ST. PETERSBURG, November 17. /TASS/. Representatives of sexual minorities and their agenda are also part of society, and these people have the right to win cultural contests, but the main thing is that they should not be the only ones in focus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum - Forum of United Cultures.

"Yes, indeed, we see that at various competitions in the Western countries in order to win something you have to either tell, write, or show something about the life of sexual minorities, transgenders and transformers. Names vary. But here's what I'd like to say. An unexpected thing. They too - these topics and these people - have a right to win, to show, and to narrate their stories, because they are also part of society. It's also part of people’s lives. But it is bad, if only they win contests. That’s inappropriate," Putin said.

He added that "equality should be everywhere and in everything, including cultural contests."

In this way he commented on Serbian film director Emir Kusturica’s remark that directors today need to address the issues of sexual minorities in order to win some film competitions.

Kusturica also said that he was planning two projects in Russia - films based on works by Yevgeny Vodolazkin and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

"I’ve come to Russia and I will do Vodolazkin’s 'Lavr' and I will do Dostoevsky. It will be about what I think and the way I feel about your culture," Kusturica said. He believes that Russia has many good authors whose books have not yet been screened, and that Russian cultural workers need to make their own, original Russian films.

"You have so many good authors who have not been screened yet. I'll do two films myself. I'm glad I'm here. I can say that the future belongs to genuine original works. The abolition of Russian culture in the West is impossible," Kusturica concluded.

About the forum

The 9th St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum - Forum of United Cultures - is being held on November 16 to 18. The event was organized by the Russian government, the Ministry of Culture, the authorities of St. Petersburg and the Hermitage Museum. TASS is the forum's general information partner, official operator of the press center and official photo host.