just fifty. and very well malcolm you're watching on t.v. international with me mickey arian that is a very big day for the russian president and the world media as president putin for pass to begin his annual media q. and a with journalists from back at home and abroad what's become a traditional end of the year here enabled this year be attended by a record number of journalists sound quite a scramble to get the front row seats in the conference hall was anticipated as our correspondent told us earlier before the conference began he's among the journalists in central moscow poised to put questions to the president let's take

a look at his earlier report. just how bill would describe this is the kind of thing that happens ahead of every lot of our progress conference every year as soon as the people at the door say yes this is going to look a bit like black friday but to get a seat closer to the president this is where every meter counts because perhaps the russian leader will only be able to answer a few dozen questions and the number of people who want to do that is more than seventeen hundred this year. this year the ways to attract the attention of the russian president and his press secretary will be limited in size before journalists use to use a massive billboards that sometimes were the size of the school's billboards this time they have been banned but as you can see for instance this young lady is using a one of the hockey helmets.

so far lot of our both men have given for being such a press conferences and their combined alang has almost reached forty four hours which will. sumeet called to two full days will see whether it's going to happen this time very very soon so many hours and so many questions and over the course of those incredible fourteen annual sessions the president has set some high marks. while we wait for the conference to kickoff this year the annual event as our correspondent was saying will host the largest number of journalists since it was

a stablished in two thousand and one last year it was one thousand six hundred forty journalists in attendance this year more than that one thousand seven hundred two incredible i wonder if it will continue to increase year after year this is become a traditional end of the year q. and a for president putin and he does spend a few days swatting up on all world issues before he attends this conference and he probably needs to as well with it lasting so long in fact in two thousand and eight the event lost an incredible four hours and forty minutes and everyone's wondering whether these american q. and a's will wear that whether you beat that record this year back when the event was first out in two thousand and one it was only ninety five minutes so it really has increased quite a lot and the length of the conference is really based on the president's stamina so let's see how long he can continue for it will be translated into three languages english french and german so that all of the correspondents there in the

conference hall will be able to get their responses to their questions in real time dmitri peskov the press kremlin press secretary he did so. a that he expects a wide range of questions covering everything from economic to international issues and of course there's so many topics to choose from as well including u.s. russian relations i'm sure to be lots of questions asked about the current strait incident and even the square power crisis russia has really dominated news headlines throughout the year and so we're expecting a lot of interesting and intriguing questions and nothing is off the table for president putin he will try to answer all of these questions in full and efficiently as well which is why he spends those few days swotting up i suppose so he is able to on so all of the questions without pausing for thought or checking his notes and so any minute now president putin hopefully will arrive at the

conference hall and begin this q. and a we'll are wasted waiting with bated breath. our correspondent is also in the conference hall and he was telling us earlier how much of a scramble people were expecting to get those front row seats those lucky people right down the front to get the best shots of president putin there well over the course of these fourteen annual sessions the president set some high marks let's take a look back now at the president. goes earlier report. again

our correspondent in particular is that he is in the conference hall waiting to pose his questions to the president who will arrive shortly i hate sent this report earlier. just how bill would describe this is the kind of thing that happens ahead of every lot of our pool press conference every year as soon as the people at the door say yes this is going to look a bit like black friday but to get a seat closer to the president this is where every meter counts because perhaps the russian leader will only be able to answer a few dozen questions and the number of people who want to do that is more than seventeen hundred this year. this year the ways to attract the attention of the russian president and his press secretary will be limited in size before journalists use to use a massive billboards that sometimes were the size of the school billboards this

time they have to bend but as you can see for instance this young lady is using a lot of hockey helmets. so far vladimir boot from that has given fourteen such press conferences and their combined alang has almost reached forty four hours which will soon equal to two full days we'll see whether it's going to happen this time very very soon. we're showing you some live pictures from inside the conference hall right now that is to me chief has golf the kremlin spokes person he's just arrived probably so introduce that mississippi to him before the q. and a session get funded away let's listen in to what he has to say. to you because you have prevented the food and camera man. from taking the picture and those who. make it inconvenient for those sitting behind you we're waiting for

