ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia will continue to implement its post-crisis measures for economic restructuring and development by adhering to five priorities, said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gestures during the Russia-Finland Forest Summit in St.Petersburg October 25, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Addressing the 11th national congress of the ruling United Russia Party, Putin, head of the party, said his government would focus on five priorities for economic development.

    These include insuring the stable operation of leading enterprises while creating projects for technical revamp and modernization; promoting hi-tech exportation; developing housing and construction undertakings; stimulating domestic demand including car industry; and solving problems such as unemployment and cities with only a single industry.

    Russia has planned to allocate more than 2 billion U.S. dollars to support its hi-tech exportation, said Putin.

    The government will also launch a car scrapping program, under which each citizen who scraps a vehicle used for over 10 years can get some 1,786 dollars for new car purchasing, he said.

    In addition, around 1.3 billion dollars will be used to promote employment.

    Putin said the situation of labor force market continued to be critical though the number of jobless people dropped from 7.1 million in February to 6 million in October.

    More than 600 delegates and about 2,000 guests attended the one-day congress of the United Russia Party.

    Party members are expected to adopt a new document on party ideology. They will also elect members of the Supreme Council.

    Founded in December 2001, the United Russia Party is the largest political party in Russia.

    Putin was elected head of the party as a non-party member after finishing an eight-year presidential tenure, while Dmitry Medvedev was elected president in March 2008 as a candidate of the party.

Russia's State Duma approves draft budget for 2010

    MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, approved on Friday in the third and final reading a draft federal budget for 2010 and basic parameters of the budget for 2011-2012.

    Under the draft, federal budget revenue will reach 6.95 trillion rubles (about 239 billion U.S. dollars) in 2010, and government expenditure will total 9.89 trillion rubles (about 341 billion U.S. dollars). Full story

Russia hopes for cooperation with new EU leaders: Russian FM

    MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia is looking to establish a good relationship with the European Union's (EU) new leadership, news agencies quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday.

    "I am sure that Herman Van Rompuy (President of the European Council) will continue pursuing a line toward developing a strategic partnership with Russia," Lavrov told reporters after talks with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.Full story