Long-serving Minister Shoigu intends to remain in government after 2012 election

Speaking on the Russian News Service radio, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu, one of the ‘old-timers’ in the Russian governments since the collapse of the USSR, expressed his willingness to serve in the new government that will be formed after the presidential election in 2012.

Shoigu has been the nation’s emergency minister since 1991. “I value what I’m doing and the team set up over the years. It will not be easy to just walk away. Therefore, if there is trust in me, then I will be happy to continue in my current capacity.”