Medvedev Pushes High-Tech Project
President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia must move fast to create a home for innovative companies in high-tech industries, pushing a project he hopes can be a showcase for his presidency.
Medvedev urged bureaucrats and business leaders waste no time in developing a major business park outside Moscow that would provide tax breaks and other state support to companies in a bid to wean Russia away from reliance on energy exports. He said: "The process should not be stretched for years. It is not preparations for 2014 Olympics, everything should be fast and determined." Medvedev's reference to the Olympics linked his pet project with one of the most ambitious undertakings of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has staked his reputation on the success of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
Reuters comments that Medvedev, struggling to emerge from Putin's shadow, has pitched Russia's answer to Silicon Valley as a crucial part of his effort to modernize the economy of a country that coasted on oil revenues during Putin's presidency. His remarks came as speculation mounts over how Russia's ruling tandem will handle a 2012 presidential vote - whether Putin will seek to return to the Kremlin, support a second term for his protege or look for another option.