Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Premier Friday, Seslavinsky said Fradkov had approved his proposal as to the agency's close cooperation with public organizations and the media community.
He also pointed out that it was the first time in as many years that the Premier had discussed the establishment of a new government agency not only with Cabinet ministers, but with other senior executives as well. In his opinion, this testifies to Fradkov's striving to keep himself informed as to what is going on at every level of the executive branch.
Replying to reporters' questions, Seslavinsky said the privatization of mass media should make them more competitive, but that this was not an end onto itself; the idea was to make it possible for media outlets to work with greater efficiency.
Seslavinsky also said the privatization of media should go in parallel with that of welfare services. In his view, government-owned companies are less mobile and, consequently, less competitive than their privatized counterparts in no small measure because those former have to turn to a relevant ministry every time they need a loan or a subsidy.
At its session next Thursday, the Cabinet is expected to approve a package of documents specifying the functions of federal ministries and agencies and also to consider the issue of media licensing, Seslavinsky announced. It is important that the licensing process have a high degree of continuity, he stressed.
In conclusion, he said that the Russian government should not let the administrative reform hit domestic broadcasters and audiences.
