Penza, 22 April 2013. PenzaNews. The head of the governor’s staff department and the government of the region Viktor Rubtsov called the appointment of Olesya Safonova the Minister of Economics of the Penza region “quite extraordinary.”

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“First of all, Olesya Safonova is not a man, who we usually see in the ministerial offices. Second of all, she is quite young, which is also a rare thing to be found in the biographies of the ministers. And thirdly, she has never worked in the municipal and state administration. However, Olesya Safonova has a degree in Economics (graduated with honors), is a PhD in Economics and has a lot of experience in communications, as they call it today,” Viktor Rubtsov wrote in his blog on Monday morning, April 22.

“All the stated facts may be considered as either advantages or disadvantages... Governor Vasily Bochkarev made a completely unexpected personnel decision, as always. The decision, which, I hope, will allow viewing the region's economy in a different way, influencing it, taking correct adjusted solutions without being blinded by bureaucratic rules and restrictions,” the head of the governor’s staff department and the government of the region commented.

As news agency PenzaNews reported earier, Olesya Safonova was appointed the head of the Ministry of Economy on Monday, April 22.

After the dismissal of the Minister of Economy of the region Fedor Barmina, the responsibilities of the acting head of the department were conducted by Alexander Belozertcev.