MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Russia’s new regions have a vast potential and will be self-sufficient, industrially and agriculturally developed entities in five to ten years, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, said on Monday.
"What I want to say is that we did not take any new territories. These are Russian territories and Russian people and they have joined us not as welfare recipients. First, our people, talented, wise, educated, Russian-speaker, are back. Moreover, they are self-sufficient, having vast potential," she said, adding that in five, "maximum ten years, these will be industrially and agriculturally developed regions."
She described the reunification of these regions with Russia as a landmark event, which has global significance. "It is important to ensure that people living in these new Russian regions could feel full-fledged citizens of Russia <…> We will do it and will do it quickly," she pledged.
She stressed that Russia was fighting not for territories but for people. "This is the difference between Ukraine and Russia. They keep on speaking about territories while we are saying that we must defend people, their lives," she noted.
The upper house was addressing participants in the Znanie (Knowledge) marathon at the International RUSSIA EXPO.
The International RUSSIA EXPO is running from November 4, 2023 to April 12, 2024 at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow. Its goal is to demonstrate Russia’s major achievements in various sectors of the economy, with all 89 Russian regions participating. TASS is the general information agency of RUSSIA EXPO.