MOSCOW, September 20 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said he had waited for the president's Valdai forum address for 20 years and promised his party's help to implement the ideas.
"I had waited for 20 years for such a statement as Putin made yesterday in Valdai. Since the times of Gorbachev, none of leaders made such speeches," Zyuganov told reporters before the State Duma meeting on Friday, commenting on the president's Thursday address to the tenth meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
Such a speech should have been made first of all to the Federal Assembly and the nation, but not only to foreign representatives, the communist leader noted.
"I believe the speech is worthy of special attention and discussion in the State Duma. First of all, since the task is set again to think of and invent a national idea," he said.
Putin for the first time as the country's leader has said that Russia cannot exist without a national idea, without maintenance of best traditions and without a serious dialogue of various political forces, Zyuganov said.
The KPRF leader noted that national ideas were not invented in heads. "Ideas come from people, in centuries, in struggle, in work, in throes and victories. And we gave rise to such an idea long ago. We are a nation of victory," he said.
He suggested raising a national idea "on the shield and the banner of the Russian Federation". A wise and well-balanced policy, a new course and a new government are needed for this. "In other words, I consider Putin's address in Valdai as a political and ideological substantiation for the necessity to change the policy and dismiss the government," Zyuganov stated.
"We'll see what will be further. It is very important that the ideas voiced by the president must be implemented in practice. In this, we are ready to help," the communist leader said.