Transcript of Putin's Press Conference

[Moderator] Esteemed colleagues, we have been working for an hour and ten minutes. I propose that we have two final questions. Row seven on the right. Please.
 

St Petersburg's 300th anniversary

[Question] I am (?Valeriya Tyurkina) and I represent the St Petersburg television and radio company and my question will naturally concern Russia's northern capital.

[Putin] Vasiliy Tyurkin isn't your father is he?

[Question] No, my father is called Aleksandr.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, you moved to Moscow to work long ago but you quite often come to our city, to your own city, especially in recent times. And everything that happens, the changes taking place in St Petersburg, positive or negative, in effect take place before your eyes. What do you think of all these changes that have taken place in our city, not in the past year or two but, say, in the past 8-10 years? And I also have an accompanying question: how would you like to see St Petersburg by its 300th anniversary?

[Putin] You know, on the whole, it seems to me that the situation in the city is developing positively. Although, of course, the citizens are probably by no means always satisfied with the municipal services, with the state of the streets, the roads and the facades of the buildings and I think that here really the city authorities have some work to do.

As far as the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg is concerned, I think that we could mark this event not just as regional or city event but as a republic-wide event. And this why - not just because I love St Petersburg, naturally, - but because in his time Peter I created it, as we recall, as a window on Europe. At that time he simply used this term, but in reality what is it? It is the link between Russia and the civilized world, the link between Russia and Europe. And it seems to me that the 300th anniversary of the founding of St Petersburg can be fully regarded as the 300th anniversary of the unification of Russia with Europe as a whole.

If we manage to attach this meaning to the anniversary, we will all benefit from it. One would naturally like to see the city well prepared for it and looking festive. You know that certain resources are to be allocated for this, but it should all be within reason, without other regions of Russia suffering.

[Moderator] The last question from TV6.