ST. PETERSBURG, June 21 (Itar-Tass) —— The economy cannot be built without a mature civil society, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum here on Thursday.
“The state authorities should meet the needs of the society and be open for dialogue. Only on these grounds mutual trust and stable development without perturbations is possible,” he said.
“I am convinced that the democratic political system should guarantee not only the legitimacy of power, but also the confidence in its fair nature,” the president went on to say. He noted that the authorities should protect the interests of the majority, whereas the interests of the minority should be protected reasonably as well.
The president pledged that Russia will continue to improve its democracy.
“The task of any transformations is to give a new quality to the life of people. Each person, who claims to engage in politics, each person, who considers himself as a politician should voice his position only according to the law,” he noted.
“The desire for changes is certainly an engine of progress, but it becomes counterproductive and dangerous, if it is leading to the ruining of civil peace,” Putin underlined.
In this respect, the president offered to develop a Russian formula of democracy and development.
“It is necessary to understand what can and should be improved, which institutions are fundamental, state-forming and cannot be revised. During open debates, dialogue with all political forces we should work out a response, which will be common and acceptable for an overwhelming majority of Russian citizens, to the question about an acceptable and efficiently working in our conditions formula of a national model of democracy and development,” he pointed out.
Putin recalled that Russia had laid down an ambitious program of country’s development. “We have everything to attain the goals set: talented and educated people, the political will, the determination to change the situation for the better, change the country, but the most important thing, we realize our responsibility for people, future generations,” Putin said. “We do not postpone anything for tomorrow. We are acting,” the president remarked. “It could seem to someone that it is necessary to act more efficiently, someone is retaining us in the opposite direction, someone is saying do not hurry, but we are moving forward and will keep on moving forward,” he noted. Putin is convinced that “a strong and prosperous Russia” will be created. “We welcome all people, who are ready for partnership together with us,” he pledged.