Translated material
Prayer for the Middle Class
Dmitry Medvedev visited the places of exile of the Decembrists and the homeland of Grigory Rasputin
Dmitry Medvedev's first working trip address as president-elect was the ancient Siberian city of Tobolsk. This city occupies a special place in the history of Russia. The Decembrists served their exile here, the famous Grigory Rasputin was born here, and Russian Emperor Nicholas II spent his last days before his execution in Yekaterinburg.However, Dmitry Medvedev, although he paid tribute to the past by visiting the only stone Kremlin in Siberia and ancient temples, came here for the sake of the future of Russia. One of the main tenets of Mr. Medvedev's presidential election campaign was the development of the middle class in Russia . During his presidency, he promised to do everything possible to ensure that more than half of Russians belong to the middle class, and ideally 70% of the population could be considered such.
Moreover, Mr. Medvedev intends to develop the middle class primarily through the development of small and medium-sized businesses . Today in Tobolsk there will be a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council dedicated to the development of small businesses. And yesterday, Mr. Medvedev visited two enterprises that prove that small businesses in Russia can be successful.
The Yugor Production Association produces various metal structures from street trash cans to bus stops. The company is especially proud of the “Rus” lamp, with which production began 20 years ago. Several of these lamps even decorate the Moscow Kremlin. “You illuminate the jobs of our colleagues,” Mr. Medvedev smiled. In informal clothes - in a blue shirt and without a tie - he walked through the workshops of the enterprise, which employs only 90 people, and was interested in the assortment, salaries and pressing problems.
The general director of the enterprise, Yuri Ronzhin, complained about the lack of personnel. This topic aroused the most keen interest of the president-elect. “Qualified?” he asked. “Yes, any,” the businessman answered him. “This is a very acute problem, and we are aware of it,” Mr. Medvedev said. And he promised to look for ways to solve it. Although it is unlikely that this enterprise will be replenished by those colleagues of Mr. Medvedev for whom Yugor products illuminate their jobs. Unless these colleagues repeat the path of the Decembrists.
At the fish plant, the second site of the president-elect's visit, management complained that taxes were too high. Dmitry Medvedev responded by inviting General Director Tatyana Yakunina to speak at the Presidium of the State Council. In general, he liked the fish factory. Having seen in one of the workshops how beer kits were produced, he said with a smile: “Very important products, I would say fundamental.”
Dmitry Medvedev ended yesterday with a visit to the Tobolsk Kremlin, which is now a historical and architectural museum. Mr. Medvedev toured buildings from the 18th and later centuries that have been restored and reconstructed over the past few years. Here are located the Intercession Cathedral, the Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral, built at the beginning of the 18th century, the palace of the royal governor in Siberia, the residence of the archbishop and the only theological seminary in Siberia. Dmitry Medvedev went up to the observation deck of the Kremlin, located on the high bank of the Irtysh. From here you can clearly see the river, the new buildings of the city, as well as the streets along which the exiled Decembrists once walked. One could also see the former governor's house, in the basement of which the last Russian monarch, Nicholas II, and his family spent eight months in exile.
When visiting the Intercession Cathedral, Dmitry Medvedev was met by Archbishop of Tobolsk and Tyumen Dimitry, who led the elected president to the Sophia-Assumption Cathedral. The church choir sang a toast, and Archbishop Dimitry offered a prayer “for the peaceful, quiet life of the Fatherland and the prosperity of our country,” promising to pray for Dmitry Medvedev throughout the entire term of his presidency.
After this, Dmitry Medvedev moved to the Intercession Cathedral, where he touched the relics of Metropolitan John of Tobolsk and All Siberia, who lived in the 18th century. Then Bishop Dimitri led Medvedev to the relics of Bishop Hermogenes of Tobolsk, who suffered martyrdom during the years of the revolution.
Dmitry Medvedev also inspected the house of the Tsar's governor in Siberia and exhibits of the Museum of Siberian History. Together with the elected President of the Russian Federation, a tour of the Tobolsk Kremlin was made by the head of President Vladimir Putin's administration Sergei Sobyanin, Russian Presidential Assistant Alexander Abramov, Presidential Envoy to the Siberian District Pyotr Latyshev, Tyumen Region Governor Vladimir Yakushev, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Elvira Nabiullina.