President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Good morning, dear colleagues!
I have invited you here to do more than just wish you a happy new year. You yourselves know that the times we are living in are hard, and understand what kind of difficulties we are undergoing. And despite the fact that, in my opinion, the government is taking fairly active and serious measures to counteract the financial and economic crisis, it is always imperative to listen to different points of view: the views of the experts, and those of the business community. Today, I would like for you to openly tell me what you think are the correct ways to react in this situation: what you think has been done well, what can be intensified, and what other measures must be taken. After hearing your suggestions, I will be making my decisions. I am not certain that I will agree with you on everything, but at the very least, I will hear you out.
That is all that I wanted to say at the beginning.