the president who's going to be with us with him and thank you. that we have it all up all of the press and now awaiting the arrival of president putin who i believe is terrific and to every now hopefully with a strong cup of coffee ahead of a secure day which could last for as long as five hours maybe longer so let's listen in to see what he has to think when we begin i work traditional meetings in the run up to the new year let's call it

a press conference and as is tradition and such cases i like to take several it was good at moments to talk a little bit about the outcomes of the year that is drawing to the end but i have the latest statistics even though a lot has already been said about the statistics comes from yesterday from today that over the ten months of this year the g.d.p. . by white one point seven percent according to the full cost of the ministry it's going to be one point two eight at the end of the year industrial output has been growing. two point one percent in january. this year it's stupid to point nine percent and by the end of the year we forecast that it's going to standard three times the putting the manufacturing industries are growing at slightly higher paid. three point two percent of the three quarters

the investment in the takes capital has sued at four point one percent. this is where weighing as well as retail do you point. to the consumer demand is also quite significant and this is a positive factor after a long break. registering. and yet again with the who positive trend two words lead growth. income. the earth is going to be around point five percent i do hope that this trend just going to push this because the real wages. for the. seven point four percent it's going to be around seven percent by the end of the influence if we are also saying an inflation rate that is quite acceptable to us

even though. we round point five percent so we're going to. step beyond the target set forth by the central bank of four percent it's going to be for. a little more than four percent unemployment as increasing which is encouraging last year it was at a historic low standing at five point two percent this year it's going to be even lower four point eight percent we seeing the growth i would trade. back in twenty seven thousand it was around one hundred fifteen. billion dollars three quarters they say is one hundred fifty seven and we're going to see one hundred ninety by the end of a year one hundred ninety billion dollars our financial. fundamentals in the strengthening as well as. by. more than. right now is

four hundred sixty four. even though at the beginning it was four hundred thirty two which for the first time since twenty eleven we see. and the surplus budget we're. forty point one percent of the g.d.p. our national wealth fund is also growing by around twenty two percent. the average insurance pension for the elderly. thirteen thousand six hundred seventy seven global's at the beginning of the year by the end of this year it's going to be fourteen thousand one hundred sixty three i don't i would life expectancy has picked up slightly. to be around seventy we see right now it's going to be seventy two point nine so. yes

this is what i wanted to outline at the outset but let's not waste our times let's take straight into your questions and into my attempts at answering them thank you . again we give some priority to the cramming journalists who have been working during this year to ignore the trips which really well us where we should always care about the. idea of stress and. let's begin with you give the mike. that you can mine and toss it in the journalist. toss agency probably can be said that twenty eighteen of stuff passed by under the slogan of the national new national projects such wealth by your may decrease that is going to take immense sums of money as is the plan but some experts and this is something mentioned previously. and if. it is impractical or impossible

to. implement this national project how well have the criteria. sold through the head of the council chamber says that it is impossible to assess the efficiency of such projects do you have any objections to that to this criticism you. can call me to say so it was about the very expediency of what you have mentioned some question whether we need these national projects at all but i like to say something i have already said we need a breakthrough we have to leap into new technological water without doubt the country has no future and this is a question of principle important and we have to understand that how can we achieve that we've got to concentrate the resources with god we have to find them and pull together and throw them behind the priority avenues of development but how can we do that just find money and give them to someone you know we've got to formulate

the tasks to find the resources something we were doing during twenty seventeen the administration the government working on that so you brought it. home right now people say that there are not many changes in the government but these are major sleep people who had been working on the development program for the country and you're twenty two for the got to be responsible for what the plans of the show how shall we organize our just give away money from the two point eight trillion rubles which is the budget of the national project some six point five trillion small for infrastructure in a separate bank all these investment should be focused on all some breakthrough. with relevant blueprints and we're told that national projects these are clear objectives and without these clear. actives no matter how we can do.

