Reminding the participants that the meeting was held on International Human Rights Day, the President instructed the Government to look more attentively at the basic social and economic rights of the Russian people.
He also called on the ministers in charge of social issues to fulfil their obligations and closely watch the passing of laws on pension reform and labour legislation in parliament.
Vladimir Putin said that another major problem was the protection of the legal rights of Russians living abroad. Noting that the foreign ministry and other organisations were giving more attention to this work of late, the President stressed that every move of the Government should be justified and understandable to the people for whom it was intended and also fit well into the activities of European human rights organisations.
Vladimir Putin also expressed hope that the leaders of those countries with which dialogue on such issues was under way would respond to Russia’s actions in this sphere in a proper manner.