MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – In a call for national unity, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said a calendar should be compiled of historic dates related to the unity of the peoples of Russia.
Speaking at a meeting of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, convened to discuss the country’s National Ethnic Policy Strategy through 2025, Putin asked the government “to consider a package of measures to foster strong interethnic relations through the media and the Internet.”
“We must involve experts in this work, who will compile a list of historical dates related to the unity of the peoples of Russia, and put together a calendar of events at least from 2013 to 2025. These events should be widely publicized in the media and academic publications, as well as in educational and cultural spheres,” the president said.
In his speech, Putin said that the vast majority of modern civilized countries are seeking integration, seeing it as an opportunity to radically increase competitiveness and ensure survival. Russia should “cherish and multiply this source of strength,” he said.
“Everyone must learn the true story of our country’s unification, the joining of Russian lands into a single powerful multiethnic state, and not all kinds of pseudo-scientific, biased speculations on the subject,” the president said.
In 2005, Russia introduced a new public holiday, the National Day of Unity celebrated on November 4 to mark the liberation of Russia from Polish invaders in 1612. The day replaced the communist holiday of November 7 that celebrated the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.