Tiraspol, 4 April. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Vice premier on strategic development and reforms Alexey Tsurkan held a meeting with Russia's State Duma member Alexey Silanov. The meeting was also attended by the government's social bloc ministries and Pridnestrovian MPs.
Welcoming the Russian guest, Alexey Tsurkan expressed his deep condolences on the occasion of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, the government's press service reports.
The vice premier noted that today's priority for Pridnestrovie is to increase the efficiency of social policies, which is possible only in the context of sustained economic growth. He informed the Russian MP that since the start of 2017 the government had set up a number of working groups to improve the investment climate, stimulate Pridnestrovian exports, improve the quality and accessibility of health services.
Alexey Tsurkan also expressed gratitude for the assistance Russia provides to support the country's social infrastructure. According to him, an analysis of the public expenditure structure has shown that state investment in health care and education account for no more than 0.4% of GDP at the rate of 3−5%.
«We see the need in the long term to raise this share of costs and allocate more funds to investment," underscored Alexey Tsurkan.
Alexey Silanov noted the importance of this meeting for the development of a general coordination between social bloc ministries and Russia's federal authorities to solve the problems of compatriots.
He also said that a meeting on Pridnestrovian issues would take place on 11 April with the involvement of federal social policy ministries, after which in June Pridnestrovian ministers would visit relevant Russian ministries to determine activities to be implemented in 2017.
«I'd like our cooperation to shift from something in mind to something in kind. Whether it deals with getting hi-tech assistance or taking the Russian federal exam in the PMR or social security issues," said the Russian MP.
The education minister, Tatyana Loginova, briefed the Russian colleague on the ministry's matters of concern. The priority is to provide educational institutions with academic literature, refresher training for teachers, new exam centre in Rybnitsa.
The issue of health care was also raised during the meeting. Thus, the health care minister, Andrey Guranda, recalled that Pridnestrovian doctors had previously been offered refresher courses in Russia. He suggested considering the possibility of resuming this practice. The minister proposed, at the same time, to organise postgraduate courses for first- and second-degree doctors in Pridnestrovie with the involvement of Russian specialists.
The social security minister, Yelena Kulichenko, also identified a number of problems facing the ministry. This, first of all, includes providing textbooks to Pridnestrovian correctional education facilities.
After the meeting, Alexey Silanov thanked the Pridnestrovian colleagues for a constructive dialogue, assuring them that all the issues raised at the meeting would not been ignored.
