Putin gives new definitions to ‘Russia’s defensibility and competitiveness’ at the Seliger-2009 Forum
SELIGER, Tver Region, Central Russia – Speaking at the All-Russia youth forum ‘Seliger-2009’ in the Tver Region in central Russia over the weekend, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made several far-reaching public statements relating to Russia’s both domestic and foreign policies, and also his personal vision on the country’s strategic development with the ultimate goal of transforming it into a very strong, vibrant and prosperous modern state.
Specifically, Putin noted that in today’s modern world, the ‘defensibility of a country’ is no longer exclusively defined by the size of its army manpower, the number of planes, tanks, submarines or rocket carriers, just as a country’s ‘economic might’ is also similarly no longer being determined by the number of its factories, volume of arable lands or the availability of abundant mineral resources. “Quite the contrary, the power of a country and its competitiveness in today’s world are defined, first and foremost, by its citizens’ readiness to accept to all forms of innovations, everything that is new, advanced and progressive,” Putin explained his new definitions of the terms 'defensibility' and 'competitiveness’ to thousands of Russian youth gathered at the Seliger-09 forum.
In this connection, the prime minister specially emphasized the role the Russian youth can play in strengthening the country’s competitiveness not only via generation of innovative ideas, but also their practical realizations. “The youth has always been the source of renewable energy, which is highly needed today to ensure Russia’s prosperity. This was how it had been in the past, how it is today and how it will always be,” he added.
Included in the list of key programs marking the official celebration of the “Year of the Russian Youth” in 2009, this year’s forum on the Seliger Lake kicked off on July 2 and will run till August 15. Over this time span, a record number of about 50,000 people, according to the organizers’ forecasts, are expected to visit the event. This will be about 10 times higher than the number of participants at a similar forum in 2008 that was attended by about 5,000 participants, mainly from Nashi, the pro-Kremlin youth organization. However, unlike in previous years, the Seliger-2009 forum was open to representatives of all youth organizations that are officially registered in the country.
Apart from Putin, other high-ranking state officials as well as leading titans of Russian businesses have already graced the Seliger-09 forum with their presence, where they read lectures or spoke on politics, economy and social issues. Also, other heavyweight politicians and leading CEOs of the largest and most successful Russian corporations as well as culture dignitaries, including top Russian show business stars, are also expected at the forum before it finally closes on August 15.
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