러시아 유력 대통령 후보 메도베제프 제1부수상, 아시아 중시 자세 표명

	다음달 2일에 실시되는 러시아 대통령 선거를 앞두고 최유력 후보인 메도베제프 제1 부수상이 어제 극동의 하바로프스크를 방문해, 일본을 비롯한 아시아 태평양 지역과의 관계를 중시할 자세를 명확히 했습니다. 메도베제프 씨는 또, 러시아의 원유를 처음으로 아시아 태평양 지역에 수출하는 파이프 라인 건설이 예정보다 대폭 늦어지고 있는 것을 강력히 비판하고 조속히 해결책을 세우도록 촉구했습니다. 메도베제프씨는 러시아와 구미국가의 관계가 냉각되고 있는 가운데 아시아 중시로 크게 전환한 푸틴 노선의 계승을 일찍부터 내세움으로써 일본을 비롯한 주변국가와의 관계발전을 위한 강력한 메시지를 보낸 것으로 보입니다.       *Profile: Dmitry Medvedev (메도베제프 부수상) Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin's choice for president in 2008, is seen as one of the economic liberals in President Vladimir Putin's entourage. His master's voice? Dmitry Medvedev with President Putin He is not only a first deputy prime minister, but also chairman of Russia's enormous state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom. Mr Medvedev, 42, trained as a lawyer in Leningrad - now St Petersburg. The son of a professor, he became an assistant professor in his own right at St Petersburg State University in the 1990s. While there, he became involved in the city council and joined Vladimir Putin's external affairs team as an expert consultant working for the mayor. It was a key period in Russia's transition from communism. Putin insider Endorsing his nomination as presidential candidate, Mr Putin said "I have known him for more than 17 years, I have worked with him very closely all these years". We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous Dmitry Medvedev Russian First Deputy PM Before Monday's announcement, Mr Medvedev was seen as one of several potential candidates to succeed Mr Putin. Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov are also close associates from Mr Putin's time in St Petersburg. Mr Medvedev, unlike Mr Ivanov or President Putin, has no background in either the Soviet KGB or its successor, the Federal Security Service (FSB). Mr Putin, who headed the FSB, was chosen as a successor by the late President Boris Yeltsin, and it was not long before Mr Medvedev followed him to the Kremlin, to serve as deputy chief of staff. RISE OF A KREMLIN INSIDER 1990-95: Consultant to St Petersburg mayor 1999: Kremlin deputy chief of staff 2000: Head of Vladimir Putin's election campaign 2002: Chairman of Gazprom 2003: Putin's chief of staff 2005: First Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of social programmes In 2000, Mr Medvedev took charge of Vladimir Putin's presidential election campaign and in October 2003 he was appointed Kremlin chief of staff. Almost from his arrival at the Kremlin, Mr Medvedev took an active role at Gazprom. Earlier this month, he said it was time for Gazprom, as the world's biggest gas company, to promote its international image by positioning itself on stock exchanges in New York and Shanghai. Social projects Perhaps most important to his credentials as a presidential candidate was his promotion to the post of first deputy prime minister in charge of national projects. Mr Medvedev has overseen major social initiatives in the areas of agriculture, health, education and efforts to boost Russia's low birthrate. He has spearheaded measures to support foster families and develop pre-school education. He has been an ally of President Putin in helping to restructure the Kremlin's relations with powerful billionaire oligarchs who made fortunes in the Yeltsin years. In January 2007 he told the World Economic Forum in Davos: "We aim to create big Russian corporations and will back their foreign economic activities. "But the role of the state certainly should not involve telling any particular company or sector how to carry out diversification. "Even if the state retains a controlling interest... we aim to create public companies with a substantial share of foreign investment in their capital." He is known to dislike labels, considering ideology harmful, and is not a member of any political party. But he does consider himself a democrat: "We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous for one simple reason: freedom is better than non-freedom." He is married with one son. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7136556.stm