During the Meeting of Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, Vladimir Putin reacted sharply to the public and emotional statements by film director Alexander Sokurov on the revision of the federal structure of Russia, the army and the Union State.
Sokurov became quite emotional as he proceeded to express his point of view on Russia’s federal structure, problems in the North Caucasus, a number of regional border conflicts, human rights concerns, support for the Russian North and its culture. Alexander Sokurov ended his remarks by saying: “I apologise for speaking so long and so passionately, too passionately. I am sorry.”
"We can debate this issue if you like and as long as you like. But I assure you that the overwhelming majority of the people realise what kind of trouble they will face if they act differently. By the way, the Chechen people know this better than anyone else in the Caucasus,"Putin said.
Russia have 2,000 territorial claims in our country.
"Mr Sokurov, do you want to see a repeat of the Yugoslavia scenario on our territory?"he added.
The President warned the director against rash statements.
"I have known you for a very long time now, and I have a lot of respect for you, because you always speak your mind. Frankly, though, you are not always accurate in what you say. Certain things should be properly considered and reviewed first, such as relations among the Nakh [Chechen and Ingush peoples] people. Please take these matters seriously,"he said.
"These matters must be taken very seriously. And talking about this lightly for everyone in our country to hear is not something that even you should do. I assure you that these are dangerous games, we have been here before,"he added.
Putin also stood up to protect the Russian army.
"Do not worry about our army. It is doing fine, it is developing. An organisation as complex as an army, with almost a million service members, cannot go without issues. But if you look at our army of the mid-1990s and today's army… Just look at what those who have declared us an adversary are saying about our army. You will get an idea of the distance covered by our army, its current status and what we can count on in the near future,"he said.
The President also touched upon the topic of Russia's assistance to Belarus within the framework of the Union State.
"You can think whatever you want about Belarus, Belarusians, or the leadership of Belarus, but to say that it lives off our allowance is incorrect, Mr Sokurov. It is unseemly to say so in public. This shows disrespect for the entire nation and the entire country, which is part of the Union State. This is a delicate and lengthy process that requires exceptional competence and patience, and respect for your partner,"Putin stressed.
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