MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. New regions of the Russian Federation transferred 170 bln rubles ($1.89 bln) to the country’s federal budget for the current year, which shows the restoration of the economy of these regions, Russian president Vladimir Putin said during his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference.

"This year, these so-called new regions paid 170 bln rubles to the federal budget. What does this mean? This means that the economy of these regions is recovering and returning to normal," he said.

He also added that sister-city relations have been established between the new regions and other regions of the country. "Our other regions are planning to invest approximately another 100 bln," Putin explained.

An enormous scope of work still must be carried out in Russia’s new regions, Putin added. "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.