Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
delivers his first State of the Nation address to the Federal Assembly
Kremlin in Moscow, capital of Russia, Nov. 5, 2008.(Xinhua
Photo) Photo
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MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev on Wednesday delivered his first state-of-the-nation address at the
Federal Assembly since taking office in May.
In a speech covering issues ranging from the conflict
over South Ossetia to the global financial crisis, Medvedev's harsh tone
confirmed the continuity of his predecessor Vladimir Putin's policies in his
presidency.
NATIONAL SECURITY
In the 85-minute speech broadcast live on television,
Medvedev said Russia faces such threats and challenges as "the construction of a
global missile defense system, the surrounding of Russia with military bases,
unrestrained NATO expansion and other gifts."
Medvedev's hawkish tone delivered a clear message
that Russia would respond to challenges from the West not just through
diplomatic means.
In his view, the conflict in the Caucasus in August
was used as a pretext to send NATO warships to the Black Sea and then to deploy
the U.S. anti-missile system in central Europe.
He said Russia will deploy a short-range missile
system in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad bordering Poland and Lithuania, in
response to U.S. plans to set up a missile shield in the area.
"The Iskander missile system will be deployed in the
Kaliningrad region to neutralize, when necessary, the (U.S.) missile shield," he
said.
Russia will also deploy equipment in its western
region to electronically jam the U.S. missile defense system, said Medvedev,
adding that resources of the Russian Navy will naturally be used to counter the
missile shield.
He said Russia had cancelled its previous plans to
take three missile regiments out of service in the central part of the country.
Medvedev added that Russia would not be drawn into an
arms race, but would continue to ensure the security of its citizens.
"We will definitely not allow ourselves to be drawn
into an arms race, but we are forced to take this into account."
Sending troops to South Ossetia was the first time
Russia flexed its military muscles since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the
early 1990s.
However, the Russian leadership will give priority to
economic development instead of taking on a heavy burden of national defense,
analysts believe.
FINANCIAL CRISIS
In contrast, the president's tone for the domestic
policy section of the address was softer.
Referring to the brief conflict with Georgia and the
ongoing financial meltdown, Medvedev blamed the United States for both crises.
Medvedev stressed his government's action plan to
minimize the consequences of the financial crisis, revive the banking sector and
support individual sectors of the economy, saying Russia will fulfill its
obligations to protect individual savings, pensions and social security.
However, he noted that the global financial crisis is
far from over and called on the government and businesses to take this factor
into consideration in their plans.
He said "each ruble should be spent effectively" and
repeated earlier calls for it to become an international reserve currency and be
used in pricing for commodities such as oil and gas.
The international political and economic system
requires a dramatic overhaul, added Medvedev.
"The lessons of the mistakes and crises of 2008 have
proved to all responsible nations that the time has come to act, and it is
necessary to radically reform the political and economic system," he said.
"We will not give up our role in the Caucasus. We will overcome the global financial crisis and emerge from it stronger."
