Vladimir Putin expressed hope that United Russia could make a substantial contribution to establishing the national political system and to national economic development. He said this was facilitated by the party’s impressive organisational and intellectual potential and human resources.
The President said any political party’s real influence on life in the country should not be confined to winning elections. He said all parties must help create guidelines for long-term national development and actively influence their implementation.
President Putin said the national party system must be comprised of major federal political parties that would primarily rely on regions and municipal authorities. He said the federal Government would therefore gain an insight into regional needs and that local authorities would become more aware of national interests.
Mr Putin expressed hope that United Russia would continue to assert itself and would evolve into a full-fledged intellectual organisation directly influencing the elaboration of the national state-development strategy.
Meeting participants discussed a wide range of socio-economic development issues, prospects for raising the wages of public-sector workers and measures to support and protect national farmers.
Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of United Russia’s Supreme Council, as well as Supreme Council members Sergei Shoigu, Yury Luzhkov, Mintimer Shaimiyev, Oleg Morozov, Vyacheslav Volodin and Vladimir Pekhtin attended the meeting.