12.01.2008
During his visit to Murmansk, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitrii Medvedev said that the Russian Navy will have to be strengthened. – Russia must be a great military power at sea, he stressed.
Mr. Medvedev, who started his presidential campaign in the regions with a visit to Murmansk, admitted that the strengthening of the fleet might proceed slower than what is desired. However, he stressed that the reinforced focus on the Navy is the first in 20 years.
In a meeting with the crew of the trawler “Kapitan Morgun”, the presidential hopeful was told that Norway is conducting a hostile line against Russian fishery interests. According to Rosbaltnord.ru, the crew members told Mr Medvedev that Norwegian military vessels are constantly at sea and that they are “demonstrating power”. They felt more secure at sea earlier when they knew that they could get support from Russian vessels at any time.
-The Navy vessel are not present because we simply do not have them, Mr Medvedev said, and repeated that a modernization of the fleet is a priority.
Dmitrii Medveded is on a tour to 11-regions, many of them in Northwest Russia as part of his bid for the Russian presidency. Also Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug will be visited.
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