our breaking news this hour here on r.t. prime minister vladimir putin will run for the presidency in the two thousand and twelve election i'm guy has been given to president dmitri medvedev endorsement who has expressed hope that maybe it will stay on and be head of government in the roll off the prime minister was made of the ruling united russia party annual convention right here in central moscow. very well this is r.t. live from moscow with me now breaking news this hour the russian president dmitri medvedev has endorsed

a prime minister putin to run for the presidency of two thousand and twelve also being made a good today's annual conference of the ruling united russia party our correspondent and he said he's in the moscow conference where all those mountains are being made i need so it's you me and aussies peter lavelle talking today about some major announcements made of the convention and he said this is a long running guessing game hasn't it and has indeed and today was the day although not many people thought that it would happen now because for her constant talk about how first the parliamentary elections that's take place in december have to go through and this has been the kickoff for that but it's become obviously now much more focused on the presidential elections with the state place and march twenty eighth president meditative except in a proposal by prime minister lacey very much into the night did russia's party through those elections saying that he believes that the prime minister plays you are saying that she should run for president as well. i mean this is peter and i can ask you a question. of course i can see the delegates would probably be very happy with the

filing with the announcement now it might now the hard work is they had to have a parliamentary election to win or lose. you could do it in a sense if you look at this there were so many announcements made proposals really violates interference in as he is still of course the head of united russia about what their platform needs to be about how the country needs to move forward he talked about how he traveled the entire country which of course everyone knows is enormous and that there are so many problems still facing process and that is their job these ten thousand or so participants that were listening to this to take watch and see those elections with the that's the slogan twenty twenty how do we want the country to look like and what we want russia to be in ten years or so we have stability now we have to see to belive and obviously united russia feels that's the way to do that is to elect clinton as president have definitive continue on as an incumbent president in the office was prime minister. you could have

a conference also today you've seen the outpouring of support from the united russia party oh obviously support in the conference hold but perhaps so what about the feeling on the street so how is this going to come across to the average russian you think we've been hearing different things from different experts not of course means of course a very different things from the west than you actually hear here in russia it's going to be split like in any country but i think what we're going to hear more and more about certainly from the two leaders and then prime minister putin mentioned this earlier that it's not about who's in words or what office and when and who just want john it's about the people it's about making russia a better country and a majority of russians do feel like it's united force that can bring with them bring them back modernization and really we're going to see a lot of criticism about this because this is something that we've talked about the u.s. president has made him talk about it was present in the light of the walk of libya this is a trend the film that's trying to bring very kind of democracy in syria countries

that are perhaps ready for it russia's only twenty years or so on and it strongly believes that if you'd like to its own democracy. well i mean as we were covering a broad range of subjects or certainly but again it was causing a broad range of subject we had a comment from both of them all day today will have more to come here on r.t. just briefly when it comes to whether it's our modernization of the economy when it comes to domestic and foreign policy health care the boost in salaries the doubling of the construction of roads all across russia a broad range of subjects we discussed by both men we're there for you know let's have a listen right now to what are the current president dmitri medvedev had to say. and put it in here given the proposal to the only true list of the party united russia and to do some party work under one condition of good performance in the parliamentary elections and my readiness for practical work in government i believe it would be right for the congress to support the can do see. the new presidential

election. as and for now become a seventy so we've also got more comments from the current russian prime minister soon to be one with think the new russian president two thousand and twelve here's some more comments from the prime minister vladimir putin. you know. i'm sure that united russia will win the parliamentary elections can rely on widespread national support. it will be able to form a new effective young and energetic administrative team and head the government of the russian federation to continue his work on the modernization of all parts of our life. coming from both the president of your different prime minister putin as you as you are saying and these are breaking news here today on r.t. now know that the endorsement from the russian president or prime minister putin to run for the presidency of two thousand and twelve any so you're there at the conference do if you wouldn't mind stay with us because in life you throughout the day for more details on this in the arteries and i things. starting with are joined

