Kremlin expert speaks about change of power

The head of the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society Konstantin Kostin spoke at the All-Russian Forum "Territory of Meanings" before participants of "Young Political Scientists and Sociologists" meeting.

The expert started his speech with the topic of changing generations of power. "For some reason, everyone is afraid to talk about it, but there is nothing special here," he said. In 10-15 years, power in Russia will change completely. This will trigger the inevitable change of politicians and the current economic model. "Today, a half of the Russian economy depends on oil exports. Therefore, our well-being is under pressure and in danger. Therefore, we must understand that we can produce and whether others will be willing to buy this product all over the world," he said.

"The US introduces sanctions against Russia so easily because we have a minimum turnover with the States  only $40 billion. We need to learn to produce something unique, something competitive to change this, and we have to understand in which sectors we are strong indeed," Konstantin Kostin said.

The head of the FRGO drew attention to our space and energy technologies, but, in his opinion, it is necessary to strive to make this product more applicable and marketing-attractive.

Russia's second most important objective is to develop its own territories. The expert had in mind the need to balance out economic and social levels between different regions of the country. This is a serious challenge, because Russia is surrounded by the countries that are either densely populated, or have a higher standard of living, or both. "In Russia, people should feel comfortable in every city. This is a highly important goal that the Russian authorities need to resolve in the nearest 10-15 years, he said.

As for the funds for such large-scale reforms, Mr. Kostin suggested correcting ineffective management systems. Kostin referred to the example of the Popular Front, which saved nearly 230 billion ruble for the Russian budget by canceling inefficient purchases.

Speaking about the rejuvenation of the country's political elites, Kostin noted that one should pursue one simple goal - to improve the quality of public administration.

Konstantin Kostin summed up his statement by saying that "everything rests on people", namely, the standard of living, well-being and, in principle, adequate life of people in the country is the main priority of the state. He referred to the experience that the nation had to endure during the turbulent 1990s, when Putin came to power and built a whole new system of power, in which entrepreneurs could continue developing their businesses, but they would have to invest in the development of the country too.