The Russian government must gradually terminate the measures it introduced to boost the economy during the international financial crisis, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.
"State support using the previous advantageous terms cannot be provided for a long time," Medvedev said during his 2010 draft budget speech to the government.
The main part of the 2012 budget must consist of long-term state programs, he said.
"The government should not replace the private sector or choose perspective spheres of development for it," Medvedev said, adding: "The preferred form of [state] support should be co-financing of projects or the promotion of any activities that contribute to modernization within a state-private partnership," Medvedev said.
The president added that within three years Russia must take multifaceted measures for the development of innovations including those ensuring macroeconomic stability, protecting competition and property rights as well as eliminating administrative barriers.
He said innovation projects should mainly concern energy efficiency projects, telecommunications, information technologies as well as medical equipment and pharmaceutics.
The president said these innovation projects would be included in the activity of the Russian Research hub Skolkovo that is to focus on five main areas: energy, information technologies, communication, biomedical research and nuclear technologies.
Medvedev, who seeks to diversify the Russian economy by reducing its dependence on oil and gas exports, has made developing hi-tech sectors and encouraging research the focal point of his economic agenda.
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti)
