Putin calls for urgent steps to avert population crisis in Russia

Moscow, Apr 26 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for urgent measures to be taken to avoid a serious demographic crisis in the country.

''The country's economic productivity and even state sovereignty could be threatened if the situation does not improve,'' the President said, addressing a meeting of regional leaders in the west Siberian oil city of Tomsk.

''This demographic problem is one of the most serious problems Russia has faced in the last 15 years,'' the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

''It is an awful problem,'' he said, adding that Siberia was currently facing a population drain due to low standards of living in the region.

''The apocalyptic scenario does not have to come true,'' Mr Putin noted, while praising the contributions made by several regional leaders to deal with current problems.

Russia's population fell to 142.8 million, a drop of 675,100 (0.47 per cent) in 2005, according to the Federal State Statistics Service.

UNI XC PR VC1852