The private luncheon could have been a sit-down with the president.
Diners had to pass four lines of security to enter the white-paneled hall, and the guest of honor arrived with beefy guards 30 minutes late. He deftly fielded sometimes sharp questions about foreign and domestic policy, energy and Cabinet shuffles, posed with his grateful hosts and dashed off.
The group of 200 international editors and publishers, however, were left without a clear answer to their main question: whether their guest, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, hoped to succeed President Vladimir Putin in 2008.
Medvedev suggested that he had a shot at the presidency if he managed to implement Putin's national projects. He hinted that as president he would make integration with Europe a priority. But he was careful not to spell out his personal ambitions, stressing instead that he backed Putin's policies and wanted what was best for Russia.
Medvedev, wearing a nondescript navy suit with a light blue shirt and red tie, appeared slightly uncomfortable as he spoke to the delegates from a conference of the World Association of Newspapers in the Manezh.
He smiled awkwardly on occasion and shifted back and forth in his chair. But he answered most questions easily and showed no annoyance over criticism about Chechnya, the state of press freedom and IT and Communications Minister Leonid Reiman's continued tenure.
Medvedev grinned broadly and laughed near the beginning of the hour-long exchange when Irish Times editor Geraldine Kennedy bluntly raised the question on everyone's mind: "Would you like to succeed Putin?"
Medvedev, together with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin, are seen as leading contenders to receive Putin's endorsement in the 2008 election.
Medvedev sidestepped the editor's question, saying he had a "modest role" in a big story and his main goal now was to implement the national projects, which call for several billion dollars to be spent on health care, education, residential housing and agriculture.
Moments later, the deputy editor of a Spanish newspaper complained he was not satisfied with Medvedev's response. "If Putin asks you to succeed him, will you refuse?" he said.
Medvedev, smiling slightly, replied that he first needed to tackle the social issues and, if successful, he would continue to work in government. "If I don't fix them, then I'll look for work elsewhere," he said.
A Vietnamese participant wondered what his first priority would be as president.
"What needs to be done urgently?" Medvedev said. "Nothing. There is no problem No. 1 that the government isn't handling."
Asked whether he would take an isolationist approach as president, he said, "To me it is clear that Russia needs to position itself as a part of Europe."
Pressed for his vision of Russia's role in international affairs, he said he did not see the country adopting a confrontational stance against the United States.
Medvedev arrived at about 1 p.m., a half-hour after the lunch was supposed to start. Participants were only allowed into the general dining area at 12:30, prompting several to complain angrily to WAN staffers about the "ridiculously" tight security. More guards stood near the entrance to the small dining hall on the underground level. Participants had already passed through a cordon around the Manezh and a security check to get into the building.
While waiting for Medvedev, people exchanged business cards and nibbled on salmon salad. An editor from Singapore's Straits Times joked that "Sleeping Beauty" should be playing. An orchestra had played the music from Tchaikovsky's ballet in the State Kremlin Palace while 1,500 WAN delegates waited for Putin to deliver a welcoming speech on Monday.
In Putin's presence, WAN president Gavin O'Reilly had criticized the state of the press in Russia on Monday.
Medvedev, who said he had read a copy of the speech that morning, said it didn't strike him as sharp.
Medvedev was asked why Reiman remained in office, noting a Swiss tribunal had ruled last month that the minister had used his position to take over public assets for personal gain.
He offered a spirited defense of the practice of appointing businessmen to Cabinet positions, saying Western governments did so and there were far too few bureaucrats in Russia with hands-on business experience.
Reiman is accused of diluting the state's interest in cell phone provider MegaFon in favor of a company in which he was the sole beneficiary. Reiman, who denies the allegation, worked in telecommunications before being appointed minister.
Medvedev said, however, that corruption should not be tolerated. "No civil servant should be allowed to use his authority for personal gain."
Asked why Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov had abruptly resigned on Friday, he said he did not work with the Prosecutor General's Office.
Medvedev, who is chairman of Gazprom, said the state-controlled company needed to hang onto its considerable media assets for the time being but would probably reduce them some day.
He also defended Gazprom's efforts to expand, saying it needed to find new markets and diversify.
He said Putin would not take the helm at Gazprom after the 2008 election, saying, "Putin has publicly said he does not see himself at the head of a commercial entity."
Roger Parkinson, chairman of the University of Toronto Press, asked for Medvedev's position on the "war" and the "terror" in Chechnya.
Medvedev said that the Kremlin had followed the right path for the past six years in regard to Chechnya and that any government would have done the same thing.
Shortly before Medvedev posed for photographs with WAN organizers at the head table, Timothy Balding, the CEO of WAN, profusely thanked him for stopping by.
"Thank you for letting us know you a little bit better, and we'll tell others so they also will know you better," he said.
About that time, the serving staff finished doling out the main course -- chicken fillet.
