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RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT RESIGNATION

PM candidate Mishustin to take up removing barriers for business

Mishustin considers it the most important thing

Head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service Mikhail Mishustin Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

Head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service Mikhail Mishustin

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service Mikhail Mishustin, whose candidacy has been proposed by President Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister, said that if he is appointed as Prime Minister, he will first deal with removing barriers for business.

"The most important thing is to remove barriers for business, reduce costs for business, in any case, talk significantly with business," Mishustin said on Thursday at a meeting with deputies of the United Russia faction in the State Duma. "These are the most important issues that I will immediately consider from the first days," Mishustin added.

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He called the situation stable in the Russian economy. "We have a fairly stable situation, because the Russian National Wealth Fund is decent, gold and currency reserves - this all stabilizes the situation quite well. We have inflation, I think it will not exceed 4%, this is obvious," he continued.

"Of course, the first thing that needs to be done is to seriously engage in institutional, management reforms," Mishustin said. "Of course, [we need] to bring in the latest information technologies. I will deal with programs, Digital Economy national project. Without a doubt, the state should be a digital platform that is created for people," he said.

In his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested amending the country’s Constitution, including vesting the State Duma with powers to approve the prime minister, deputy prime ministers and federal ministers.

Putin instructed Dmitry Medvedev’s outgoing government to perform its duties until a new Cabinet is formed. He also nominated Russian Federal Tax Service head Mikhail Mishustin for the position of the Russian Prime Minister. Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) will hold a plenary session on Thursday to consider Mishustin for the position of prime minister.

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