Dmitry Medvedev, the man behind the politician

Moscow: Dmitry Medvedev took over as Russia's third President on Wednesday in a glittering ceremony at the Grand Kremlin Palace in the presence of over 2,400 guests as Vladimir Putin stepped down after eight years as head of state.

The following extracts from Medvedev's speeches and interviews give some indication of the kind of President he will be:

Private property

“Private property is a vital structure. It forms part of a fundamental set of human rights. If we don't learn to respect and protect it the way it is done in the whole world, we will continue living in backwardness and desolation.”

Officials' role in economy

"We have centuries of bureaucratic traditions ... and we have not created the best example of bureaucracies. It is not the most effective bureaucracy. It is a corrupt bureaucracy."

"I have no information that Russian secret services are vying for (national) wealth. And if I receive such information ... such people will be immediately fired and brought to justice."

Medvedev on Medvedev

"I have a legal mindset which has pluses and minuses. The advantage is that it enables one to properly formulate aims and helps with decision taking. The disadvantage is that often I speak and explain myself more precisely than required. And from this, there arises the feeling that before you stands a dry man buttoned up to the neck."

On relations with Putin

"These are friendly, a partnership, based on the fact that we have long worked together and trust each other. And this is the most important thing.”

"I'm sure our work in this fully-fledged, efficient tandem can give the country rather interesting results and will become a positive factor to develop our state."

Presidential rule

"Our country was and remains a presidential republic. It cannot be any other way ... There cannot be two, or three or five centers (of power) ... The President is in charge of Russia, and under the constitution there can only be one president."

Russia's place in the world

"The United States and Russia have to cooperate ... It is inevitable."

"Any attempts to resolve international issues that run counter to United Nations resolutions, as has happened in particular with Kosovo ... are counter-productive."

"The main task is to follow the social and economic course that has been developing for a while already."

Freedom

"I consider it most important to reach harmony between freedom and order in the long term. Empress Catherine II wrote: 'Freedom is the soul of everything, without it everything is dead. I want people to obey the laws, but not laws for slaves'."

"Our democracy is still very young ... Our democracy is developing according to its own laws. Its results can be assessed only in 30 or 50 years."

Press freedom

"The audience and the forms of reporting have changed, but one thing should remain intact – the need to write the truth and be responsible for stories you publish."

Economy

"We have to rein in surging inflation which formed in our economy at the end of last year... This is the price we pay for joining the club of the world's economically advanced nations. The conclusion is simple – we need to develop our own economy and agriculture."

"There are state companies, the very existence of which is crucial for the economic security of the nation in general. I mean infrastructure monopolies – such as Gazprom and Russian Railways – and enterprises of the military-industrial complex."

Legal system

"We need to root out the practice of unlawful decisions 'by request' or for money."

"One of the key elements of our work in the next four years will be ensuring the independence of our legal system from the executive and legislative branches of power."