Diners had to pass four lines of security to enter the white-paneled hall, and the guest of honor arrived with beefy guards 30 minutes late. He deftly fielded sometimes sharp questions about foreign and domestic policy, energy and Cabinet shuffles, posed with his grateful hosts and dashed off.
The group of 200 international editors and publishers, however, were left without a clear answer to their main question: whether their guest, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, hoped to succeed President Vladimir Putin in 2008.
Medvedev suggested that he had a shot at the presidency if he managed to implement Putin's national projects. He hinted that as president he would make integration with Europe a priority. But he was careful not to spell out his personal ambitions, stressing instead that he backed Putin's policies and wanted what was best for Russia.
Medvedev, wearing a nondescript navy suit with a light blue shirt and red tie, appeared slightly uncomfortable as he spoke to the delegates from a conference of the World Association of Newspapers in the Manezh.
He smiled awkwardly on occasion and shifted back and forth in his chair. But he answered most questions easily and showed no annoyance over criticism about Chechnya, the state of press freedom and IT and Communications Minister Leonid Reiman's continued tenure.
Medvedev grinned broadly and laughed near the beginning of the hour-long exchange when Irish Times editor Geraldine Kennedy bluntly raised the question on everyone's mind: "Would you like to succeed Putin?"
Medvedev, together with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin, are seen as leading contenders to receive Putin's endorsement in the 2008 election.
Medvedev sidestepped the editor's question, saying he had a "modest role" in a big story and his main goal now was to implement the national projects, which call for several billion dollars to be spent on health care, education, residential housing and agriculture.
Moments later, the deputy editor of a Spanish newspaper complained he was not satisfied with Medvedev's response. "If Putin asks you to succeed him, will you refuse?" he said.
Medvedev, smiling slightly, replied that he first needed to tackle the social issues and, if successful, he would continue to work in government. "If I don't fix them, then I'll look for work elsewhere," he said.
A Vietnamese participant wondered what his first priority would be as president.
"What needs to be done urgently?" Medvedev said. "Nothing. There is no problem No. 1 that the government isn't handling."
Asked whether he would take an isolationist approach as president, he said, "To me it is clear that Russia needs to position itself as a part of Europe."
Pressed for his vision of Russia's role in international affairs, he said he did not see the country adopting a confrontational stance against the United States.
Medvedev arrived at about 1 p.m., a half-hour after the lunch was supposed to start. Participants were only allowed into the general dining area at 12:30, prompting several to complain angrily to WAN staffers about the "ridiculously" tight security. More guards stood near the entrance to the small dining hall on the underground level. Participants had already passed through a cordon around the Manezh and a security check to get into the building.
While waiting for Medvedev, people exchanged business cards and nibbled on salmon salad. An editor from Singapore's Straits Times joked that "Sleeping Beauty" should be playing. An orchestra had played the music from Tchaikovsky's ballet in the State Kremlin Palace while 1,500 WAN delegates waited for Putin to deliver a welcoming speech on Monday.
In Putin's presence, WAN president Gavin O'Reilly had criticized the state of the press in Russia on Monday.
Medvedev, who said he had read a copy of the speech that morning, said it didn't strike him as sharp.
Medvedev was asked why Reiman remained in office, noting a Swiss tribunal had ruled last month that the minister had used his position to take over public assets for personal gain.
He offered a spirited defense of the practice of appointing businessmen to Cabinet positions, saying Western governments did so and there were far too few bureaucrats in Russia with hands-on business experience.
Reiman is accused of diluting the state's interest in cell phone provider MegaFon in favor of a company in which he was the sole beneficiary. Reiman, who denies the allegation, worked in telecommunications before being appointed minister.
Medvedev said, however, that corruption should not be tolerated. "No civil servant should be allowed to use his authority for personal gain."
Asked why Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov had abruptly resigned on Friday, he said he did not work with the Prosecutor General's Office.
Medvedev, who is chairman of Gazprom, said the state-controlled company needed to hang onto its considerable media assets for the time being but would probably reduce them some day.
He also defended Gazprom's efforts to expand, saying it needed to find new markets and diversify.
He said Putin would not take the helm at Gazprom after the 2008 election, saying, "Putin has publicly said he does not see himself at the head of a commercial entity."
Roger Parkinson, chairman of the University of Toronto Press, asked for Medvedev's position on the "war" and the "terror" in Chechnya.
Medvedev said that the Kremlin had followed the right path for the past six years in regard to Chechnya and that any government would have done the same thing.
Shortly before Medvedev posed for photographs with WAN organizers at the head table, Timothy Balding, the CEO of WAN, profusely thanked him for stopping by.
"Thank you for letting us know you a little bit better, and we'll tell others so they also will know you better," he said.
About that time, the serving staff finished doling out the main course -- chicken fillet.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.