At the beginning of the meeting, the President noted that the Perm Territory is one of Russia’s major industrial centres: it ranks 16th in the country in terms of per capita industrial output. The region resolves many issues in Russia’s interests but still has a host of its own problems to address.
To start, Mr Makhonin reported to the President that the coronavirus situation is stable. The region ranks 75th in the number of infected people per 100,000. All Rospotrebnadzor requirements are being observed.
As for the economy, the industrial production index has decreased by 2.5 percent. This is slightly better than the national average. At the same time, the Perm Territory boasts achievements: construction has risen by 11 percent, agriculture by about 3 percent and textiles by 50 percent. The region has formed an investment package of 80 projects worth a total of 1.5 trillion rubles. These projects have been confirmed, and their implementation could create 10,000 new jobs.
The region’s Acting Governor noted that in 2023 the region will finish the construction of a new plant to manufacture RD-191 rocket engines. It has launched the manufacture of PD-14 aircraft engines, and is carrying out a project on the assembly and test complex for the new PD-35 engine. The region is looking into the further development of the engine construction cluster. Thus, it may consider creating specialised engine-building centres for civilian and military aviation.
Mr Makhonin asked the President to instruct the Ministry of Industry and Rostec to consider the development of the proposed cluster. The region will take on the commitment of building all social infrastructure facilities – schools, kindergartens and housing.
The Acting Governor mentioned the Presidential Executive Order on celebrating the 300th anniversary of Perm in 2023 adding that the region is, of course, preparing for the event. There are a few far-reaching plans such as renovation of the main streets, public spaces, parks, cultural facilities, medical facilities and road infrastructure. Overall, 140 billion rubles will be invested. The Perm Territory was included in the federal targeted investment programme to build a new stage for the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The discussion also touched on the development of transport infrastructure, in particular, the purchase of new buses and trams.
Dmitry Makhonin also asked the President to give instructions to the Finance Ministry and the Transport Ministry to include the construction of a bridge across the Kama, which is important for Perm, in their plans for the modernisation and expansion of backbone infrastructure of the Russian Federation and allocate federal financing for 2025–2026.
Another request from the Acting Governor concerned the project to build a new facility for the Perm Art Gallery. The region’s biggest storehouse of art treasures contains a unique collection of wooden sculptures of Perm gods, a unique collection of Stroganov icons, and paintings by the Itinerants. The existing exhibition facilities cannot show more than 1.5 percent of the collection.
At the President’s request, Dmitry Makhonin spoke in more detail about the implementation of the new PD-35 aircraft engine project.
Vladimir Putin agreed that all the issues raised were important and that the concerned agencies and the Government would receive the necessary instructions to address them. This applies to transport infrastructure, bridges, and cultural institutions.
The President also pointed out some problems that require the Acting Governor’s personal involvement. One of them is unemployment, which is slightly higher than the national average in the Perm Territory today, and a large proportion of dilapidated and unfit housing.
At the same time, the President noted that Perm has a favourable environment for growth: the GRP is growing, industrial production, agricultural production, housing construction and other types of construction are maintained at the proper level, and regional finances are in good condition.
As for the PD-35, according to Vladimir Putin, this is an important project not only for the Perm Territory and not only for the engine-building industry – it is also a very important project for Russia as a country, with its ambitious plans for the development of the aircraft industry, including a new wide-body aircraft. The Government will provide support for the engine project, and will create the right conditions for production, including a new test facility, for bench testing, and will allocate the funding.
Concluding the conversation, the President said he expects Dmitry Makhonin to work effectively in the near future.