MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Freedom of thought is common to Russia while Russian liberals' desire to import foreign models has nothing to do with true liberalism, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1's "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" show.
"If liberalism is viewed as freedom of thought, freedom to make choices and search for solutions, then we've always had it and will always have it, thank God," he pointed out. "However, if it means that we must copy someone else's models and see liberalism the way some countries see it, it's not the best option. Dostoevsky said that 'our liberals are footmen willing to clean someone's boots.' However, it's not true liberalism," the head of state added, citing Dostoevsky's Demons.
Putin emphasized that no country would be able to ensure effective development, competitiveness and a bright future unless it had a positive domestic development mechanism such as freedom of thought. Putin was confident that if Russian liberals really wished well to the country, it would be easy for them to find common ground with those who associate themselves with the so-called Slavophile movement, provided that "both parties have the goal of finding the best options for the country's development.".