MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian parliamentarians expect President Vladimir Putin to highlight domestic problems, as well as foreign policy issues, in his annual state of the nation address Wednesday.
Boris Gryzlov, speaker of Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, suggested Putin would expand on previous speeches by focusing on consolidating Russian statehood, fostering economic growth, combating poverty, and curbing the bureaucracy.
"It is important that the new address to the nation confirms, as well as build on the strategic objectives set in the previous addresses," Gryzlov said.
With Russia holding the presidency of the Group of Eight industrialized nations this year and poised to take over chairmanship of the Council of Europe, Deputy Duma Speaker Vladimir Pekhtin said he believed the president would focus on foreign policy in his address to the Federal Assembly, Russia's two houses of parliament at 12.00 Moscow time (8 a.m. GMT).
Although domestic affairs, particularly measures to improve living standards and welfare in Russia, would also be central in Putin's hour-long speech, Pekhtin said, "I would highlight the problem of improving Russia's positions in the global geopolitical environment."
Another deputy Duma chairman, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who heads the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), said the presidential address would be largely centered on Russia's presidency of the club of rich nations and July's G8 summit in St. Petersburg.
"This will be an invitation to the summit with an assessment of all the important current developments in the world and in Russia. ... it will serve as a backdrop to the summit," Zhirinovsky said.
His fellow party member, Alexei Mitrofanov, said he was looking forward to hearing the president's plans with respect to Iran, which is facing economic sanctions from the UN or even a military attack over its controversial nuclear programs that some countries fear are a cover for plans to build nuclear weapons.
"I am interested in what [Putin] will say on Iran ... whether Russia will use its veto power at the UN Security Council," Mitrofanov said.
Martin Shakkum, head of the Duma committee on industry, construction, and high technology, said he hoped the president would speak about national interests, when he touched on Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.
"I would also like to hear that we intend to defend the interests of domestic industries ..., above all aircraft producers, carmakers, power engineering and manufacturing industry enterprises," he said.
Russia's accession talks have largely stalled over what Russian negotiators call excessive demands. The country's chief negotiator, Maxim Medvedkov, said in late April that Russia was unlikely to join the WTO in 2006, the target set earlier by the economics minister.
Viktor Ilyukhin, deputy head of the Duma security committee and a member of the Communist faction, said he was no longer interested in the presidential addresses to parliament, arguing that nothing had been done about the problems they highlighted.
Echoing his fellow party member's concerns, Nikolai Kharitonov, who chairs the Duma committee on agricultural issues, urged an analysis of what had been done to implement the objectives set in the previous addresses, adding that he also wanted to hear plans for the agricultural sector.
"We are virtually walking on oil, but have no money to invest in agriculture," Kharitonov said.
