To the 21st century - with confidence

Dear deputies of the National Council, honorary guests,

As a usual tradition, today I am reporting to you and to the whole republic about the work done during the last year, about the main tasks for the current year, on achievements and relevant problems, and priorities of socioeconomic development of Chuvashia.

I must confess that working over Speeches, each time I feel a disbalance between the positive and the negative. "Topic of the day" is constantly dominant over the light of freedom that we have gained recently. Our common historical optimism is unable to dissolve the drama and even the tragedy of everyday life of many our compatriots.

Whatever positive results we have achieved in the development of market, realization of certain economic projects, they are so far unable to overshadow an impoverishment of a considerable part of the population, and numerous social groups. One of the most important tasks of power bodies under such conditions is a fundamental transformation of the society by democratic and progressive ways. And it is necessary to do it through harmonization and humanization of public life and the power itself. To achieve these aims, today together with you we solve an extensive historical problem, that includes a breakup of the settled political psychology and social stereotypes, "cultivation" and escalation of the legal and political culture of democracy, assertion of liberal traditions, and change of the role of law and state. Certainly, these processes will take decades. They will require the participation of generations.

Dear deputies and guests,

One can analyse the results of 1999 in three basic directions: economic, social, and political. Concrete figures and facts show that Chuvashia has been developing confidently. It strengthened economically, became more intense socially, improved politically at the republican level, and received additional recognition both in Russia and in the world. Last year there were qualitative positive changes in the economy. Growth of production and investments in the basic branches, creation of preconditions for the further development of the real sector of economy and social sphere are appreciable results of the year. In industry the index of volume of production made 108.6 percent. Revival of economic activity and the growth of solvent demand connected with it were accompanied by the improvement of parameters of the financial state of enterprises, about 66 percent of which finished the fiscal year with a profit.

This year, we forecast a growth of industrial production for 2-5 percent, while increasing the investment activity and decreasing the number of unprofitable enterprises. And here I put a maximum task before the Government and leaders of production: to ensure the growth not less than 5 percent. In 1999, the state support of agricultural enterprises as before was one of the most important directions of work of the Cabinet of Ministers. The volumes of financing of expenditures from the budgets of Chuvash Republic made about 150 million rubles. Besides, agricultural commodity producers and enterprises of the processing industry received almost 40 million rubles on favourable terms from the special fund for crediting. Under unfavourable weather conditions the productivity of vegetables and hops exceeded the level of the previous year. Agrotechnical measures were duly carried out for the crop of 2000. Positive tendencies in poultry are visible. As of 1 January 2000, the total amount of poultry population in comparison with the previous year increased for more than 23 percent, production of chicken - for 40 percent, that of eggs - for 13 percent. The gain in construction of habitation (for 17.1 percent), motorways (2.5 times), gas distributing networks is kept growing.

In order to improve further the housing conditions of citizens and formation of the system of long-term crediting, the Decree of the President of the Republic "On perfection of the forms and conditions for rendering state support to citizens in construction and purchase of habitation" is realized, the Republican target housing bonds were issued. All this testifies the serious and systematic work of the Cabinet of Ministers over the fulfilment of programme tasks put by the President in the mentioned areas. Measures were taken by the republican power bodies to create a steady profitable basis, to make timely settlements in the branches of economy.

In 1999, incomes more than three billion rubles were mobilized to the consolidated budget of Chuvash Republic, this making 110 percent to the annual forecast. The expenditure part of the consolidated budget of Chuvash Republic was practically financed for 110 percent to the planned volumes too. From the federal budget we received transfers worth 561 million rubles, i.e. 2.1 times more than in 1998. Besides, almost 250 million rubles were attracted - almost twice more than in 1998 - for realization of the federal programmes and non-programme directions.

The state power and local self-government bodies carried out an active social policy. More than half (52 percent) of budget expenditures of all levels of the republic were directed to the maintenance and development of the sociocultural sphere. We practically managed to liquidate debts on wages to the budget sphere workers, and we were one of the first in Russia to pay off the debts to all pensioners as recently as last August. The problems of uninterrupted supply of organizations and population with fuel and energy in the autumn-winter period of 1999/2000 were solved in the priority order. It’s substantially important that there was no increase of debts for the consumed natural gas. At the same time in a number of directions the results of the work turned out to be lower than it had been expected. The crisis of non-payments is being surmounted slowly. The creditor debts are substantially higher than accounts receivable. Out of 54 enterprises, which had the tasks and the coordinated volumes of production for 1999, 22 enterprises were not equal to the obligations at hand. Enterprises of Kanash and seven districts of the republic reduced the output of industrial products (in comparable prices). In agriculture it was not possible to overcome the recession of cattle-breeding production. Production of meat in 1999 decreased for 5.1 percent, that of milk - for 10.8 percent. Debts on payment of monthly allowances to children are reduced slowly, as of January 1, 2000 these debts made more than 100 million rubles (5 months).

To solve these problems the Government has elaborated corresponding programmes and forecast parameters of economic development of the republic in 2000 and for the period till 2002. Continuation of the policy directed to realization of the Speech made by the President in 1999 - policy supported by own strength - is in the basis of development of the republic. We can speak as the result achieved regarding parameters of financial reliability - the republic is steadily among the first ten out of 89 constituent entities of Russia. Chuvashia, though not having traditional Russian natural resources, confidently advances to the number of the most favourable regions of Russia both in increase of investment attractiveness, and in decrease of investment risks. If in 1998 we were on the 45th place, based on the results of 1999 we are already on the 16th place. Russian and foreign experts indicate this as a phenomenon of manifestation of qualification and professionalism of the personnel and stability in policy. For us the trust of investors is an essential, irreplaceable capital for development of the economy and the budget potential. Thanks to measures on the improvement of finances taken by the Government of Chuvash Republic, Chuvashia was included in the number of six regions of the Russian Federation as a winner of the programme for development of the regional finances implemented by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. A large work was carried out on formation of the real budget of the republic. Due to understanding and responsibility of the majority of deputies of the National Council, the republic entered the new year with the approved budget - the main financial document. As it is known, this is one of the attributes of the social stability of the region, making Chuvashia a reliable and attractive partner.

The year of 1999 was characteristic for the bank system of Chuvash Republic by increase of reliability of credit organizations. The trust of creditors is being restored. The volume of bank operations is increasing. The growth of currency balances of credit organizations made 84 percent. The amount of unprofitable banks was reduced from five to one. The volume of clearing settlements made by credit organizations, settlement-cash centres of the republic, as well as clients served by them has grown. The payment turnover exceeded the similar parameter of 1998 three times.

Last year, a new industry - “mining” industry - began functioning in Chuvash Republic. It has arisen with the beginning of work on the deposit of construction gypsum in Poretskii district, that stipulates attraction of about 600 million rubles of private investments; as the result of utilization of which this district is to become a non-subsidized one. The volume of prospecting works carried out in the republic was never so large as it is now. In 1999, they were financed for 15 million rubles, including those received from the federal budget - 13.5 million rubles that made, by the way, 200 percent to the level of 1998. This is the result of active personal work with the leadership of the federal government, and it is connected, not in the last turn, with working visits of federal ministers to Chuvash Republic.

