Transfer of capital of Far East to Vladivostok would promote staff renewal in state service - presidential envoy
BLAGOVESHCHENSK. Oct 19 (Interfax) - The transfer of the administrative capital of the Far Eastern Federal District from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok would allow managers to be rotated, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said.
"It seems to me that a certain renewal of administration officials is not a bad thing. People get used to being bosses. We will select new people, talented ones, without affiliated ties," Trutnev told reporters in Blagoveshchensk on Friday when asked about the transfer of the capital from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok.
Far East Development Minister Alexander Kozlov, whom Trutnev earlier ordered to submit to the country's administration a plan for transferring the capital of the district to Vladivostok by December 1, said it is possible that now is the time to revise some of the decisions made several years ago.
"None of the regions we are discussing stands still. Primorye is now rapidly developing with investment projects, the Eastern Economic Forum, and its investment appeal. They probably have a right to say that the decisions made earlier need to be revised," Kozlov said.
Asked how convenient it will be for people from the Far East to get to federal agencies in Vladivostok, Kozlov said the problem of transport accessibility in the district is now under special control.
"If the president supports this decision, the centers of the federal agencies will be transferred. I believe a decision will be made on aviation transportation, among other things. This issue is now under special control, and it's not just about travel to Khabarovsk or Vladivostok. You see, a decision has been made on additional subsidies for concessional flight tickets," the minister said.
Primorye's acting governor Oleg Kozhemyako said in early October that the capital of the Far East should be transferred from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok, arguing that there are many reasons to do so: Vladivostok hosts the Eastern Economic Forum, which is attended by heads of state, and the projects that are now the main drivers of growth in the entire Far East were launched in Vladivostok, he said.
The proposal is opposed by Khabarovsk Territory Governor Sergei Furgal and Khabarovsk Mayor Sergei Kravchuk.