MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with the Russian government on Wednesday, focusing on social and economic development of Russia’s Baltic exclave, the Kaliningrad Region.

The event will be held via a video linkup. Reports will be delivered by Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov and the region’s Governor Anton Alikhanov.

Other pressing issues are expected to be raised at the meeting as well.

The Russian president pays special attention to the development of Russian regions and regularly hears reports about the situation in some of them. In early September, he held a meeting devoted to the Smolensk Region. A similar discussion on the southern Russian Krasnodar Region took place in late August. In mid-August, Putin met with members of the Russian government via a video linkup to discuss the economy of coal-mining regions.

The Russian president meets with government members on a regular basis, normally once in a few weeks. During such events, Putin hears reports on previously designated topics and discusses pressing issues with cabinet ministers. In the wake of these meetings, presidential letters of instruction are issued.

 

Kaliningrad Region

Kaliningrad and the surrounding areas are traditionally viewed as Russia’s geostrategic region. Its development is largely determined by its semi-exclave position - the region is separated from the main territory of Russia but has access to the Baltic Sea.

In order to protect Russia’s national interests and improve the situation in the Region, a program of Kaliningrad Region’s social and economic development is now being carried out. It is aimed at creating a comfortable and safe environment, enabling comfortable conditions for working and business projects and boosting the people’s welfare in general.

One of the program’s goals is to ensure the sustainable growth of the population to more than 1,045,000 people by 2025. Currently, the region is home to around 1,032,000 inhabitants.