by political analyst john laughland live in paris to get some more developments on today's. thank you very much for joining us today no surprise there some of the comments i'm sitting here with are these people of bell. people saying no surprise with the developments here but how do you see it for the for the development of russia as a whole putin to be the president for two thousand and twelve. well no surprise in hindsight but as your reporter from the congress all said even need to look at spare were absolutely taken aback when the enough and reconfirm of course everybody expected it but it must count as one of the best kept secrets really in recent political history as far as the future is concerned i think it was peter liberal who's in the studio with you know who said earlier that it will be very much. so he or she goes in other words that there will be a continuation of policy and that is absolutely right there are differences there

have been big differences between a few different hooted one of the. things that people usually said it if it's pretty small but somehow pro western probably abroad and so on whereas putin is more outline that's not my view at all it's after all under a million presidency of life that the russian children of war was fought in two thousand money to a war which radically change the balance of power we go estradiol whereas it was under vladimir putin's presidency that nato enlarged to. include former soviet republics like altered states and of course made its famous question to reign traditional two thousand and four all those things happened under the right you know as far as internal policy is concerned i think your commentators have already said and i agree that the big challenge is to consolidate when you model our considerable gains over the last eight years and russia economic gains in the form are good for infrastructure projects this is the big area where russia lags behind the roads and railways and so on you need everybody knows that big cities must go

in the tickler are if he cannot make our houses but we also know that as soon as you step out of the city center and you are back in your town russia a lot of problems that are. there are the things i could say i should know that yours and i wouldn't be in order let me ask you a question i mean it's very interesting if it were really survive to be if we didn't have that mr. of this they only i mean it's given a new scene which i think is a very interesting like grammy goes nowadays i would say. i mean it is mission of modernisation under an important presidency and also the second and it would be kind of nice to see some new faces in the government has it been around for well good good number of years now and what maybe that's where the shake up will be. one of the interesting things one of the many interesting things about the russian political system is the way that people are appointed to ministerial posts on the basis of professionalism. as you know most of the people who. hold power within

the. government who have us on this if it professional capacity in the area that they deal with so much as the minister of transport if you study a real engineer from nova critchley and things like that new faces yes that will be a good start it's always good to really new people to keep the impetus going but i think to make one point that as far as i know hasn't been made so far in the discussion and that is that the international situation that russia will face as. takes over power again as president next year and as the russia goes into the elections in december is very very uncertain indeed it may be an obvious point to make but i think it's worth recalling that we are looking now as has been said in the press now for many months at the breakup of the euro in other words we're looking at a seismic shift in the political composition of the european continent and in those

circumstances of immense up evil in europe in other words among russia's own neighbors russia's own role in that new configuration can only be decisive and that i think will be one of the biggest but they tell me that story got her talking this is rare again here there are some saying that iraq could be the breadbasket of europe if indeed you forecast as many seem to be going to the end of the eurozone as a whole what could a role of russia's role. being i could russia be the golden paradise the garden of eden the people want to try and get into well i wouldn't go that far i mean russia economically still the earth i think likes behind western europe although of course it's growing well with europe in stagnation in my view the biggest role that russia could play and i'm not sure to what extent the leadership is aware of this challenge even want to an ins is in consolidating a new international monetary system this is the biggest challenge that the world faces at the moment a world monetary system is the cause of the instability the financial crisis that

we're currently living through the debt problems of greece and other countries these are all have monetary problems as the basis in particular they have use of paper currency rates and this is a role of arguing for years which russia could fulfill russia's goal producing country russia runs a budget surplus russia has a number of qualities which it could bring to the international stage and which european countries and certainly in a sense for america would be very wise to copy what on india there are many others say the russia is indeed the richest country in the world when it comes to mineral resources that are a seder mineral extraction metal wealth as well energy wealth are these people of l. you have some if you take it so you can think it's very interesting to be in say with john here is there term this i guess what was it forty eight hours ago we have the g. eight i'm sorry g. twenty countries coming together to see if we could be you could be allowed the euro zone and put it look at the dollar disaster in the united states i mean how