For the first time, a museum of geology - one of the best in the Volga-Vyatka region - was organized in Chuvashia, where more than 3,500 exhibits of rocks and minerals found on the territory of Russia and foreign countries are displayed. We are once again convinced that arrangement of professional qualified cooperation of Chuvashia with the rest of the world is a huge capital for economic development of the republic. And in this sense, we are consistently and professionally, with responsibility implementing the expectations of Mikhail Sespel, who at the beginning of the century dreamed of independent and powerful Chuvash Republic that is capable to win the world space. Establishment of foreign economic ties of enterprises is an expressive indicator of the development of the republic and its joining the world integration process. Now, such relations have been established with 54 countries. Germany, Japan, Canada, China, Luxembourg, Austria, France, Finland, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Moldova, and Turkmenistan are the basic trade partners of the republic. Export to distant foreign countries has increased.

Last year, Chuvashia continued confidently winning Russia under new market conditions. A constantly working exhibition of commodity producers of Chuvashia was opened in Tyumen. In Moscow, a trade pavilion "Rainbow of Chuvashia" was opened, where products of national craftsmen are displayed. At requests of agricultural commodity producers, fairs for peasants and craftsmen of Chuvashia are regularly held in Moscow. We should only strengthen this policy.

Last year, the Government was actively working on widening the horizontal ties of enterprises. With this purpose it signed agreements on cooperation and arrangements were achieved on business interaction with the governments of republics of Sakha (Yakutia), Komi, and Mordovia, with the administrations of Khanty-Mansiyskii autonomous okrug, Saratov region, as well as with big automobile factories of Russia - "GAZ", "ZiL", and "Moskvich". Agreements with the governments of Moscow, with the administrations of Nizhnii Novgorod and Samara regions, Yamalo-Nenetskii autonomous okrug, joint-stock company "AutoVAZ" are being realized. Within the framework of cooperation of the republican enterprises with the partners from the above mentioned regions of Russia, only last year additional agreements were concluded for more than 200 million rubles. These are new workplaces, additional tax receipts in the budgets of towns and districts of the republic.

The other day, we signed very important agreements with the biggest company in the world “Norilskii nickel” and Kemerovo region, this undoubtedly will bring a great benefit to the population of the republic. The past year has become a year of productive work for many enterprises. I shall cite only a few examples. In the "Promtractor" Jsc a new, lighter, tractor Ò-15-01 for mining industries was assembled, it is now successfully passing tests under the conditions of Extreme North. So, a new bulldozer of average class Ò-20-01 is successfully passing its operational test in Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

By the way, in 1999 this enterprise made 1.5 times more industrial tractors and bulldozers than previous year. The first stage of joint cooperation of the "Khimprom" Jsc and "Dupont" company from the USA is completed. An industrial building and a line for packaging of herbicides were put into operation. The volume of investments of this stage made US $2.5 million. Expected volumes of the investments of the second stage are US $3 million. The Shumerlya factory of special automobiles Jsc together with the American company "Carrier" manufactured the first 70 units for transportation of perishables. Despite difficulties, many enterprises are carrying out technical reequipment. Among them there are "Chuvashcable", Cheboxary instrument making plant “Elara” joint-stock companies, Vurnarskii factory of mixed preparations and others. After replacement of directors, the activity of the "Electropribor" and “Electroautomat” joint-stock companies from Alatyr was improved. This proves once again that we cannot do without strengthening the administrative personnel of leading enterprises.

Achievement of positive results in the work of the industrial complex allows us to carry out state address support. The decisions taken by the Government give the right to a number of enterprises to use their currency proceeds for replenishing their turnover means. The privileges in property taxes were given to many enterprises - Cheboxary cotton mill, "Pike", "Khimprom", and "Promtractor" jonit-stock companies. A guarantee was given to Cheboxary instrument making plant “Elara” Jsc for the investment credit worth US $5.5 million with the purpose to expand production of autoelectronic articles. A credit worth four million rubles was allocated to Novocheboxarsk factory "Pike" Jsc under the guarantee of the Government for purchase of cotton. A loan worth three million rubles was allocated to the Cheboxary cotton mill from the budget of the republic. This allowed these enterprises to increase processing of cotton and to receive a profit by the results of the year for about 18 million rubles.

The republic’s pride is the fact that we managed to preserve, unlike many constituent entities of Russia, the potential of construction industry, first of all in the sphere of housing construction. The “Habitation” programme is under permanent control of the President and the Government. A special attention is paid to construction of social habitation distributed, as it was earlier, free of charge, or under privileged conditions to the people who are waiting for their turn to get a dwelling. That’s why it was not by chance that the Government of Russia conducted the all-Russian conference to scrutinize both the experience gained by our construction organizations, and the programme of activity of the state power bodies in this direction.

A task for increasing the housing construction volumes is put for 2000, by introduction of the system of hypothec crediting included. From the republican budget 50 million rubles were allocated for these purposes, with the subsequent increase of the financial help. I’m glad that leading banks of Russia are willing and ready for participation in the housing hypothec crediting. The support of hypothec policy of Chuvashia is a subject of special interest of the acting President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who is actively supporting our work in this respect.

In 1999, next stage of gasification of Chuvash Republic came to an end - all districts and towns will be supplied with natural gas after completion of the constructing a high-pressure gas pipeline-outlet from Komsomolskii to Batyrevskii district. More than 500 km of distributive gas networks were put into operation, that is higher than the level of 1998. In total, more than 12,000 houses and flats were gasified, growth for one year is 5 percent, more than 5,000 houses in the countryside included, growth is more than 17 percent. The gasification programme for 2000 stipulates putting into operation of even more gas distributive networks, to gasify even more houses and flats, than in 1999. We are planning to finish construction of an automatic gas distributing station and gas pipelines-outlets up to Batyrevo, and the village of Pervoye Stepanovo in Tsivilskii district and to lay a gas pipeline-outlet in the village of Yalchiki.

Last year, we put into operation a highway Shumerlya-Novaty with a pontoon ferry over the Sura river, that connects the Nizhnii Novgorod region and Chuvashia. We constructed a part of the federal motorway Tyurlema-Pokrovka that connects Republic of Tatarstan and Chuvash Republic and solved the problem that had been tormenting thousands of people within many, many decades. Five km of the federal motorway "Vyatka", more than three km of a part of the motorway Cheboxary-Saransk were constructed, the construction of five bridge transitions was completed. All in all, more than 200 km of roads were constructed and repaired last year. The programme of 2000 stipulates allocation of more finances than it was last year, for construction of automobile roads. This will permit mainly to finish the construction of a new direction of the road around Cheboxary and Novocheboxarsk, allowing to optimize the long-distance motor transportation flow, to substantially change for the better not only the transport problem itself, but the ecological situation in these two towns. We plan to solve thus another "historical" road problem by autumn of 2000.

