MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed to the need to fully protect the external border in Siberia.
"We have not begun serious work to protect borders in the Siberian district," Putin said at the Security Council meeting on Saturday.
Although it is Russia's longest border on land, "the problem of its comprehensive construction has not been resolved," he said.
"We should honestly admit that we have not started equipping the border, primarily the Russian-Kazakh and Russian-Mongolian sections. This involves more than just protection against cross- border crime. We are not talking about a Soviet-style border. We are talking about setting up an up-to-date, civilized border that, on the one hand, would bar illegal migration, smuggling and cross-border crime, and on the other hand create conditions for normal cooperation, trade and tourism across the border," he said.
Putin urged the Security Council to discuss possible ways of resolving the problem.
Moreover, the region's social problems, as well as the military and technical security of key strategic facilities there, should be addressed, he said. The concentration of such facilities is high in the Siberian district, he added.