MOSCOW, September 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for enhancing cultural dialogue between Russia and Finland in his message of greeting to delegates and guests of the 14th Russian-Finnish Cultural Forum that opened in Nizhny Novgorod, central Russia, on Monday.

“Our countries are not only close and good neighbors. We are united by common pages of history, years-old traditions of cultural interaction that we sincerely value. This transparent dialogue, which meets the realities of time, should be filled with new and fresh ideas and initiatives and engage active and talented youth into the joint activity,” Putin said in his message.

“Our meetings turned into a milestone event of the two countries’ lives long ago. From year to year they boost their potential and attract famous scientists, public figures and creative people from many regions of Russia and Finland,” he said.

Putin expressed confidence that the forum would provide “a brilliant opportunity for discussing a wide range of professional problems, would give green light to many interesting and in-demand projects and would help enhance multifaceted cooperation between our countries and people.”