MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. Russia’s lower house speaker Sergey Naryshkin called on Wednesday, ahead of the June 12 Russia Day celebrations, for protecting the country’s legal basis and respecting the history.
"We have to learn to respect ourselves and our history and maintain our positions and our own opinion without fear and without looking at anyone else," the State Duma speaker said, adding that "the main condition for stability and growth is the efficiency of a rule-of-law state."
The lawmaker has called to protect the legal basis laid on two historic dates, the Constitution Day (December 12, 1993) and Russia Day, marked on June 12 to remind of the historic Declaration of Sovereignty adopted 25 years ago.
The Russian society is now divided into two different groups, the politician said, explaining that one of them criticizes the past and the other praises the past and denies the achievements of the past 25 years.
"This downplays the efforts of millions and millions of our fellow countrymen who sincerely have participated in building our state over the past 100 years," Naryshkin said.
Naryshkin has called on lawmakers not to be fascinated with initiatives that arouse a stormy reaction of the population. "Peace and stability in society are more important than any ambitions," he stressed.
Russia knows this not only from its own experience, but also from that of its neighbor Ukraine, Naryshkin said. "It is enough to cast a look at our brotherly nation Ukraine, which is torn by contradictions and civil war," he said.
"Let’s remember about this when considering and adopting laws that will define the life and development of Russia," he said.