Russian Pres to join this year's last session of cabinet.

MOSCOW, December 30 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev
is expected on Wednesday to visit the Russian 'White House' - the
government's central office where he will take part in the last regular
session the presidium of the cabinet of ministers holds this year.

The presidium includes Deputy Prime Ministers and key cabinet
ministers.
The head of state comes to the government headquarters once a year as
a minimum to sum up the results of the ministers' performance in an
outgoing year.
In the past, however, President Putin might come to the 'White House'
quite unexpectedly to discuss one or another pressing problem with the
ministers.
One of these visits occurred in September 2007, when Putin appeared
there without a prior notice to announce a reshuffle of the cabinet that
was then chaired by Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov.
For President Medvedev, this will be the first appearance in the White
House in the outgoing year. He will take a seat in the chair usually
occupied by the Prime Minister and will congratulate the ministers on the
occasion of the New Year.
Medvedev is due to assess the government's activity this year and to
the map out the tasks the executive branch of state power will face next
year.
He said in a major televised interview last week the executive branch
scored three major encouraging results this year - the upkeep of social
stability, the maintenance of financial stability, and state support to
backbone industrial facilities.
"Russia paid a moderate enough price for the global financial crisis,"
Medvedev said. "The outgoing year was a knotty one; it brought us a lot of
dramatic events and all the people experienced some difficulties."
"And yet the main result is we've stood firm and we've continued
developing," he said.
He also mentioned his relations with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin - a
theme that arouses unending interest in society, as practice shows.
Medvedev said his relations with Putin remain "especially friendly, as
usual" and he does not see any risks for their maintenance in the future.