Russian Ministry of natural resources should remain within the new governmental structure as an independent institution: Alexey Gordeev

Mar 02, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. Russian Ministry of agriculture will remain as an independent institution, acting vice-PM and minister of agriculture told journalists. ‘Ministry of agriculture will be preserved, as an independent institution, no doubt about it. Similar ministries exist in the developed countries’ he said. In the developed countries the ministry of agriculture has more extended powers rather than Russian counterpart, Alexey Gordeev stressed. In the developed countries, the ministry of agriculture not only monitors production quality management, but decides on the agricultural lands development and controls water and forestry resources. ‘Presently, when discussing the new governmental structure we will consider the possibility of making a similar decision’ Alexey Gordeev said. The acting minister suggested that in case of the enlargement of the ministries and the elevation of the ministers’ statuses, the government will have to put the fishery committee under one of the ministries, under the Ministry of agriculture, in particular. Alexey Gordeev added that in case of governmental structure change the government will have to concentrate the land policy under a single ministry, while presently this issue is controlled by a number of ministries and departments. The Ministry of natural resources has to be preserved under the new governmental structure as a separate institution, because the ministry ‘fulfills a number of duties not connected directly with other ministries’, for instance the Ministry of natural resources controls geological, oil and environmental sectors. Alexey Gordeev voiced his opinion as to the necessity of preserving the posts of deputy PMs, including the post of deputy prime minister. ‘The presence of deputy-PM controlling inter-sector relations in a country as large as Russia is justified’ he said. Vice-PMs coordinate the work of the government, he added.