Medvedev Does Not Want Russia to Be Noted For Its Role as Raw Materials Supplier
MOSCOW. Oct 15 (Interfax) - Russia should do all it can to change its key role on the global market as a supplier of raw materials, which it assumed in the 1990s, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.
"There is a trend that has taken shape in the country's development, which we have no right to lose. We cannot play the role as a raw material appendage, which we assumed in the 1990s, and the past decade has not been very brilliant, either. Russia should have something more than gas and oil," Medvedev said at a meeting with his supporters on Saturday. "Energy resources might be different in 50-70 years. What will we remain with? Only with gas and oil? Then we are certainly not going to be competitive," he said.
"Something has been done, and something new has appeared, but this is so little and insignificant so far," he said.
Medvedev cited as an example the way documents are circulated in Russian government institutions, most of which are in paper form.
"What is brought to me is all on paper. But these are top documents, and they will probably be on paper even in 100 years. But all the rest should be in digital form, so as to minimize corruption's involvement in this, so that everything circulates faster, and decisions are made quicker, and the bureaucratic factor should be minimized," he said.
"The governance system should be part of the digital world," Medvedev said. "I am sure this will be very soon," he said.
In this world, "people become different, and the authorities should take this into account, or otherwise they will fail," he said.
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