The social and economic situation in Russia’s southern regions, more than any other part of the country, depends on ensuring public security, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the leaders of the regions in the Southern Federal District.
The President said that continued activity by terrorist groups is seriously destabilising the situation in the region with the result that investment attractiveness has fallen and people do not feel properly protected.
The situation is aggravated by excessive administrative intervention and the corruption of regional authorities, often driven by the personal interests of individual civil servants or by clan interests.
Mr Putin set the objective of putting in place the conditions for rapid economic growth in Russia’s southern regions. Achieving this goal will depend to a great extent on active and well organised cooperation between the federal and regional authorities, Mr Putin said.