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Putin open to liberalism, sees no grounds to renounce long-standing traditions

The Russian leader stressed that the CIS countries had jointly completed a number of large-scale humanitarian projects this year

© Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

ASHGABAT, October 11. /TASS/. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members should treasure and uphold their centuries-old cultural forms of cooperation and traditions, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State on Friday.

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He stressed that the CIS countries had jointly completed a number of large-scale humanitarian projects this year. "You have possibly noticed that they are trying to take digs at me for what I said about liberalism. I don’t have anything against liberalism, but we have our own traditions, our centuries-old cultural forms of cooperation. Why shouldn’t we treasure them and why shouldn’t we develop and support them? There are no grounds [for that]," Putin underlined.

In June, the Russian leader sat down for an interview with the Financial Times where he shared his opinion that the modern liberal idea had "outlived its purpose" and comes into conflict with interests of the majority of the population. According to Putin, Russia’s Western partners in particular recognize that its certain elements, such as multiculturalism or renouncement of traditional values, are simply not realistic. At the same time, the president is convinced that liberal ideas should not be exterminated, they should be allowed to exist and reveal their potential through various ideas and opinions.

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