actions in a situation where the government imposes sanctions on Russia,” Zhukov said. “Attention will be given to the problems around Crimea on a general plane, including integration of the region’s economy in Russia, organizational problems and many other things.”
Vyacheslav Timchenko, first deputy chairman of the United Russia faction in the Duma, hopes for a frank and meaty discussion of the status of Russia economy. “It is true that United Russia supports Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet, which consists of our associates but our support is a conscientious one,” he told Itar-Tass.
“One of the main problems now is an earliest possible integration of Crimea in Russia’s space,” Timchenko said. “Yet this issue shouldn’t overshadow all other issues.”
“Simultaneously with this, we’re getting down to improving the institutional foundations of local self-government,” he said, adding he expected the government to set out its priorities in this connection, specifically, what could be done somewhat later and what required immediate action.
Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) said the Communist MPs would ask Medvedev some questions regarding the economy, science and education.
Ivan Melnikov, first deputy chairman of the CPRF faction, said Medvedev would stand “a trial test of details”.
“The general words and declarations we hear in the course of government sessions are not the genre we could be interested in,” he said. “The MPs from our faction would like to know and understand in detail what steps would be taken to rescue the existing economy and to build a new one.”
More than five years had passed since the beginning of talk about ‘modernization’ and some members of the cabinet were really making remarkable efforts to tap internal reserves but these efforts were still rather fragmentary, Melnikov said.
He also highlighted the fact Medvedev would make his report to the Duma on April 22, which is Vladimir Lenin’s birthday.
Medvedev is expected to begin his report at 12:00 hours Moscow Standard Time and the duration of his speech will be not limited. After that each of the four parliamentary factions will have an opportunity to ask three questions to him.
Leaders of all the factions will have ten minutes each to make their remarks on the report, and Medvedev will again take the floor for a summary after them.