The key facts
- Putin called the diversity of cultures a 'huge competitive advantage' of Russia
- Support for Russian culture and language was declared a strategic task of the state
- On November 3, at the Council for Interethnic Relations, the president linked the unity of peoples to sovereignty and territorial integrity
Address at the International Week 'Peoples of Russia'
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the diversity of cultures, traditions and customs is a great strength and a competitive advantage of the country. The address was delivered at the plenary session of the International Week 'Peoples of Russia', as reported by Life.ru.
Key points
'We are a large country, and I want to repeat once again: in this diversity of cultures, traditions and customs lies our strength, a huge competitive advantage and potential. We must constantly strengthen it and preserve multinational accord, our common heritage,' the outlet quotes the president as saying. According to him, Russia developed over the centuries thanks to the interaction of different peoples, their languages and traditions, and the cultures have become so intertwined that they have 'grown into one another.' Putin also noted that people of different nationalities glorified the country as pioneers, scientists, inventors, artists, performers and warriors, while the distinctive art of all peoples is perceived around the world as Russian.
The strategic importance of language and culture
The president paid special attention to preserving a common cultural space: in his words, support for Russian culture and the Russian language is of strategic importance for the state.
Context: the Council for Interethnic Relations
The statement came against the backdrop of Putin's recent remarks on the same theme. As Life.ru previously reported, on November 3, at a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations, the president called the unity of peoples the main condition for preserving Russia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing that the cohesion of a multinational society is of fundamental importance for the existence of the state, and urged that this principle be taken into account when making decisions related to the country's future. Thus, over the course of two days, the head of state consistently linked cultural diversity to internal cohesion: at the Council, the emphasis was on unity as a condition of sovereignty, while at the 'Peoples of Russia' forum it was on diversity as a resource for development.
