MOSCOW, June 30./TASS/. Russia is a global storehouse of natural resources that must be used ‘wisely’, but people are its main ‘gold’ reserve, President Vladimir Putin stressed during the Direct Line with Vladimir Putin program on Wednesday.

"Russia is undoubtedly a storehouse, a global storehouse of various mineral resources, this can and must be used wisely, and this is also our huge competitive advantage," the president said. However, Russian nationals are its main resource, the ‘gold’ reserve, he stressed.

"Our main gold reserve is not these 600-odd billion dollars that have been accumulated in the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry, the main gold reserve of Russia is the people. This is not mere rhetoric, I am not saying this to please anyone, I am sincerely convinced that this is what it is," the Russian leader stressed.