MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is to hold a regular meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects via video conference, the Kremlin press service reported.

The meeting is aimed to sum up the work to implement the instructions given by the head of state at the council meeting held last December. Then the President defined six key tasks that the government and regions were to pay special attention to in 2023 when implementing a long-term program of national development goals. These included taking interaction with foreign partners to a new level, strengthening technological and ensuring financial sovereignty, accelerated development of infrastructure, reducing poverty and turning the demographic situation around.

In January of this year, Putin approved a list of 52 instructions following the December meeting. A few weeks later, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin identified the ministries and departments responsible for their implementation. Reports on work on some instructions were submitted to the government regularly, including monthly.

Council for National Projects

The Council for Strategic Development and National Projects is an advisory body under the head of state, created to coordinate the activities of federal and regional authorities, public, scientific and other entities when considering issues related to the strategic development of the country and the achievement of its national development goals until 2030.

The Council prepares proposals to the head of state to determine target indicators and key parameters of national projects and programs, as well as the guidelines for strategic development of the Russian Federation. In addition, its functions include analysis, evaluation and organization of monitoring of their implementation. The Council analyzes the process of achieving the indicators of socio-economic development of Russia, provided for by the May decrees of the Russian President (2012).

The previous council meeting took place in August. At that meeting, the President, in particular, noted that the pace of economic growth in Russia is quite stable, and the budget situation does not pose risks to macroeconomic stability. He also drew attention to the fact that the situation with the birth rate in the country remains difficult, and in order to reverse it, additional measures in the field of demography are needed.