Updated on 01:43 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in a meeting on Monday suggested that President Vladimir Putin liquidate the government’s state arms purveyor and delivering organs and distribute their functions among the Defense Ministry, Industry and Trade Industry, Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Audit Chamber.
“Over the last eight years while they were working, definite activity was done and definite tasks were completed. But today, one organ is within the government structure, or as they say ‘under the government,’ and that is Rosoboronzakaz [purveyor], but Rosoboronpostavka [deliverer] has historically been within the structures of the Defense Ministry, so there is a suggestion to liquidate both of these organs in order to concentrate all of the work in the Defense Ministry in the delivery of military-technology production,” Medvedev told Putin.
Putin noted that this issue had been discussed before.
“If you personally believe that this is expedient, then let’s do it,” Putin responded.
Medvedev also put forward other proposals to optimize the country’s government, including scrapping the Ministry of Regions.
The prime minister said a number of administrative structures have been set up in recent years to deal with economic and social needs at the regional level, namely the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Crimean Affairs Ministry and the North Caucasus Development Ministry.
“In this context, the government believes that further work of the Regional Development Ministry is redundant, and puts forward for presidential approval a proposal to scrap it and distribute its functions among other executive bodies, among other ministries. Its functions will go partly to the economic development ministry, partly to the ministry of construction and partly to the culture ministry," Medvedev said.
“The government is not a consolidated structure, it should undergo changes,” Medvedev said.
Rosoboronzakaz, established in March 2003, is a governmental office controlling state defense orders for supplies of goods and contracting services.
In June, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed scrapping Rosoboronzakaz citing “overlapping functions.” In early July, Rosoboronzakaz head Aleksander Potapov was dismissed. Medvedev named the deputy Rosoboronzakaz head, Daniil Fesyuk, as the acting head of the body.