Last year was unfavourable in weather conditions for farming. Nevertheless it was possible to expand the areas of highly effective crops of potato, vegetables, hemp, plantations of hop, soya and rape. Highly effective technologies and new heavy-producing grades were introduced, this allowed to take the second place in the Volga-Vyatka economic region in production of grain and leguminous crops. The production of milk in the republic has become profitable for the first time during the last years. Losses from production of beef and pork have appreciablly decreased. The policy of state support of agricultural commodity producers should be stepped up, on the one hand, and to be streamlined, on the other.

A special attention is to be paid to the projects directed to increase the fertility of soil, development of hop-growing, animal husbandry, fish breeding, and social reorganization of the village. In agriculture it is also necessary to take care of perfection of the selection-pedigree work, preservation of genofund of valuable pedigreed animals, introduction of progressive technologies and machines, manufacture of agricultural machinery by the enterprises of the republic, of cultivating heavy-producing grades, development of agroservice, increase of leasing operations, and provision of cattle-growing with qualitative fodder. But it is high time to put management of agricultural enterprises in order.

The objective analysis and on-site study of affairs carried out by international experts (specialists of the European Union from the Netherlands Economic Institute worked in our republic) show that if we put the system of accounting and control of agricultural enterprises (in bookkeeping and other services) in an elementary order, strengthen discipline at the production site, if we put an end to drunkenness and thefts, the number of profitable enterprises will increase thrice, and the wages of peasants will increase twice. I want to ask, peasants and leaders of enterprises know about this, don’t they? Or maybe they simply don’t want to admit their sins and mistakes?

Instead of complaining of the power bodies, looking for the guilty people in other places, it is necessary first of all to put everything in order in your heads and enterprises. Many “enemies” are inside the enterprises themselves, in their own collectives, in the way of life and behaviour of the people. Let’s begin putting everything in order from that place. This will not require money, but, vice versa, will help to find additional financial resources for development of the countryside and agriculture, by the way, a lot of resources. But for this it is necessary to admit the truth, be it unpleasant and “non-patriotic”. What is the reason? It’s a rhetorical question. And the answer is obvious. Because the farmers themselves can name hundreds of farms, where there is theft at all levels, and where drunkenness is a usual thing for both the farm leaders, and the farmers.

Despite our numerous efforts to support agriculture, unless we eradicate this evil in specific farms, our endeavours will not end in proper results. All of us, who are sitting here, especially heads and deputies from rural districts, should raise the collectives, and the public for radical solving of these problems. The external mechanisms and instruments to influence these processes should be putting in order and granting guarantees for rational use of deficient land resources of the republic, with the help of the Law “On land” included, the draft of which was introduced by me to the National Council for consideration on February 24. Increase of material well-being of the population of the republic is the priority purpose of our policy.

But I have to draw your attention to the fact that, discussing this topic, including within the walls of the National Council, there is a lot of lie. But for practical solving of this problem, we need truth. Let's discuss this responsible topic not by language of demagogy and slogans, but by language of facts and only facts. So, late January 2000, the Government of the Russian Federation officially informed that debts on wages to the workers of organizations of budget sphere in Mordovia were more than four months, in Kalmykia - more than six months, in Republic of Altai - more than 9 months...

Tens of regions of the Russian Federation had debts on wages in 3-5 and more months. It was possible for us, as you know, not only to pay off the debts on wages, but also to pass a special Decree of the President of January 22 this year on advance increase of wages and money incomes of the workers of budget sphere up to 25 percent additionally. By the way, unlike the federal standards, we stipulated an increase of salary to separate categories of budget workers already from February. That is, if in Russia they promise to increase wages for 20 percent from April 1, we, in Chuvashia, began this work from February 1, and from April 1 the salary will be increased for 20 percent. It is clear that to make this it is extremely difficult under the conditions of the subsidized republic. Maximum efforts are necessary for the ministers and self-government bodies. We have to find about 180 million rubles of additional resources. The salary of budget workers is the sphere of direct responsibility of the state bodies. However, I believe that it is important today to pay attention to the problem of payment of wages at the enterprises and organizations of all branches of the national economy, too. The statistics here is very depressive.

That’s why I demand that the Government should not only keep an eye on this process, but it also should interfere in it. I am putting this question firmly - those enterprises and organizations, where there is a delay in payment of wages to their workers, will not get a state support, and we shall take radical measures regarding their leadership. We are obliged to keep the positive tendencies in protection of material well-being of the population. For this purpose, by the way, the Government should prepare and present a draft Law on the consumer basket for the population of the republic.

Dear deputies,

I have a simple question to you. It is interesting, who knows: what place did Chuvashia occupy in Russia on medium-per capita incomes in the Soviet time, let it be 1985? The data of the statistics checked up then by the Central Committee and the Chuvash regional committee of the CPSU testify: the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1985 took the 70th place in the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic (the same "honorary" place took Chuvashia in 1980). At those times there were 74 constituent entities in Russia, i.e. Soviet Chuvashia in Soviet Russia took the 5th place among the poorest regions. Facts are stubborn things. The standard of living of our neighbours in this respect was as follows: Republic of Marii El took the 66th place, Republic of Mordovia - the 62nd, Kirov region - the 41st, Nizhniy Novgorod region - the 22nd place. The same State committee on statistics testifies: in 1990 Chuvashia from the 70th place passed to the 71st place on medium-per capita incomes, i.e. the people of Chuvashia lowered to the 4th place in poverty. Then the Chuvash regional committee of the Communist party did not tell anything to anybody - this information was secret. The data were adduced only in the inner circles. The party censorship ruled with an iron hand. In 1994, there were already 89 constituent entities in the Russian Federation.

For the first time in its history, Chuvashia took the 69th place (having outstripped Republic of Marii El), leaving the last five and the last ten poor regions. In 1995, Chuvashia took again the 69th place, having outstripped both Mordovia which was the 71st, and Marii El which was the 74th. In 1996-97, we confirmed the policy of active protection of the standard of living of the population, basically preserving the gained positions. In 1998, however, not only because of the August 17 events, but as a result of spending time mainly on imitation of activity by certain people, the atmosphere of intrigues and suspicion spreaded among the personnel of the republican power bodies, we fell to the 82nd place in the Russian Federation, i.e. we took the 8th place from the end (but not the 4th as it was in 1990). Since the end of 1998, the Government of Chuvash Republic has been working according to the plan of anticrisis measures and began correcting the mistakes made by the federal centre and by us, that allowed the republic to climb up first to the 80th and then to the 70th places.