times have changed now the g. twenty is going to bail out the g eight and i think that you know we are going to extrapolate from what you're saying is that you know countries like russia are a strategic place to play a major role in the restructuring of the financial system as you were saying he was that it was indeed over the past what twenty four forty eight hours the brics countries are saying they were they were not there was nothing set in stone a court of them but they did make a gesture to say that they were trying to help the. ailing american dollar also that of western europe some analysts say it's just a way for the first countries to get a foothold and out of the i.m.f. we do stay with us here in our c.r. i'm going to. i'm sure you do but for now let's get back to our piece on the ground all season he's in our conference in central moscow here i'm the united russia party where the announcement was made today and he said the breaking news here on r.t. the russian president dmitri medvedev has supported an endorsed by russian prime minister vladimir putin to be the president for two thousand and twelve your insight you have to walk. out well we're just coming to the end of

a lunch break and look at some ten thousand participants are coming back certainly the stadium as they left very great after this tremendous announcement it's still being debated in the team to be debated whether or not this is really a surprise we expect you to certainly hear some of the delegates at least from the the spirit here seems like it came as quite a bit of a surprise although expected to say i'm joining me now to speak about what this news all means we must especially in terms of foreign relations it doesn't feel such oh it's a member of the foreign affairs if. he were all right. just so much going to get him. to give respect to the ground what is this going to mean for russia's foreign policy and how is the west going to react. we're not in a position to speak for the west but they believe their predictability and transparency in what we are doing here inside of united russia port the inside of

the government be willing to sort of this is to be welcomed by anybody else in the room the question of who is to be the next president of russia has been. so frequently in the recent times so we are all here to give the answer now. leave the decision of the cheese to the fight for what might work these are. the ones. i. told you. are. there because you are in russia they do enjoy real support from the rest majority of the russian population and you have this strong community should all feel free to continue to work together

because each other no you. rather capacity is going to give you this strong commission is good for russia it's good for the russian foreign policy and i believe you for the thank you thank you fashion back in action regiments and just taking to the stage against we're going to lower our voices a little bit more how do you expect me to assume you have one very important question for you but this is a surprise to you do you know what this analysis is going to. get so yes because this is it seems completely logical to me and they may confess their. thank you thank you. thank you for every one of these two is exactly this while the other was a different one but i did look nice the reality of it and profit was in that other than ever because of a sense to leave let's forget the commitments that continue because the church

because he was here as our prime minister place you're going to take the stage in the second place behind the mask a convention here he said you stay best around to take the hour period and here we are of course you know happy fourth to you or i says i will be joining you ok what about you jake you know i think when you're more analysis of reaction to this big news absolutely and he said there and there we see the president to be put in taken to the. just behind you coming back out for a second time some man to help and what a response from the crowd a deafening envy i don't know how you could hear your guest just now from the state duma actually technique response. be i before you want i want to push of course for the president to be a lot of me put him in two thousand and twelve and i will be back to you simply stick around. right and i was to what are these people of health care we're going to be talking to are you so you couldn't get a job in just a moment but as we just saw the president to be if not and put in the current prime

minister coming back onto the stage again well almost after letting the news settle and people go oh yes we thought this might happen and now he's come back out to basically face the music go through now it see it so you campaign i mean it's not going to be much of a campaign there's nobody in this country that can beat him ok it will be an interesting campaign for because it will the result will already be known which is particularly worrying here i mean as you like to point out over and over again he's far the most popular figure in this country has been for a very long time and. ok this is what politicians are supposed to do should play because a lot of trust in there's a lot of confidence in him i think is going to be the podium the second time it's kind of like representative of him coming with that actually but let's not underestimate the the president so you're going to be. it was a continuation of what they've been they've known each other were pretty clean years ago mark if you will contribute to your teen years they know each other very well and i think that's what you do with russians i originally i mean here for twelve years what they want is continuity and stability nine hundred ninety s.

