At a meeting with participants of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, President Vladimir Putin said that the most serious reasons for the drop in population, particularly in Siberia and the Far East, is the recession in the economy, the degradation of the social sphere, the low living standards, isolation from the main political, economic and cultural centres of the country, the undeveloped infrastructure and high cost of travel within the Russian territory.
To stop this depopulation, these problems have to be solved, i.e. the economy and social sphere must be developed.
At the same time, the President said he supported the development of an effective immigration policy in Russia. Mr. Putin cited the experience of countries that solve demographic problems through immigration pursuing a consistent and strict immigration policy.