I want to tell you: if we really like Chuvashia, if we are genuine patriots of Chuvashia, we must tell objectively and honestly about the real place of the republic in the Russian Federation. I am drawing the attention of active “oppositioners”, speaking from high rostrums of the people’s well-being and angrily crying out about the advantages of other times: you may analyse the whole Soviet period and you will see: Soviet Chuvashia in Soviet Russia always took places among the last five regions of Russia and essentially gave up as per the incomes of the population and the standard of living to all neighbours, including republics of Marii El and Mordovia.

By the way, it is known to all really educated economists and honest people. It was so in the Soviet time. It is known that there was a stereotype in the consciousness of Soviet people that a sign of well-being of a person was availability of a car. And in the epoch of developed socialism a car was considered not only as a means of movement as under capitalism, but as an object of luxury and envy. That’s why, speaking about the standard of living of the population, I’m once again drawing your attention to such a parameter, as criterion of providing the citizens with cars. It is not a secret that Chuvashia took in Soviet Russia the last places among the regions of Russia in supplying with automobiles. In 1985, in Chuvash Republic for 1,000 persons there were 19 automobiles, in Mordovia - 28, in Marii El this figure was even more - 29, that is our neighbours’ parameters in this respect were above ours more than 50 percent. Today, we can state that it was in Chuvash Republic that the highest rate of growth in the number of automobiles in the personal property took place in recent years (almost three times). We practically approached our neighbours in the level of supply with automobiles.

Dear deputies,

In 1999, deposits of private individuals in banks increased for more than 60 percent and made more than one billion rubles. The real money incomes of the population in December 1999 in comparison with those in December 1998 increased for 10.8 percent. And the beginning of 2000 allows us to make a conclusion that the republic preserves the tendency of increase of money incomes and purchasing power of the population. It is important for our policy that we managed to ensure a satisfactory functioning of the republic’s social sphere, to render a greatest possible support to the unprotected categories of the population under the conditions of our realities.

Last year, the level of payments of the citizens for the received housing-municipal services made about 50 percent, though the republican standard was 60 percent. The share of payment for housing-municipal services in medium-per capita income of the population of the republic made about 6 percent - at the maximum permissible share of 15 percent established by the federal standards. You see, what efforts are being undertaken to make the standards of payment minimal, and the state support of the population of the republic in the sphere of housing-municipal services - maximal. The transition to the new system of payment for habitation and municipal services in the republic is being carried out using the obligatory measures of social protection of small-income layers of the population.

According to my Decree, grants are given to the citizens who are in need. Last year, more than 23,000 families received grants for about 12 million rubles. We must always remember the proverb: “Respect the elderly people - you will become old too”. Last year passed under the banner of increase of the attention to the problems of elderly people, and strengthening of solidarity of generations. More than 248,000 persons enjoy the rights and privileges of veterans in the republic - 93 percent of pensioners by age and by virtue of long service, 205,000 veterans of labour included. 1999 was remarkable for the opening of new social service institutions. The first part of the Cheboxary prosthetic-orthopedic enterprise was put into operation allowing to let out 1,200 artificial limbs and as many pairs of orthopedic footwear annually. With the start-up of this enterprise, the situation on rendering of prosthetic-orthopedic help was considerably improved in the republic.

Last year, five more rural houses for veterans were opened. Totally as of today, eight republican and 66 municipal houses for veterans, six special houses for social use, 32 centres of social service were opened, and 74 houses - during the last six years. They practically meet the requirements of the republic in servicing all those people, who need constant outside assistance. This year we are celebrating the 55th anniversary of our Great Victory. Power bodies of all levels ought to pay personal attention and render continuous support to each participant and veteran of the Great Patriotic War. I am underlying the fact that the priority tasks both for the Government of Chuvash Republic and the power bodies of all levels in the field of social protection of the population are as follows: development of the service system for socially-vulnerable groups of the population, strengthening of address support, and complete paying off debts on allowances for children already this year.

A large work was carried out in 1999 in the sphere of education. You remember, how much the deputy minister of education of Russia was surprised, reporting at the August pedagogical meeting, when she compared the situation in Chuvashia on the background of other regions of Russia, where there were delays in salary payment for more than six-nine months, and in some of them during the last two years no school was built.

Last year, we put into operation 12 new educational facilities. In 2000, we stipulate to put into operation ten more general educational institutions. Among them there are especially priority ones - schools under construction - they are under my personal control. These are schools in Tyurlema, Urmary, Zavolzhskaya in Sosnovka, and Sur-Maidanskaya in Alatyrskii district. Activity of our policy in the sphere of education was estimated at the federal and international levels. We have a real chance to receive considerable financial support from the World Bank - as grants to the participants of the international competition, first of all, for support of rural schools and vocational education. In order to make leavers of these educational establishments more competitive, it is necessary to create there conditions for maximum meeting of cognitive requirements of pupils according to their opportunities and individual features. The growing generation should be responsible and treat seriously the statement of elders: “Study while you are young, you will need it when you are old”. But in our century - the century of intensive computerization and supermodern technologies - it sounds even more relevant. The optimum system of education must ensure a continuous education, a flexible efficient reaction to changes occurring at the labour market. And we must foster in young people patriotism, respect for adults, and wish to preserve national traditions and customs.

Health is wealth, there is such a proverb. In recent years we have not liquidated any establishment of public health, on the contrary, we have commissioned 31 new facilities (15 - in the countryside), have created more than 1,000 workplaces. Only in 1999, an in-patient building of the Republican antitubercular dispensary for 120 beds, the Republican children stomatological polyclinics for 150 visits, a medical centre for children in the city of Cheboxary for 180 beds, a district hospital in Kzyl-Chishma (Batyrevskii district) for 35 beds were put into operation. In recent years, great efforts were directed to establishment of the modern treatment & diagnostic basis of public health. Commissioning of a number of big centres (diagnostical, cardiosurgical, hemodialytic, the “Family” centre) allows the population of the republic to make such expensive (for the budget of the republic) examinations as magnetic-resonance tomography, coronarography, medical-genetic consultation, immunological investigations and many others, not leaving the territory of Chuvashia. So, economy of the budget annually makes 10-12 million rubles, let alone the fact that these centres allowed to preserve what cannot be estimated financially - lives of thousands of people...

The active work in the field of public health allowed Chuvash Republic to become a pilot region of Russia in improvement of the regional model of re-structuring of public health directed to increase the efficiency of expenses, simultaneously increasing the quality of health services. Two regions of the Russian Federation - Novgorod region and Chuvash Republic - became winners in the international tender. In 2000, we shall begin realization of the project of the World Bank. The purpose of the project is assistance in reforming the republic’s public health. The volume of financing is not less than US $10 million, i.e. approximately 300 million rubles that is a powerful support in development of public health in Chuvash Republic. Such is a monetary equivalent of the positive estimation of activity of both the Government, and the Ministry of public health of Chuvash Republic during these difficult years. In the field of public health the budget is fulfilled for more than 100 percent. It was possible for us in addition, "above the plan", thanks to the active cooperation with the federal centre and signing of the trilateral Agreement between the Chuvash Republic, the Federal ministry of public health and the Fund for medical insurance of Russia, to receive 113 million rubles from the federal budget.

