At the meeting, President Putin said a federal law was being drafted to define the measures of responsibility and degrees of punishment for harming the environment.
When discussing international cooperation for protecting bioresources and the environment, the President urged the academics to draft a fundamental treaty to be signed by Russia’s Far Eastern neighbours and promised that the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources would help in the work. In addition, President Putin stressed that the preservation of the environment is a main condition for cooperating with foreign companies in the mining sector, including mining from the seabed.
The President noted that the development of the Sakhalin shelf presented an environmental problem and spoke of the need to consult scientists now that the oil industry planned to lay a pipeline through the region.
Social affairs and support for young scientists were touched upon during the meeting. The academics also asked the President to pay attention to upgrading research equipment, which was aging rapidly. President Putin, in response, urged them to lend a hand to correct any errors in the legislation. In addition, the President asked the academics to formulate proposals on copyright protection of their work in foreign publications.