The leader of YABLOKO and its parliamentary faction in the State Duma Grigory Yavlinsky called the presidential address to the Federal Assembly of the RF "sensible".

He noted that President Putin "raised the right issues and correctly determined the priorities for the country's development." "However, the problems are who will implement this address, how it will be done, what the mechanism will be [for such implementation]," said the leader of YABLOKO.

According to Yavlinsky, if this mechanism is reduced to "bureaucratic reshuffles", this is unlikely to help resolvethe main tasks facing Russia today. The YABLOKO leader also added that "the government in re-constructing itself will not be able to implement the whole range of tasks outlined by the President."

Yavlinsky also recollected that before voicing the presidential address to the Federal Assembly of the RF "the President remarked that he received few interesting ideas." The leader of YABLOKO also expressed the opinion that this lack of ideas is attributable to the "negative changes in society".

Yavlinsky added: "No large-scale serious problems are discussed today and it is impossible to express a point of view that does not coincide with the viewpoint of the government, administration (president); therefore there are no ideas."

"When a society does not have any arguments for a long time or any discussions about the key problems for the country, this has a deplorable outcome," stressed Yavlinsky. According to the leader of YABLOKO, the country's leadership should pay heed to such a situation.

Speaking about the specific items of the presidential address Yavlinsky noted that the economic component consisted of a whole range of "correct provisions, especially regarding small businesses." Some of them, thinks Yavlinsky, have "a new meaning".

At the same time, regarding the part of the presidential address on economic growth rates, Yavlinsky thinks that in this case the president was speaking "more of intent, rather than some real prerequisites that can serve as a starting point to an increase in the figures marked by the government".

Yavlinsky disagrees with President Putin's position on military reform. Yavlinsky thinks that the words of the President on this problem may be considered as an attempt to "drag out" the transition to a professional army. He thinks that nothing else can explain the proposal to hold "some experiments in the army". In reality, said Yavlinsky, "no experiments are required here, simply it is necessary to resolve the following problem: "Instead of army conscription, pay should be increased 150 percent and the recruitment of a professional army should start."

Yavlinsky also thinks that the holding of some experiment was initially voiced at the suggestion of the military. "I presume that after some time the President will reassess the situation in the armed forces," added the leader of YABLOKO. "And Putin will run out of patience, whereupon someone will be blamed", added Yavlinsky.

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

the Russian Army