NIZHNY NOVGOROD, February 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that electronic digital signatures should be implemented in the country as soon as possible.

"It is necessary to finally close the issue on electronic digital signatures," Putin said at a State Council Presidium meeting in the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The Russian Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications said late in 2005 that a new federal law on electronic digital signatures would be passed in 2006 after the current law was deemed ineffective.

Passed in 2002, it allows for the replacement of written signatures by electronic ones. Subordinate regulations were required in order to implement it and it did not comply with other laws.