is a period that was so painful so humiliating for so many russians russians are even i mean in this country that are themselves on the other side of. the soviet union collapsed and i can remember that statement that mr goodman i'm sorry mr putin said about the collapse of the soviet union was a calamity it was the worst crimea twentieth century he's always been this understood he said the humiliation that people had to go through the russians in kazakhstan the deal in the baltic republics you couldn't get them to go to their own country so i think really what you know him coming back on the stage is saying it's continued of course you try to. close the inside can you let's keep you here the are the studio will cross i want to say you couldn't make it i try over as we continue to observe the hard part is a lot of putting out making his second address so those people in attendance at the united russia party here in central moscow cascio good to see you. this is and of a long running guessing game any surprise to you. well hello and it wasn't really

a surprise especially to john that there had been some interesting talk in the corridors people who were be announcement was made of course there will those who believe that maybe that it will run will run for a second term though with those who make their beads on that he will take russia's top job in march twentieth twelve there were also those who believe. the so-called tandem quiz is largely overestimated but one big push sure it became obvious to absolutely everyone in the news room who will run for russia's top job next year even before any of them started speaking that was the moment one liked him or putin made it on stage i would know that according to protocol according to the plan it was the president dmitri medvedev who got to dress he was younger become luncheon with the trying to minute speech before just before the dinner hour long address so what it was like to put in instead this last minute walk was a tallying indicator who will run out of the russia's presidency in march two

thousand and twelve all this anticipation for these congress was understandable because it's the last of the yearly conventions of russia's largest political force at russia's ruling party and of course everyone was looking and everyone was expecting. much from a bet it will drop hints about their presidential plans or even make an outright. and not outright announcement which actually happened as i said these last minutes what was a surprise to many and the statement that nevada will also address the congress was read by many news makers that he will also shed light on his political future now that the riddle of the twenty twelve presidential vote is pretty much so the big question is still in the areas. matrona better to do after march twenty twelve will he become russia's next prime minister will he be this speaker all feet of the lower house of the russian pol most of the state duma that is still the question

will tensions over the president question the presidency question some of this year after several crown and watch has claimed that private solution private agreement was have been reached already between macbeth and putin in july and i won't make any claims about it will be the global policy forum in europe which took place two weeks ago that will shed light on the people who are looking for clues. looking at forums for clues and one who did not hop on the two leaders obviously didn't consider the. new big enough about announcements everyone of course was looking forward to these united russia party congress well there were many for across long before the congress ways there were those. who believe that the united russia party of canada is to make it to parliament already and to see

the. reserves have been saved or to name somebody very frank. it was in two russian daily. the fact who will top the list of the possible good telling the dictator of who will run for russia's president but these poor across didn't turn out to be true other people believe that presidency will all be avoided had the congress and one identified prominent source was quoted as saying that both members of the tandem are interested in keeping up a sponsor as long as possible as it was the case in two thousand and seven on the announcement was made as late as in december just weeks literally before the presidential vote and again this because didn't turn out to be exactly what the big question now is that so many believe the importance of the time quiz was. largely overestimated the big question now as the presidential if we don't list pretty much solved there's hardly any presidential candidate who could beat bush and the

question is where will the lead to the police police and the current political establishment take the country after march twenty tall and one shall be harvest the first out there with poor long awaited reforms mentioned the date if it actually president bush made that it had been working on. as as we've been talking here with people of all the sort of i just remember though but december is going to be a troubling time the heart of major election is the end of the year and as people of i was saying to us a moment ago he's still in the studio here however is that it may not be as smooth a run for the party as we'll see towards the end of the year please or thank you very much but i do something for us i want to say to people here that it seems that maybe it is now the current president is poised to become the prime minister for two thousand and twelve at the surely that must say a lot about his legacy that he's done a good job working in tandem with putin thing is that again you know. it doesn't really matter which man is president because they both represent different vision

