The uniqueness of the address of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly in 2015 will be the “new status”, which Russia has received in the international arena as a result of operations in Syria, experts say.
MOSCOW, 11 Nov. Interviewed experts believe that the President of the Russian Federation in the message to the Federal Assembly will affect traditional domestic economic issues, however, in their view, the international agenda will prevail; however, some experts believe that the uniqueness of the current conversion will be in the “new Moscow” that Russia has received in the international arena as a result of operation of the Russian HQs in Syria.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin said that work on the message to the Federal Assembly. The presidential address is provided in the Constitution and is considered one of the major political events. In 2014, Putin delivered his annual address to the Federal Assembly on December 4 in the Kremlin.
The uniqueness of the message and the new status of Moscow
According to a leading expert of the Center for political conjuncture of Russia Dmitry Abzalov, the difference between a message coming from the previous will be not just in the traditional summing up and formulating directions for the future, “and the new status of Moscow, which came after Syria.” The expert expects that the President most systematically formulate Russia’s position in this new status.
“In this regard, the message will be unique. Because in many ways the situation is unique on its own, it requires serious solutions and a new format. This message will be directed not only inward, that is, in the country, the Federal Assembly, but the important factor is the external component. Not just will communication to the internal circuit, and external. In this regard, this message will have to wait and from outside”, — said the Agency interlocutor.
However, an important factor in the presidential address will be, first of all, the call for consolidation within the country — economic, political and international fronts.
Vice-President of the Center for political technologies Alexei Makarkin said that the message of last year “came out under the impression of the Crimea and impressed by this great success.” “Now you can talk about the new progress and any new prospects and so forth,” he said.
In turn, the head of the center for economic and political reform Nikolay Mironov does not think that the message will be something unexpected, and the interest is only “the fulfillment of what is said, because the execution of orders given by the President, we are not always on top”.
The emphasis on security and international issues
Earlier on Wednesday the President’s press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has denied the information of some media that the main theme of the presidential address to the Federal Assembly will become safety issues in connection with the A321 plane crash over the Sinai.
As noted by Abzalov, practice shows that the presidential address to the Federal Assembly usually takes place in all areas and all fields. However, experts agree that the events of this year will significantly adjust the “traditional” format conversion, so international issues with a focus on security and joint efforts in the fight against terrorism will prevail.
“The topic of security is associated largely with Airbus disaster, and the situation with ISIS as a whole. I think that the main array will be this question and also the international fight against terrorism and active participation in Russia, the issues of protection of national interests and intensification of the fight against terrorism inside the country”, — said Abzalov, stressing that foreign policy in this year came the significant part of Russian political attention.
The authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation, the General Director of the research center “Kryshtanovskaya Laboratory” Olga Kryshtanovskaya also believes that the international agenda in the current message “is very strong, stronger than usual in these Epistles, due to the fact that we have increased its role in international politics in recent years”. “Today it was reported that Syria is about to be spoken… we should understand that we have received new threats, we have the economic situation we not the finest, the price of oil is not very good. People, of course, all this care… Surely the President will be on them (threats and challenges) to say we are now going to do this”, — said the Agency interlocutor.
Makarkin believes that the presidential address will feature different themes, and does not exclude that anti-terrorism will also rise, probably in the context of the necessity of enhancing cooperation with different countries in the fight against terrorism.
The economic agenda and the upcoming elections
One of the Central themes of the presidential address, experts expect, will traditionally be the economic situation, in particular in relation to the adoption of the budget.
“The economic component associated with the aggregation and formation of resources under a specific potential growth in the next year or two, also will become the core topic. With high probability, the economy will be from the point of view of the growth prospects and opportunities for him. Moreover, it will coincide with the adoption of the budget, it is also a very important factor,” says Abzalov.
Mironov takes the economic agenda the second place after the security issues and the terrorist threat. “The second issue is, of course, the socio-economic crisis, the budget for 2016, as it will be designed, how will they resolve social challenges, how to develop the economy in crisis conditions,” he said.
But the topic of parliamentary elections next year, experts “leave” a minor place — if the President will affect it and then only partially. In particular Makarkin believes that the question of Duma elections hardly it will appear in your message. “I think that in General the role of President in the 2016 election year will be very small, I think it is unlikely to use its image during these elections,” he said.
Abzalov, by contrast, considers the upcoming elections to important topics of the treatment of Putin to the Federal Assembly, she “would not be fundamental, but could be manifested”. “To what extent will the results of uniform day of voting, presented, highlighted issues related to the parliamentary elections next year. Obviously, we will raise the issue of anti-corruption fight. These topics are always in the Epistles, but they are going to develop in these areas and the prevalence of international subjects,” — said the Agency interlocutor.
