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Russia counts on St. Petersburg as innovation hub — Putin

St. Petersburg is not only a large industrial center, it is a biggest science and education center, Russian President added

© Alexey Druzhinin/presidential press service/TASS

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, June 23. /TASS/. Russia counts on St. Petersburg as an innovation hub in a situation when science and educations are among the most important development factors, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Alye Parusa (Scarlet Sails) documentary aired by the Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday.

"St. Petersburg is not only a large industrial center, it is a biggest science and education center in Russia. And now science and education have become serious, if not the key, factors of development in the present-day world in general and in Russia in particular. Naturally, the country, in this sense, counts on St. Petersburg as one of Russia’s biggest innovation hubs. Obviously, this most important role cannot but be assigned to young people who are only beginning adult life," he said, adding that young people today have "literally huge" possibilities for self-implementation.

The president recalled that St. Petersburg’s defense sector once accounted for 70% "Naturally, it was too much and transition to civilian sectors was very painful. Today, much has been restored, moreover, many new, interesting and promising things have appeared," he added.

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