MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. The State Duma supports and is ready to help new Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told TASS.

"We have known him for a long time. We support the president's choice. On our side, we will provide him with the necessary assistance," Volodin said.

On May 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed new ministers and deputy prime ministers. Belousov, who previously served as first deputy prime minister, will now hold the post of the country’s defense minister. He succeeds Sergey Shoigu, who took over as secretary of the Russian Security Council.

Volodin also believes that by approving deputy prime ministers and ministers through the State Duma, the Russian president has given citizens more say in how the country is run. He also said that interaction between the legislative and executive branches of the Russian government is trending up, reaching a new level.

Answering a TASS question about the efficacy of the new practice of approving ministers through the State Duma, Volodin said that "the question is not about the practice, but about the implementation of the new provisions of the Constitution," which are aimed at improving the political system's efficiency.

"The president has transferred some of his powers to the citizens, so that they participate in the governance of the country, approving the chairman of the government, deputy chairmen of the government, ministers. For the State Duma MPs, this is a primary responsibility, and of course, a new level of interaction between the legislative and executive branches of government, where we work together towards an end goal," Volodin said.