President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Let’s begin with how equipping the state border is proceeding and then we will talk about preserving biological resources.
Director of Border Guards Services Vladimir Pronichev: According to the Security Council’s decision of 30 September 2003 which confirms the concept of border security, following your decisions and especially your order to equip the state border in the northern Caucasus, in practice, next year we will finish equipping the state border in the northern Caucasus. And this year we also started building the border in the direction of Kazakhstan.
(Indicating on a map). In practice we have finished this part of the border in the Northern Caucasus.
Vladimir Putin: From sea to sea? And this part?
Vladimir Pronichev: According to your decision, the one made in July 2005, this part of the border is now being fully equipped. In other words, there exists various ways to monitor the overwater conditions with radio technological navigating stations. And then overland part: to prevent one from going around the border by land. As for the water part of the border, there is already a radar system, there are also ships and airplanes operating as a unified system controlling the situation in this region.
Now we have started equipping the border that goes along Kazakhstan’s territory. At the end of this year we are going to construct 38 border complexes. In practice, construction has already begun on 20 sites and there will be another 18.
And according to your order we are working actively to form a coast guard. This complex includes operative and technological forces and facilities, ships and boats intended for ensuring safety in the sea and against the threats that exist along the water part of the border. First and foremost, these threats consist in cross border crime, drug smuggling, trafficking of weapons and people. According to international and Russian estimations, about 30 percent of all illegal activities take place in this sphere.
Vladimir Putin: And how is financing and equipping the water part of the border proceeding?
Vladimir Pronichev: Concerning the northern Caucasus, in practice financing has been elaborated and confirmed. According to the decisions you made, the financing is being implemented completely, in full, and we will finish construction.
Vladimir Putin: And you don’t have any demands.
Vladimir Pronichev: I do not have any requests, everything is in order.
And now with respect to the Kazakhstan border. There is a federal target programme to equip the border. In practice financing is also proceeding stage by stage, and the plan is being fully realised.
With respect to constructing the coast guard. We have now proceeded in two directions: equipping the parts of the land border that require a coast guard, and these are included in the federal target programme and in accordance with the actions of the Economic Development Ministry and the Finance Ministry. With respect to constructing a fleet, we are involving our industry and science. We held two major conferences and laid the groundwork for projects that are necessary for us. We will proceed according to the weapons programme that has also been confirmed and is being studied in relation to constructing a coast guard.
For that reason, in practice, today we have considered everything with respect to developing the border guard services.
Vladimir Putin: Some of our partners have asked us to provide them with assistance in constructing and equipping their borders. You have involved quite a few enterprises and research centres in this project. About how many?
Vladimir Pronichev: We have requisitioned 57 research and production centres in the initial stages of establishing technical means to protect the border. Modern, scientific and industrial possibilities have been implicated in this.
Vladimir Putin: In other words, we can use them for military and technological cooperation?
Vladimir Pronichev: That’s right. We just literally returned from a meeting with the leaders of the coast guards of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, namely from the USA, China, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
It was quite a serious meeting. Within that forum our information system that operates within this region was officially accepted as equipment. This is our software, it is a completely closed system, and it is used both for bilateral cooperation as well as for multilateral cooperation. In particular, this system was used to save our sailors by South Koreans and it worked in real time.
Vladimir Putin: Perfect. And now let’s talk about biological resources in the water.
Vladimir Pronichev: About biological water resources. We are working actively with the Agriculture Ministry as well as other ministries and departments who are interested in this and, of course, with our law enforcement agencies as well.
What is being done. Today we have determined that it is necessary to bring order to the legal basis and to decide exactly what we need. With respect to production, then the Agriculture Ministry incurs this responsibility. In part, this refers to ensuring law enforcement – and in accordance with your decision this is incumbent on the border guard services. We are proceeding from this basis and constructing a coast guard that is also based on the principle of preserving our biological resources.
Unfortunately, this issue is not only related to security operations, this is undoubtedly also an economic issue. It is necessary to create jobs, treatment plants and technology to interest local authorities in self-government and, undoubtedly, producers as well, so that they preserve biological resources on location.
Wherever is this already occurring we are seeing success in cooperation. In particular, we are actively working together with fishery representatives who catch crab in the Barents sea. They are interested and already fight against poachers better than border guards do. This is because they are interested in having the biological resources increase, so that more can be produced and that there would be even more reproduction.
Vladimir Putin: As far as I know, you developed a programme for special vessels and are ready to order them for our industry. What stage is this work in? Here too, all is contingent on financing. How is your dialogue with the government proceeding?
Vladimir Pronichev: It is true that this direction exists. The situation is developing as follows: previously each ministry and department that used the waters of the Russian Federation in practice created their own fleet. I am referring to the Transport Ministry, to the Natural Resources Ministry, to the Ministry of Emergencies and so on.
And now, considering that the border guards are constantly ready for action, they have taken the responsibility for a part of these functions upon themselves, in particular rescue at sea, ice investigation and other functions and tasks. This will allow us to minimize the expenses of other ministries and departments, to save and then create a fleet that would be unified and well able to accomplish these functions.
These vessels have already been ordered in our shipyards in Kaliningrad and in St Petersburg. We can also reequip old vessels that we had previously but we are now receiving new navigating equipment in our shipyards. Along with this we are installing helicopters on them and modern technological equipment, that will carry on an active investigation and give the corresponding information to the interested ministries and departments.
Vladimir Putin: Are you coordinating this with the government?
Vladimir Pronichev: Yes, we are coordinating this with the government and with the Defense Ministry. The corresponding sessions of the State Border Commission have taken place and all has been reported. So this process is proceeding under the aegis of our Government.