Russian President Dmitry Medvedev insists that small and medium-sized enterprises should become a fundamental for innovative development. At a meeting with entrepreneurs Friday the President said the work is in progress to adopt decisions to ease business operations for businessmen, Itar-TASS wired.

Medvedev noted that in early February he held a meeting devoted to the issues how to improve the investment climate, after which a list of orders was compiled. “A draft federal law is being compiled to simplify visa and migration regulations for foreigners who participate in investment, scientific and hi-tech projects in Russian territory," the President pointed out.

According to him, also measures “need to be taken to enhance and simplify customs procedures for exports of non-commodity goods and imports of hi-tech equipment”.
“Regional executive authorities and local self-governments, public utilities and grid companies have been ordered to strict comply with the established procedure for connecting facilities to infrastructure without instances of arbitrariness. Under elaboration are also a number of tax and other measures aimed at creating incentives for investments in upgrading and innovative projects. This is a separate big topic, but actions are needed on this front and not to engineer excuses at the government, as often is the case, that this cannot be done because of the crisis," Medvedev said.