On his way from Tomsk to Omsk, President Vladimir Putin met with the heads of a number of federal agencies and the governors of regions crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railway to discuss government policies in regulating prices for services provided by natural monopolies as well as the future development of Siberia’s transport infrastructure.
Mr Putin stressed the need to create favourable economic conditions for companies and individuals, saying that efficient price regulation policies are a key prerequisite for economic revival of the Russian Far East and Siberia.
The primary task is to provide for efficient development of natural monopolies while making sure the prices of their services remain affordable, Mr Putin said. He proposed a single agency should be set up to administer all related issues.
The conference participants also discussed prospects for the development of the country’s transport infrastructure, including closer involvement of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in shipping goods across Eurasia.