In federal clinics we managed to treat 42 children, instead of seven children guaranteed by the federal "quota" (these are additional 3.5 million rubles paid by Moscow). Such sums from the federal centre are quite comparable with the annual budget of the republic’s public health. The politicians, in words speaking for the interests of workers of Chuvashia, rallying for protection of public health, child- and motherhood, but trying to destroy our relations with the federal centre, do not think actually about the interests of the people. Our public health and our people would not receive hundreds of millions rubles either for protection of health, or for anything else, if we had been led by these figures. Here is the difference between our policy of business and their policy of faultfinding. It is necessary to save the people of Chuvashia from such political figures.

But there are very difficult problems, and one must not put aside their solving - these are protection of family, mother- and childhood. It is a problem of not only medical sphere.

We must always remember the words of our great enlightener Ivan Yakovlev from his Last will to the Chuvash people: “Honour the family. Keep it together. Families support the people and the state. Guard this treasure. A strong family is a bulwark against life’s adversities; a close, happy family is not afraid of them“. In the noblest deed of preservation of a family, the most significant role is played by our most beautiful and most sturdy women.

Let me take the chance: on the eve of the International women’s day - March 8 - from the bottom of my heart I congratulate all the women sitting here, and on your behalf - all our loved mothers, grandmothers, wives and sisters on the occasion of this marvellous first spring holiday. Spring and Woman are synonyms personifying awakening of all alive, the beginning and hope for life. Not by chance, they are so often praised by poets. I wish all women prosperity in the family and income in the home, optimism and confidence in tomorrow’s day, good and love. And I call upon to all men to be worthy of our women who are the best in the world.

You know that recently I have signed a special Decree on additional measures for protection of motherhood in order to create necessary conditions for improvement of health of mothers and newborns. I’ve adopted a resolution according to which pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers will be provided freely with preparations containing necessary vitamins and microelements until their children reach the age of six months. Within the framework of the complex target programme "Children of Chuvashia", 14,000 families with many children and other families from the group of social risk have received a material help for almost one million rubles. More than 3,000 children-orphans, invalids from families with many children and with one parent had a rest, received medical treatment under the free-of-charge permits in the out-of-town health improving establishments at the expense of the state. About 20,000 children, who need a special care of the state, had a course of rehabilitation in the social establishments of help to family and children. In accordance with the Republican programme for protection of health of mother and child, obstetric establishments are completely equipped with incubators for nursing newborns with small weight back to health. I am sure that the above-mentioned Decree will help to strengthen the protection of health of mothers and their children, and to implement my dream in opening of a modern perinatal centre in our republic.

As everywhere in the country, there are difficult conditions with medicinal provision of a privileged category of citizens making 30 percent of the population of the republic. The analysis of prices on medicinal preparations has shown that within 1999 the prices grew on the average for 49 percent. In this connection a serious task is the state price control over vitally necessary medicines, centralization of their purchases on the competitive basis, rationalization of the nomenclature of medicines delivered to health care facilities.

Unfortunately, the problem of personnel disbalance becomes aggravated in the system of public health of the republic. It is connected with the absence of due interaction with the Chuvash State University. Annually the Ministry of public health of Chuvash Republic gives the medical faculty of the university an order for 100 doctors. There is no need for a bigger quantity - there is no demand and opportunities to place them to job. And more than 300 doctors graduate from the university. In essence, the entrants and their parents are deceived. Already hundreds of medical workers are registered for job placement. The University ought to reconsider its policy.

The public health of the republic requires quality of the staff, instead of its amount. With the beginning of work of the Institute for improvement of doctors’ qualification, we do hope to increase the professional standard of specialists, as well as to save budget resources for other parts of the branch. The Government ought to find finances for this Institute.

But protection of health of the population is not so much a medical problem, but a problem of organization of improvement of health of the people through returning to a healthy way of life - doing physical culture, sport and tourism. In the republic there is a large physical training & sport potential. About 30,000 children and teenagers do 35 kinds of sport. In teenagers’ clubs at their residence and schools about 4,000 children are included in the organized forms of leisure. Only last year, 32 masters of sports of Russia, four masters of sport of international class were brought up in the republic. Chuvashia has never achieved such results earlier. The year of 2000 is a final stage of preparation for the 27th summer Olympic Games. 11 sportsmen of Chuvashia are included in the main structure of the national team of Russia. The preparation for participation of Chuvash sportsmen in the 27th summer Olympic Games in Sydney should be actively used for involving wide layers of the population in intensive doing physical culture and sport.

For maintaining healthy way of life as the most perspective, ensuring worthy life and a high level of well-being and comfort, it is necessary to activize the work of collectives of physical culture and sport clubs of enterprises and organizations, and educational institutions. It is necessary not only to preserve, but to develop a network of sport facilities and to find new accessible forms of physical training & health improving work with the population. Both the Government, and the state power bodies, and leaders of enterprises and organizations should create conditions for financing establishments of physical culture and sport, rendering assistance in attracting budget, non-budgetary, and tax resources.

In the struggle against criminality we managed to achieve a number of positive results. Solving of crimes increased and made more than 79 percent - the 20th place in Russia. The parameters of solving murders, causing of heavy harm to health, rapes, thefts, robberies, fraud, hooliganism, and economic crimes are better than the average Russian ones. Solving of crimes on hot pursuit has increased. For breaking the rules of turnover of alcoholic drinks more than 8,000 men were brought to administrative responsibility, about 80,000 litres of falsified alcoholic drinks and almost 70,000 litres of spirit were withdrawn, activity of 22 underground shops was stopped. However, there is a considerable increase of juvenile delinquency, and there are more crimes in the sphere of family-household relations. The number of crimes committed under the condition of alcoholic intoxication tends to grow. It is necessary for law-enforcement bodies to strengthen fight against heavy, violent, property and economic crimes, to prevent juvenile delinquency, to strengthen measures to prevent crime among persons with criminal record.

The problem of teenagers and youth is a very important and urgent theme. Very often young people entering life are disoriented. Many are disappointed, not having time to begin their lives yet. Someone begins to drink, someone runs into depression, someone “sits on the needle”. Every demagogy about that, say, now there is a freedom of choice, is very harmful, because it changes the concepts of reason and consequence, form and contents. The moral-psychological crisis, where the Russian society is nowadays, can have a more ruinous consequence on youth and teenagers, than all other crises taken together - economic, political or ecological. It is necessary to have a regular contact with young people, to use all accessible means for this contact - it is vitally important.

