MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. An enormous scope of work still must be carried out in Russia’s new regions, President Vladimir Putin said at his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference.

"The economy of these regions is recovering and coming into compliance with regulatory norms. Of course, much still remains to be done there; we will do it," the head of state emphasized.

Other constituent regions of Russia are also lending a supporting hand to the new regions, Putin noted. "We have [seen] fraternal relations established between these [new] regions and other regions of the Russian Federation. They (other Russian regions - TASS) have invested, in my opinion, in the range of 150 bln [rubles ($1.7 bln)] [in the new regions]," the president added.