Concluding remarks by Dmitry Medvedev:

Modern infrastructure and infrastructure for our country in general is an existential issue: either it will exist or it won’t. I want everyone to think about it realistically. Because the scale of our country is such that in the 21^st century the lack of investment in infrastructure means the degradation of the entire state. Our predecessors understood this when they began building the Baikal – Amur Mainline and adopted decisions on a number of infrastructure projects in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. But now it boils down to a matter of the existence of a single huge state.

We have recently created a certain framework in the form of legislation on concessions and public-private partnerships. There have been rather obvious examples. I myself am quite happy when I travel around my native St. Petersburg on the Western High-Speed Diameter road because (those who lived in St. Petersburg know this well) this has radically altered traffic in a huge, very complex city, which is also a monument, where there are a lot of different problems connected with historical buildings. One very successful example is the Pulkovo Airport, which we just talked about, and a number of other projects. But this is hardly enough.

When I was getting ready to come here, my colleagues said, “Don’t attend this roundtable”. I said, “Why?” They said, “There are a lot of discrepancies in the positions of departments. They are unable to find common ground”. I said, “Then I’ll definitely go!”

Colleagues, we need to reach an agreement on this topic – on infrastructure mortgages (or as they are called here, the ‘Public-private partnership 2.0’). Specifically because of what I just said. We have no future unless our infrastructure develops. You and I understand this. Gadgets are great, telecommunications are great, digital technology is great. It truly is necessary. Any one of us can now pick up the phone and talk with Khabarovsk or Vladivostok. But this isn’t enough. People live in real life. They need to get around, travel on roads and railways, and fly on planes. The digital world has not abolished the real world.