Mr Putin attended a meeting with local textile and light industry workers. During the meeting, he said the state would protect the interests of Russian producers on the global market. According to the Acting President, Russia should keep in mind all the interests of its CIS partners but should not forget its own interests either.
Mr Putin said efforts to thwart production of pirated brands were an important task of the national light industry’s development.
The Acting President explained the Russian light industry’s troubles by the fact that company managers had failed to streamline the production process, as well as by the abundance of cheap imported goods on the domestic market. The state should also be held partially responsible for this situation, Mr Putin said, and added that it was doing everything possible to support textile industry enterprises.
Mr Putin told delegates that economic progress was unthinkable unless lower taxes were levied on producers. According to the Acting President, the experience of many countries shows that national development levels are directly proportional to the economic independence of corporations.
Mr Putin also presented state awards to Ivanovo residents and visited an exhibition featuring products of the regional textile and light industry, the New Ivanovo Textile Mills, the Ivanovo Chintz Museum, and the Gorodkov Motherhood and Childhood Research Institute.