MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. As Russia marks the centenary of the October Revolution, President Vladimir Putin has urged the society to end discord over the Soviet era.
"This year, the centenary of the October Revolution, we have been seeking to encourage the society to abandon confrontation, to see themselves as a single society and realize that we are continuing our common centuries-long history," Putin told a session of the Council for Culture and Art.
"Whether we like certain years or not, but there was everything there - bad things, but also a lot of good things that should not be forgotten," he said.
As fears were voiced at the session over negative consequences of people’s discord over the Soviet era times, Putin acknowledged the problem.
"Yes, certainly the problem does exist, but it has always been in place," he said. The president recalled earlier attempts to ‘forget’ WWI. He also stated that Soviet films are still shown on TV, despite their "expressed ideological component". "Shows are staged, books are not burned, thank God," he remarked.
"Attempts to forget, to extirpate something do happen," Putin stressed. He went on to cite a host of Soviet era achievements in science, space exploration, the country’s defense, social sphere, healthcare and education. "A giant leap was made," he said.