Parents and teachers, the President and the Government, heads of self-government bodies and deputies, chiefs of enterprises, establishments, and educational institutions are obliged to do this work. In mass media, and nowadays in the Internet it is necessary to create dialogue opportunities allowing us, the adults having a big life experience, to answer the most burning questions of young people, and they, in turn, should have an opportunity to ask what interests them. This all should enter into the system of improvement of the nation and protection of health of the population, in the broad sense of the word. Positive tendencies in the development of economy of Chuvashia had a favourable influence on the employment of the population. Employment is the most expressive parameter of effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the economic policy.

In 1999, there was no mass disengagement of workers at large and medium-sized enterprises. The number of workers who have to work short week and those having forced administrative vocations decreased in comparison with 1998 for 21 percent. A growth of the number of workers was observed in electric power, fuel, chemical and food-processing industries, in production of construction materials, housing-municipal services, in household service of the population and some other branches of the economy.

During one year we managed to introduce 3,680 new workplaces at enterprises of the republic. The greatest quantity of them was created in industries with a high level of payment of work: chemical, food, mechanical engineering, and metal working industries. The situation in the republican labour market is stabilized. The number of registered unemployed people decreased during a year for 4,500 and made 15,380 persons as of January 1, 2000. Last year it was possible to pay off completely the debts in allowances on unemployment for 1997-1998. And these days we are paying off the debts for 1999. So high rates of paying off the debts on unemployment is an achievement, for which I want to express my gratitude to everyone, who is involved in this work. One of the basic forms of temporary employment is the organisation of public work.

Realisation of urban and district programmes for development of public work allowed in 1999 to employ about 3,500 people (almost for 35 percent more in comparison with the previous year). Thus, the payment of the unemployment benefits is kept for 85 percent of those participating in public work.

The other day we signed Agreement on widening the opportunities for organisation of public work together with the Federal road fund and the Ministry of labour and social policy of Russia for 2000. Within the framework of the programme "Youth practice" on temporary students’ workplaces 343 graduates from educational institutions were placed to jobs (105 graduates were placed to job in 1998). During summer holidays almost 5,000 senior schoolchildren were engaged in temporary workplaces (almost twice more than in 1998).

In 2000, it is necessary to use economic levers in the field of tax, budget, and credit policies for creation of new workplaces. But here I’d like to draw special attention to an extremely important circumstance in our social and economic policy. Provision of employment is not only the problem of the employment department - this is a problem and duty of the Government, the National Council, self-government bodies and heads of town and district administrations in real and concrete support of enterprise. What is more, they, i.e. all of you sitting in this hall, must actively and effectively stimulate in every possible way the display and realization of business initiative of the people. The layer of individual proprietors due to the fact that they ensure self-employment, by virtue of popularity, is to play a significant role in the socioeconomic life of the republic.

Businessmen promote strengthening of market relations, increase of material well-being of the population, and guarantee the stability of the society. It is necessary to develop intensively this layer. For this it is necessary to provide with simplified access of small enterprises to industrial areas, plots of land, equipment, and informational resources. One should develop an infrastructure for sale of production at the level of a wholesale link, by practical state support it is necessary to stimulate an exit of businessmen to all-Russian and international markets. To maintain interregional enterprising contacts it is necessary to learn to use more effectively the relatively cheap modern communication systems, in particular, the Internet.

One should not allow a growth of administrative barriers. We must resolutely put the system of registration, licensing, certification, and regulation of rent relations in order, taking out these procedures from the influence of blatant bureaucrats, various forms of official extortion, and despotism of clerks. It is necessary “to uproot” such criminal manifestations from our life together with these clerks. The Government and heads of administrations are obliged urgently to make the total inventory of the state and municipal property and to report of the effectiveness of its use. As an example I can cite a small, but sufficiently significant fragment from the practice of the Cheboxary city administration.

So, in 2000 in the biggest and advantageous (by its place in the market economy) city they plan to lower the efficacy of municipal property management and, accordingly, the incomes to the budget for the inhabitants of the capital city: from the rent payment for use of the municipal property - for 30 percent; from dividends - for 25 percent; from privatization - for 80 percent. If I may say so, such “a policy”in the capital of Chuvashia cannot be explained reasonably. I can name it only as an economic sabotage. I told the head of the administration to examine his officials who are responsible for the financial-economic and property policy. At the same time hundreds and hundreds of people with initiative cannot rent or buy up free premises or those used ineffectively by the city power bodies, it takes them months and years to do so. But ignorant, lazy clerks, insolent extortionists calmly sit in the municipal offices, doing nothing, but paid salary. For such “a work” they should be fired. And there are many surprising things in this part of work in other towns and districts of the republic.

Dear heads of self-government,

I am persistently recommending you to gather together all businessmen and simply people with initiative who wish to start his/ her own business, to muster up all your courage, to listen their opinion about you, your services and clerks, and to begin correcting the situation radically. Otherwise I’ll be engaged myself in these problems, intruding into your competence as it is possible. Because we cannot tolerate the braking of economic and social development that comes from the suppression of enterprise and private business in the towns and districts of the republic. It is necessary to be engaged more actively and in a large scale in the formation of positive attitude of the society to enterprising activity as a means and a source of a well-deserved way of life.

With the purpose of state support of consumer cooperation, in 1999 the organizations of this system were granted privileges in taxation, property tax was reduced, they were exempted from payment of taxes to the road fund. It is necessary for us to continue the work begun in consumer cooperation in development of small processing production sites. It is very important for rural districts, because it allows to create new workplaces. In today’s Speech I’d like to touch upon one more important, in my opinion, theme. It is pleasant that our architects and construction workers began paying a special attention to the aesthetic quality of construction, improvement of the architectural shape of towns and villages, and revival of the historical settlements. During a short period of time, we revived and changed the historical centre of the capital of Chuvash Republic. Here the Trinity monastery, the Church of Mikhail Archangel, the Cathedral of the Assumption and other monuments of history and architecture were restored and reconstructed. Many new objects appeared that decorate the revived centre. The work on transformation of the historical part of Cheboxary has received a deserved recognition at the level of the Russian Federation. A group of specialists who participated in this work was awarded with the State prize in the field of science and technology. This year we shall finish the work on formation of the architectural ensemble of the Republic square in Cheboxary. On the place of the ancient cemetery in memory of the Spaso-Nikolskii temple and the chapel destroyed at the beginning of 1970s, a memorable Cross was erected. The construction of the church of Christmas is coming to an end.

Already by the Day of statehood the Republic square will get a new, modern and worthy appearance. Work has begun to revive one of the most beautiful towns of Chuvashia - Alatyr: the Saint-Trinity monastery has accepted a new appearance, we have activized the works on the Kievo-Nikolaev Novodevichiy convent. The works are in progress on reconstruction of other cult buildings, ancient houses and streets of the town that make an invaluable fund of the monuments of national architecture. But I want to tell you that without the inner understanding of primordeal beauty, of the orthodox origin of this town, without awareness of the necessity of mass popular support by the inhabitants of Alatyr, the President’s initiatives alone cannot design and revive this town.

