MOSCOW, February 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered the government Wednesday to draw up plans on moving state-owned companies and federal agencies to the Far East.
In remarks to reporters after a government meeting on developing the region, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said appropriate proposal are still being drawn up for consideration.
Trutnev declined to specify which agencies or companies were being proposed for the move.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which subsidized the Far East’s development, the region suffered massive population loss due to its harsh climate and inaccessibility, which makes most business outside of extractive industries uneconomical.
Oleg Deripaska, a metals tycoon with business interests in Siberia, suggested two weeks ago that Russia should even move its capital to the region.