everything we could not reach tangible results so we have come up with twelve national projects and infrastructure development with. the main areas health care education science which is human capital but without the no breakthrough is possible nothing will have come and the second is out. all the economic things that blew up in the second thing in digital economy and the. techniques of. infrastructure as well which i hope i mentioned but you can with a bit early through why. we've got to get the right me and discussed it together with the cabinet ministers and the original governors how to organize our work in the future how to proceed on. some issues.

that we should how. effective oversight. of police with. a place in place and all the. should be even on the. issues where work and working to get to grips with those in our regional people and the point is that the bulk of the monies federal. all the works of the works are on the original level of the region should be motivated and off not just to raise the prices because they have a lot of money but to reach time to build results will the people which is first thing. they are up to the task that some people say it is impossible to implement all but to deliver but you know what. may go to the next acute if we. feels that he or she can logon to that to please you gotta look

at their free their places for someone else which would be obvious who would be up to them argue with the couple instead of the i'm sure some people who are side observers say it is impossible but three. people who work really don't say so and that i hope for consolidating. work you want to vote on the federal and the original levels there should be some adjustment is involved to parameters as you would have received any bottom up pretty proposals and i hope that the government would take them and take account and we will have adjustments and will proceed in the effective way ok second channel russia. ruben you may also introduce yourself because russia to which i don't know day i still would like to follow up on what has been touched upon many they can all make experts including mr krueger

in some has been saying at the rear the russian economy for the past decade has been growing by at zero as little as one percentage point which is think nation by going around in circles and yes we can both have a breakthrough you know even minimal reckoning we should have four to five times greater the rate of the konami growth the government promises to deliver but they say that the in the forthcoming years the g.d.p. growth would also be would be below two percent of the so what does the government build up on in those folks costs. including future gets of it is it possible to reach this breakthrough. in sports all through that it will be calling me just to leave off the back of it up to the spoiler revenues putting it aside and spending when need be and are you happy with the majority of team by a lot. of different. respects to each other just. one

question per person. just look at. the. economic growth raids of that one percent for a certain period of time while mr carter was the deputy prime minister at that time by the by so you know you shouldn't blame others if you. may may may be found guilty yourself so we cannot make the mechanical calculations i respect mr cauldron he is a very good professional and my comrade is my mate i listen attentively to want to know has been saying hey zero libels professional but anyway. from the two thousand and eight two thousand and eighteen. the growth was around seven point. four percent. just so i'm somewhat all up which will be just one

percentage point brennan but let's not be oblivious of how the economy developed do we saw higher. rates. troughs is the ups and downs and after the global down the global it was not rational domestic dogs we. love this economic crisis so the decline back in them was seven point eight percent the economic decline the slump in economy and later on by and by we recovered for some years and then came twenty fifteen twenty fourteen. prices. drop when the price of oil is. the main commodity. so we cannot calculate mechanic. but anyway the bulk of the country's g.d.p. growth is one of the. the parameters but also that we cannot provide all the

necessary grades growth unless we change the structure of our economy the architecture this is the. aim of the national project was. to. put a had put it ahead of everything else and one of. them with this story called it was an innovative way to see greater rates. growth and. development. and you have said that in the forthcoming several years it will grow at a rate of around two percent yes and the twenty nine thousand and twenty to twenty they will be at two percent and starting with twenty twenty one the government plans to see the three point zero economic growth and even higher. i hope for that definitely will have fluctuations but the main thing that will put ahead of everything else is that we should leaping to