The republic is actively engaged in creation of modern architectural complexes in the town of Novocheboxarsk. Erection of the Cathedral square is under way there. The town is becoming more beautiful, attractive for investors, comfortable for life of the town dwellers. Under the state control in the republic works are under way in four monasteries and 27 parish temples. The activity of our policy in this sphere allows to get additional sums from the federal budget that are directed to restoration of cultural monuments and revival of the spiritual life of Chuvashia.

Let me once again sincerely hope that the work on revival and development of towns and villages of the republic, improvement of their architectural shape, reconstruction of objects of the historical-cultural heritage will not only go on in 2000, but with each passing year, besides the state bodies and institutions and organizations responsible for this work, ordinary citizens, inhabitants of specific towns and villages of the republic will take an active part in this work, if they really want Chuvashia to revive spiritually and morally. Cultural life of the republic was enriched with bright memorable events. It is substantially important that we managed at a high level to hold such big cultural events as the international opera festival in honour of M.Mikhailov and the 3rd International ballet festival, the festival "Springs of the Volga region" that became traditional both for the inhabitants of the republic, and its guests. By the way, the last event demonstrating the wealth of talents of Russian peoples who preserved the national traditions and customs has received a status of the "Russian traditional festival of Chuvashia" under the decision of the collegium of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation. Jubilees of two poetic geniuses - the 200th anniversary of the Russian classic poet Alexandr Pushkin and the 100th anniversary of the classic of Chuvash poetry Mikhail Sespel - were celebrated in the republic widely and in an interesting manner. Signing of Agreement between the Government of Chuvashia and the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation on cooperation and unification of efforts for support and activization of cultural life became an important event of 1999.

We managed finally to make a breakthrough in another long-term construction site. The first part of the complex building of the state educational institution of culture “Chuvash republican school of culture” was put into operation. By the beginning of the next academic year the complex should already begin functioning as the Institute of culture and arts. The building of the Republican children and youth library was reconstructed. The reconstruction of the building of the Chuvash state academic drama theatre named after Konstantin Ivanov is in progress. Houses of culture were commissioned in the village of Sespel of Kanashskii district and in the village of Anyutkino of Alatyrskii district. In the plan of especially significant events in the field of culture that are to be prepared thoroughly and to be held in an interesting manner for the population of the republic in 2000 there are celebrations of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, the 80th anniversary of Chuvash Republic, and the 110th anniversary of the classic of Chuvash poetry Konstantin Ivanov. And, of course, large-scale cultural actions will be held by establishments of culture and arts in connection with the celebrations of the 55th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A museum of military glory is planned to be opened in Cheboxary.

But already today, I’d like to draw your attention once again to the necessity of creation and re-creation of class-rooms, museums, and rooms of native land’s history at the republican schools. Dear deputies and guests, In conclusion, I want to note some other timely topics having political and moral-historical significance. One of the most serious obstacles in solving the majority of problems is the personnel shortage. The slogan “The personnel solves everything!” is important for Russia as never before, and for Chuvashia, in particular. Creation of the new economy and modern Chuvashia requires transformations in the structures and processes of management. These transformations are impossible without attraction of energetic, highly-educated and qualified specialists.

During the last academic year, only according to the special state programme 43 specialists refreshed their qualification, 23 out of them had on-the-job-training abroad. By now, 48 persons have passed examinations, and the Chuvash republican institute of education continues receiving documents for a competitive selection of specialists for the realization of the State plan in training of managerial cadres for the organizations of the national economy in the 2000-2001 academic year. A specialist is granted the right to select one of three curricula - management, marketing, finances and credit. At selection, a special attention is paid to the specialists sent by big and medium-sized enterprises of the real sector of the economy that participate in the programmes for restructuring of production and development of the republic. There are also other directions and forms for training of modern cadres for the republic. But I cannot say that I’m satisfied with today’s state of affairs. In the state and municipal structures till now there are a lot of people, who are a burden in solving the state and socio-economic problems.

As it happens at great public cataclysms, not only honest and competent people devoted to public interests have come to the power. In power structures, in all its branches, in self-government bodies there are a lot of moss-grown cadres, political and administrative dilettantes, non-educated people, and simply extremely limited intellectually, and morally declined people. There are too many administrators, who teach others, try to punish, but actually they are people who had got only "satisfactory", or even "bad" marks. Though we are creators and builders, it is necessary to break the given mechanism, to get rid of officials who discredit and destroy our policy, or of overt saboteurs of any progressive work.

After all, we have remarkable positive results in training cadres. One cannot but pay attention to the fact that at the level of the Government of the republic, first persons in ministries and departments we managed to solve many problems. The Chuvash Government has become some kind of "a smithy of staff ", and one of the most effective in the country. It was noticed even in the capital of Russia. We have trained and landed in the federal Centre and Moscow the qualitative personnel that never took place in the history of Chuvashia. Today, in Moscow ten members from the team of the President of Chuvashia hold leading posts. On the other hand, the people who passed the school of the Government of Chuvashia showed that it is possible to operate the production effectively. Compare the parameters of work of the joint-stock company "Khimprom" before Viktor Ivanovich Kissin (vice-premier of the Government of Chuvashia sent there for solving the problems in 1996) became its leader. The basic parameters showing the state of affairs at "Khimprom" - the volume of production, the trade turnover, wages, the number of personnel, computerization, training and retraining of the staff, perspective for youth, possession of the English language as the language of business communication - "before Kissin" and "during Kissin" - are very different, of course. It is worth telling you about the fact that in recent years, an informal team of leading enterprises of the republic was created, they attaching priority significance to markret economy, quality of management and that of production, growth of money incomes of their workers.

One can name today tens and tens of big and medium-sized enterprises, average monthly salaries in 1999 being there at the level of 2,000 rubles and higher. Such enterprises are not only in Cheboxary and Novocheboxarsk, but in Kanash and Mariinskii Posad, in Yadrin and Shumerlya, Morgaushi and Krasnoarmeyskoye, in other settlements. And if one looks at the list of enterprises that had achieved such level of wages by last December, their number in the republic is more than a hundred already - it is some kind of "Club-2000" - meaning both average size of salary, and the year of 2000. There is much to learn from such leading enterprises and their leaders.

I believe that this is a great achievement, because reforms became a daily practice of the spreading social layer that embodies modern leaders and specialists of industrial enterprises - such as joint-stock companies “Cheboxary instrument making factory "Elara" (director - Gleb Andreyevich Ilyenko), "Khimprom" (Viktor Ivanovich Kissin), “Cheboxarskii trikotazh” (Nina Petrovna Siverskaya), “Energozapchast” (Chongar Mikhailovich Shlepnyov), those from agricultural and processing enterprises, such as joint-stock companies “Lenin agrarian company” of Batyrevskii district (chief - Alexey Grigoryevich Khitrov), “Akkond” (Valerii Nikolayevich Ivanov), “Agarikus” (Alexandr Ivanovich Vladimirov), “Cheboxary brewery “Buket Chuvashii” (Alexandr Gerontyevich Konstantinov), as well as agricultural production cooperatives “Rassvet” of Yalchikskii district (Valerii Vasilyevich Kirillov), “Svoboda” of Morgaushskii district (Kronid Yefimovich Sretinskii), collective agricultural enterprise “Slava” of Komsomolskii district (Anatolii Yegorovich Potyomkin). The more the circle of the people and associations engaged in transformation of the society, the stronger the guarantee of success and irreversibility of changes.

