Vladivostok Mayor Igor Pushkarev has proposed that Russia move its capital to the east.
Pushkarev, speaking on Ekho Moskvy radio late Wednesday, said a move from Moscow to some city in the east would help solve the economic problems and territorial disputes in that area.
In addition, Pushkarev referred to statistical studies supposedly demonstrating a higher rate of development in countries whose capitals are located in the east.
The mayor, however, did not specify the exact location for where the new capital could be.
The idea to move the capital to the east is not new. Earlier, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the opposition activist Eduard Limonov suggested moving the capital to Siberia as a way to stimulate the development of the region.
In 2012, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin criticized the idea of moving the capital. He said it would reduce the flow of investment and employment and it would be a "catastrophe" for the residents of Moscow and the surrounding Moscow region.
