RF, Japan political scientists to discuss politforum agenda.

TOKYO, June 29 (Itar-Tass) - Prominent Russian and Japanese political
scientists meet here on Tuesday to discuss the agenda of a World Political
Forum (WPF) on the theme of "The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and
Criteria of Effectiveness", which is to be held in Yaroslavl in September
this year. The results of the one-day session at the capital's
International Culture Center will be taken into consideration in the
preparation of the Yaroslavl meeting.
Yaroslavl, which marks its millennial jubilee in 2010, will be the
venue of the get-together of authoritative political figures, including
the leaders of a number of countries, business leaders, prominent
scientists and experts from many countries.
Those present at the WPF will continue to examine the role of the
contemporary state in ensuring security and stability of the present-day
world. The examination of these matters was started at an international
conference held in Yaroslavl in autumn last year.
A meeting of participants in the "State as Instrument of
Technological Modernization" section is to be held in Tokyo within the
framework of preparations for the Yaroslavl forum. The meeting is held
jointly by the Russian Institute for Social Projections, Japan's Foreign
Ministry, and the Japanese Institute for International Relations.
Organizers of the meeting said, "It is planned to discuss the problems
of modernization of the national economy, and qualitative renewal of the
entire production sphere on the strength of the example of Japan's
experience".

.Medvedev to present Budget Message to government.

MOSCOW, June 29 (Itar-Tass) - President Dmitry Medvedev is to present
a Budget Message here on Tuesday. The Head of State will address the main
points of the document to the government.
The President comes forward with a Budget Message once a year. The
document sets out strategic and short-term goals of budgetary policy,
coordinated with the general goals and tasks of the economic policy of the
State. These tasks become determining ones in budget planning and in the
drafting of a Federal budget.
Before 2009, a Budget Message was referred in written form to the
government and parliament, and was then published in the media. However,
last year, Medvedev changed the established practice, upon deciding
personally to make public the main points of the document. His opinion is
that the new procedure for the Budget Message presentation "will
contribute to explaining individual points and add weight to it".
The preparation of the present Budget Message has been under way for
several months. The President repeatedly called meetings to touch upon
matters that would be included in a final document. "It is essential to
work out a consolidated position with regard to key budget priorities,
including those of budget expenditure and changes in the taxation system,"
the Head of State pointed out in explanation of the need for consultations.
Thus, at one of such meetings, Medvedev set the task of creating a
post-crisis model of the economy and reaching out to a deficit-free
budget. He is confident that one must strive to solve these matters,
without forgetting major budget items that are aimed at maintaining the
country's defence capacity and at ensuring the safety of citizens.
Several times consultations dealt with the financing of
security-related agencies, a reform of the Interior Ministry, in
particular. Besides, the President drew attention to the need to allocate
resources to resolve major economic and social problems, including
social-benefit payments. The President is convinced, "We have no right to
dilute these achievements in any political situation".
Last year Medvedev presented the Budget Message on May 25. At that
time he stated the need to introduce a strict budgetary policy for the
next three years and suggested planning out State spending by proceeding
from conservative estimates of the prices of energy resources.
The Head of State made public ten key goals on which the country's
budgetary policy must be based henceforth, prioritizing "the fulfilment of
targeted social obligations with a consistent expansion of the powers of
regional government bodies".
The other tasks that he mentioned were to economize on budget
resources, cardinally to raise the quality of public services rendered to
the citizens, improve the mechanism of State purchases, determine an
economically justified level and pattern of taxes, and form a reliable and
balanced pensions system.
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