Putin supports development of volunteering in Russia

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) and the Public Chamber of Russia to support volunteer movements and non-profit organizations.

"I am asking the Public Chamber and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to start providing substantive support to volunteer and charitable movements, non-profit organizations," the President said in his Putin said in his state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly.

He noted that volunteering is intensively developing in Russia in different social areas.

The head of the state drew attention to the fact that today a lot of schoolchildren and students are involved in volunteer projects and volunteer movements are developing in such important areas as nursing, support of patients, education, sports, arts, regional ethnography, environment protection.

"A particular sign of our time is a wide involvement of citizens in different charity campaigns. People quickly respond to appeals in social networks and media to collect funds for medical treatment and helping children, they do it sincerely, selflessly, as response to the will of their hearts," Putin said.

The President stressed the need "to remove all obstacles for the development of volunteering" in general and called on governors and municipal authorities "not to be greedy" and to give non-commercial organizations the opportunity to work in social services, which are financed from the budget.

Putin on civil society in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for mutual responsibility for cultural representatives and civil society, while confirming the right of everyone to freely express their opinion, at the annual state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly. 

"Tomorrow at the Cultural Council meeting we will definitely discuss the issues that cause elaborate discussion, we'll talk about the principles of mutual responsibility of the representatives of civil society and culture," said Putin.

The President emphasized that "no one can forbid to think freely and openly express opinions in culture in politics and in mass media, in public life and in debate on economic issues,"

"When we speak of solidarity and unity, we have in mind a conscious, natural unity of the citizens for Russia's successful development ," the president said.

"Is it possible to achieve important strategic objectives in a fragmented society? Is it possible to solve these problems with the parliament, where instead of productive work battles of ambition and fruitless squabbles are taking place? Is it possible to adequately develop on the shaky ground of a weak state and on the weak-willed government that has lost the trust of its citizens? The answer is obviously "no"," the Russian leader said.

Putin added that in the recent years there have been a few countries where "this kind of situation opened the door to adventure-seekers, coups, and in the end - anarchy." President Putin noted that the result is always the same - "human tragedies, lost lives, decay, ruin and disappointment."