Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has pledged to personally monitor activities aimed at making the Russian Far East more attractive to investors.

Medvedev, who held the first meeting with his deputies this year, urged them to focus on implementing the tasks outlined in the presidential address to the Federal Assembly on December 12 last year.

Medvedev said he had signed a package of instructions aimed at fulfilling the presidential address and drew attention to the need to make the Russian Far East more attractive to investors.

He believes that time has come to convene a conference to discuss this matter. He urged the government to work out a set of criteria for determining territories of priority socioeconomic development, primarily the Far East and East Siberia, including the Republic of Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Territory.

“It is necessary to compile a list of such territories, determine the criteria of selection, create an appropriate legal basis and develop the necessary infrastructure in future,” Medvedev said.

“I am going to deal with the matter personally and will take it under personal control,” the prime minister went on to say.

He instructed First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko and Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev to prepare a relevant meeting and invited other Cabinet members to join the initiative if they wished to.