Mintimer Shaimiev: Russian President's speech was self-critical

February 8 saw the meeting of the State Council of the Russian Federation taking place in the Georgy hall of the Kremlin. President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev took part in the meeting.
After the meeting of the State Council of the Russian Federation, the President of Tatarstan gave an interview to Tatarstan journalists and shared his impressions about the speech of the Russian leader.
"Vladimir Putin made an objective assessment of his two-term presidency: what he inherited as the President of the country and what has been done," Mintimer Shaimiev said.
At the same time he regarded the speech of the head of state as self-critical. "The problems in social and economic development and in ensuring defense remain dominating, and resolving them will ensure continuity of the policy of the Russian Federation," the President of Tatarstan believes.
"The most important focus in the speech, in my opinion, was on investment in an individual, development of new technologies, investments in science, education and medicine," Mintimer Shaimiev went on.
In the Tatarstan leader's opinion, the points Vladimir Putin made are intertwined and in many respects even coincide with the recent Annual Address Message by the President of Tatarstan to the RT State Council. "It makes me glad - it means we understand the problems of the country, and we are working to resolve them," Mintimer Shaimiev emphasized.