MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Presidential chief-of-staff Dmitry Medvedev has been appointed first deputy prime minister as part of a government reshuffle by President Vladimir Putin.
Former Tyumen region governor Sergei Sobyanin has replaced Medvedev as presidential chief-of-staff.
Sergei Ivanov has been appointed deputy prime minister and will also keep the post of defense minister.
The presidential envoys to the Volga district and the Far East, Sergei Kiriyenko and Konstantin Pulikovsky, were given different jobs. Former Bashkortostan prosecutor Alexander Konovalov has been appointed presidential envoy to the Volga district, while ex-Kazan administration chief Kamil Iskhakov has been appointed presidential envoy to the Far East.
Speaking at a meeting with top government officials on Monday, Putin said that issues related to the development of the country's economic and social sectors have been frequently placed on the government's agenda over the past few months.
"We are tackling some of these issues as part of so-called nationwide projects. However, I would like to stress that we are dealing with the priority issues, the most urgent matters. By these I mean education, healthcare, homes at affordable prices and agriculture. A council has been set up to put these priority nationwide projects into practice and to organize this work in the most effective manner," the president said.
"I have always said that the largest amount of work should be carried out within the remit of the government of the Russian Federation. That is why I accepted the prime minister's suggestion and Dmitry Medvedev will join the government as first deputy prime minister," he said.
"During a session in the Defense Ministry, participants voiced concern over the fact that the Ministry is having difficulty implementing plans aimed at promoting its further development. These problems are related to poor coordination between various ministries and agencies," Putin said.
"The head of government proposed appointing Sergei Ivanov as deputy prime minister to improve coordination in this area. Ivanov will also keep the post of defense minister," he said.
"We are all very well aware of the fact that work may be done effectively at the federal level only if it is carried out jointly by the government and the presidential administration. Siberia is a major source of wealth for Russia and that is why Tyumen regional governor Sergei Sobyanin has been appointed presidential chief-of-staff," Putin said.