This thesis of Marx is fair even in a non-marxist epoch. Such good examples give an impetus for rise of the topic for increasing a responsibility of other subjects of economic activity, harmonization of relations between the labour collectives, proprietors and managers. For ensuring such a harmony, I believe that it is important to pass the Law on associations of employers. To be objective, it is necessary to admit one more historical and political result in the development of the republic: the institute of presidency in Chuvash Republic has organically blended in with the public reality and worked successfully for both the increase of the authority of the republic in Russia and in the world, and for the stabilization and creation inside the republic.

During all these years in the republic there was work on "collection of stones", there was construction. Any attempts to imitate renovation and progress by destruction of monuments and other symbols were stopped - we did not allow it in Chuvash Republic. We do not flirt with the people, whose ideas and claims can cause interethnic discord, nationalism, and separatism. That’s why in the republic we have international and interconfessional peace and consent. Not long ago, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Ivan Yakovlev, the greatest of Chuvashes, that’s why he is an internationalist. This year, in the row of special events we are celebrating the 130th anniversary of Professor Nikolai Ivanovich Ashmarin, an outstanding scientist, the author of the unique 17-volume dictionary of the Chuvash language - “Thesaurus Linguae Tschuvaschorum”. He, Russian by nationality, has done for Chuvashes thousands times more than today’s other figures who call themselves “genuine” Chuvashes. And the examples of Ivan Yakovlev and Nikolai Ashmarin are very indicative. Our homebred people who are “much worried” about our nation should follow the examples of these outstanding persons. Fortunately for our republic, its residents, the number of such figures is becoming less and less, because their acts are based not on real public problems, but on ignorance and political intrigue. In the above-mentioned dictionary there are priceless words about friendship, relationship, virtue...

For instance, there is a word“parkhatar” which is very difficult to translate - it has many meanings: blessings, good, happiness, nobility, gratitude... But its essence is - to do good and not to forget to be grateful... But one must state that in the history of the country for every movement forward the society had to pay a high, often bloody, price. Any modern schoolchild knows that all historical reforms carried out in Russia not only moved forward the society and the state. They had a tragic coloration as well. Unfortunately, even today, because of the rude mistakes made once by the federal policy, both the Russian society and the inhabitants of Chuvashia continue experiencing a horrible anxiety about the lives of their relatives. About one hundred families in our republic have already lost their sons in the Chechenian war. I want to express my deep condolences to the families of the soldiers killed. If you look at today's reality of Russia and Chuvashia in the historical context, comparing the last 8-10 years with other periods, it will become clear, why the reforms are carried out with such a difficulty.

It’s because today's leadership has undertaken during such a short period of time to solve the most complicated historical tasks, by having overcome the heritage of the longest and the most furious totalitarian regime in new history. Sadly observing those who like to hold meetings and talk about the boon of the people, I often recollect the well-known characters of Karel Chapek, who "knew what do do, if they... were able to do something". Certainly, there are a lot of headlong critics, not wishing to take into account the objective complexities and circumstances hampering the process of reforms.

There is no lack in the authors of many books, brochures, and party leaflets how to improve business in Chuvashia. Except for a set of words and slogans, it is impossible to find any professionally responsible, practically realizable idea there. The Russian reality “lives” not on brochures and demagogical incantations of homebred economists and atheists. It is a pity that so much literary trash has been published by some figures recently. It would have been more useful to publish really necessary textbooks for schoolchildren, using these means spent. In the republic there are many real composed scientists. I don’t want to distress them, but today, in my opinion, we have more the so-called “academicians”, than lecturers.

We are tired of hearing such words as “... his name is well known beyond the boundaries of the republic; a scientist with a world-known name”. And so on and so forth. But in the reality, we do not have till now in the republic either a full member of the Russian academy of sciences, or even its corresponding member. Dear deputies, It makes me feel ashamed to speak about it, but I have to. Having declared about the construction of the legal state, all the branches of power should equally and firmly strive for the fact that in the society there should be basic principles, without which there cannot be any development. In this sense, the Constitution is the legal foundation of any state. For the seventh year in this hall, I’m calling the deputies to begin working in accordance with law, i.e. according to the Constitution in force in the country.

A pathological fear of separate persons from the deputies’ corps of the theoretical opportunity to elect Fyodorov for the third term has led to the fact that foreign specialists begin requesting us to provide them with the republican Constitution as a museum exhibit of Soviet times. How much time it will take the National Council of Chuvashia to cope with its basic duty? Let’s work properly together and establish this year a modern constitutional-legal foundation for the Republic of the 21st century! Is a joint and friendly work of the President, legislative and executive power bodies, their active cooperation to the detriment of the people of the republic? How can sensible politicians and deputies think so?

Soon, the elections of the President of the Russian Federation that are very important for all of us will take place in our country. In this connection, I’m calling upon everybody not to be indifferent, but to go without fail to the polling stations and determine whom to trust his/ her destiny and the fate of the country for the forthcoming years (maybe, even till 2008). I believe in the wisdom of our people, I believe that we shall elect a clever, strong and energetic President. Let a man of business become the President of Russia, but not that person who has been feeding all these years with words and promises, being, by the way, in power, in the State Duma. Dear deputies, dear guests, One can blame the leadership of the republic, towns and districts, but facts are stubborn things: they are people of business.

The reforms are in progress, the republic is developing. We have passed a zero cycle. Let me remind you of the words said by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Alexiy II during his first historical visit to Chuvashia: "It is surprising, how during such a short period of time you managed to do so much..." I am glad to tell you that His Holiness Patriarch is planning to visit our republic next year. Certainly, achievements are transient.

But I see: in these most difficult years for our country Chuvashia from the most backward regions of Soviet Russia is turning confidently and irreversibly into a modern, free and democratic republic. A remarkable poet, philosopher and political figure Alexandr Tvardovskii wrote wonderful lines, that are fair with reference to our days - the epoch of great reforms in Russia and Chuvashia on the boundary of millenniums. Year after year, milestone after milestone, After a strip there is a strip... The road is difficult, but the wind of century Blows in our sails...

Thank you very much for your attention.

President of Chuvash Republic Nikolai Fyodorov

Cheboxary, House of Government

March 4, 2000

© Chuvash Republic President’s Staff, Translated from Russian by Vladimir Shashkov and Luiza Mikhailova on March 10, 2000.