different angles of the scene vision and i think i think what the final decision from the data did not pursue the presidency again i think it was out of the national interest of this might have been agreed to among them years ago and see how things go i think that given the turbulent international situation that we've been talking about here and it's very serious i think it's far more serious i mean most people think i think would be that the political elite said look we need someone with very strong here and mr putin is that i could personally. dislike him he said can you wash out of the ashes could it back on the world as we've been seeing of it comes to the global economic stage it seems to be doing some sort of atlantis directly beneath beneath the water beneath the waves here russia has for the most part so why the global economic downturn do stay with us here and michael opinion is the foreign affairs a specialist times newspaper in london he has this to contribute.

ok we're having some technical difficulties so michael been you know yes passing through unanimous opinion by how we understand you the foreign affairs space leader times newspaper in london you say it's not a surprise to you put in will be a step for the presidency next call would you say well i think it was an inevitable call it was quite clear that mr putin was the stronger of course even during the four years when president ford holding that job and i think it makes logical. time has actually been calling with actually be the head of the government. and the head of state well if not in the coming right it really will come in the way. programs but i think the feeling is that russia has somebody who has to leave the. what do you what would you forecast as some reactions from around the world to this there being some strains on certain aspects of foreign policy between russia and

china say for example capitol hill yet i don't think with the putin will be accommodating to what can or even any other leader. i think you're going to be more difficult to find him. kind of international team sort of team player. that he not been. talking about the need to report in russia particularly something changing on transparency and making it easier for people to invest in it was very outspoken on that but he didn't actually appear to put much of it into practice. but what he what he said he was heartening highlighting though it was over the past few years under the leadership made yet definite forecasts of years to come is that positive economic growth with the g.d.p. positive attention being made to entrepreneurs and small businesses in fact a third of them will be getting direct support from the government to improve help make sure their business is forecast such

a positive economic outlook for the next coming years here in russia yes i think what i think. if you. continue to prime minister i do have a very similar problem to what we've been seeing. a few years. back to. what is certainly needed. economic report much shake up of the system let's take capitalism enterprise. and overwhelmingly a real sharp attack on corruption. but very little action certainly that's been part of many if the legacy of the past three years is that he's made. his asian and tackling corruption as two of the forefront issues for his presidency but as you were mentioning a moment ago mr pena when it comes to the natural wealth of russia the mineral resources the energy wealth the metal wealth as well some say there's a lot of it there but it's not being tapped to the optimum possibility which would

you agree with that. talent for the government yes. but it's money that. need a little bit. of expertise or that russia has plenty of it. and the other problem is you need a much more competitive edge to some of the. too many monopolies. i'm afraid by corrupt oligarchy we're just discussing here people of teeth it seems that you know him a potent agreement when it comes to the need for more foreign help i want to come to tapping russia's vast resources mr michael opinion the foreign affairs special. the times newspaper in london many thanks for your time today. so as we were just talking with the foreign affairs specialist at the times paper michael peña foreign help is needed to help to really optimize the wealth the vast wealth of russia be a little bit more nuanced and i think that we need expertise in certain industries

and certain types of companies i mentioned earlier the privatization program that is going to be in play depending on turbulence outside because we want outside investment and that's a form of outside investment when you have privatization where you sell a state owned company we're talking big names here are also we're looking at spare banqueting and other are russian railroads and if you bring in foreign investors if you want to return on their investment and the russians can say how we can how can we do that and you bring in expertise that way so it's a really good that's a form of foreign investment this country very much one who wants to have but you have to know how transparent so you have to cut down on the corruption because there's a lot of companies in the world that this have no corruption rule they just won't get involved in it so that's going to be a big challenge and i think it's a good cultural challenge for this country because too many people and i say even in power outages in the regions you know corruption is business as usual let's get back to the main center of our subject today the breaking news here at r.t. live from moscow the fact that putin the current prime minister has been endorsed by.