President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Dear comrades, I have taken a number of personnel decisions.
Yury Baluyevsky will be transferred to another position. He will work as Deputy Secretary of the Security Council. I would like to thank Yury Nikolaevich for the hard work he has done to improve the Armed Forces. A great deal has been done and this experience will be relevant in his new position.
At the same time I would like to inform you that I signed a decree awarding Yury Baluyevsky the order For Services to the Fatherland II degree.
I received a proposal from the Minister of Defence concerning the appointment of a new
First Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of General Staff. I examined these proposals and I endorse them. The new Chief of Staff will be Nikolai Yegorovich Makarov. These are the decisions I have taken.
Colleagues, please go ahead.
Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov: I think that Nikolai Yegorovich Makarov has come a long way from being a platoon commander to Deputy Defence Minister and Director of Armaments. In all previous positions he has proved himself to be a proactive, knowledgeable and skilled expert and leader. I think that he will be able to handle all the challenges that come his way.
Dmitry Medvedev (speaking to Nikolai Makarov): You will have to deal with a lot of issues in tandem with the Security Council, including with Yury Nikolaevich.
Nikolai Makarov: Comrade Commander-in-Chief, I understand the responsibility that your decree implies. You have set out and confirmed the tasks currently facing the Armed Forces and, in particular, concerning their future development. These tasks are clear and understandable to us and we will solve them together with the Minister of Defence.
Yury Baluyevsky: Comrade Commander-in-Chief, four years ago, on July 19, 2004, I was appointed to this position. In 2005 momentous decisions concerning the Russian military were taken. The majority of the decisions taken have been implemented during these four years. I will continue to work in my new position as I did in the former.
Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you once again for your work, Yury Nikolaevich. Let's now all work together.