a new leaf and i would call them is sort of the only ball to volume but nobody i mean ranking fifth. in terms of the biggest economies we used to rank fifth. top five on the global economy is actually correct we need an. economy had a brand new quality this is what we aim for a met. are you happy with a minute of team by and large i am happy but yes ok why not go that way i see volgograd. because of the rad card saying volgograd. just bring the mike but even leave it off mr president volgograd can go home we have had a wonderful year we mark the seventy fifth anniversary of a stunning rod battle or. you may do that better all the holy we're thankful to you mr president and we. we were quite successful in hosting the world cultural as

well and all regions has started being vibrant as has been picking up a lot will be said about the quarterly but our hopes and aspirations are as follows . ninety eight i'm going to. call it. professionals can prove that it was created and there's already. was this is bad but what we want is to have a back please think of what you want to disbanded in nineteen ninety eight it's just it's was the whole go there. so twenty years postino i'm not sure that what is left should be student of a problem this legendary school. in twenty years time but the defense ministry of the russian federation but there is some dispute with but that if you

were you know trains personnel depending on the needs of the armed forces so wouldn't should we do see both the what can be done about that about this here that's the high school of kasha question. to waste there remains leftovers of the tradition. of their defense ministries advice is ok here we can see the end of the first row black golden black dressed in black without any play cards and he writes in a sign of progress the president. has called everybody's i get a prime agency money i will tell you a clue mr president this years and next year's budget will say yes. nevertheless since the first of january and number of steps will be in actions that will result in the price hike for a number of goods and services like to be eighty growth. and i think that will provoke. utilities terry ifs and self-employed tax regions to be

introduced because it doesn't chiron well with a canonical paulist see. so you said the public utility bills and what's allowed and you know the self-employed tax and pilot. that will be introduced don't you think it's going to be too high a burden for the russian economy and the common people because if you think you mentioned this surplus because that which is a very good indicator of whether the government has been effective they can all make a lot and they're all for the first the same as i have said in my introductory remarks we are seeing the same two point one percent supplements of our federal budget for the first time since the twenty four team and what we should all be forgetful that being a. producer of that and you give us an exporter in that you. can counsel the bulk of that when you go through with fiscal revenues we also have the

normal all i guess deficits budget which is fresh what we're receive enough to the. sales of oil and gas i'm going to iowa remind you that back in zero nine that stood at around thirteen it was you know percent which was a lot at the start at the turn of the century and was around three percent as a result of a. downturn global economic downturn and you know later on we had to spend petro dollars and that may go to mean. we did well for. measures and promises to keep overspent of the. dollars and our deficit double digits if you actually took a double digits value of thirteen percent we have brought in down to six point six percent and next year of that we hope to be at six percent and came. being flat or

fall some years on. testifies of. just a nobility of all economy so in order to see this because of the parameter flat we have to raise the b. eighty this is first thing second in many countries in the eighteen twenty all ha even higher percentage points. higher as well but we reduced it but the effective p. eighty rate which can be one of them for the whole of the economy in general would below are because we have. maintained the bulk of the benefits. show drones are the terms and medicines production. companies also will keep enjoying some tax. if you can is that what it means. so we preserve the effective rate will go lower and i really hope it's going to be

a one off thing if we will move a bit through. that we may see a slight the upswing in prices at the start of the year and later on is going on but he might appear to be waning and the central bank has been influenced with introducing steps to prevent the growth of inflation. rates was raised by the point twenty five percentage points. in order to avoid a price hike in future. inflation on the whole i think it is a well conceived decision providing additional fiscal revenue. we will be able to live upon our national ledges and development. i mean the national projects with respect to the utility bills in the past year. they grew by

forty percent on average the next year the way we will see two phases of. incrementally one point seven and the second stage will see a two point four percent increase from four point one in total of them and why how we split in two stages because the. growth. problem may see the growth of prices of goods and services needed for the public utility operation. in order to safeguard the interests of our citizens with major. accomplish this person two stages but to the overall growth should not be higher than four point one percent. and the government decides it is indeed very much needed in the region . and the current situation it requires a higher grade but then it would be an exception that needs to be discussed with the government of the russian.