Russian President set a task to protect interethnic peace

“The most important topic that requires a straight talk in our society is interethnic relations,” the Russian President Vladimir Putin said making an annual address to the Federal Assembly. “Many of our problems, many difficulties of social and economic and territorial development are focused here: both corruption and shortcomings in the work of public institutions, and, of course, failures in educational and cultural policies, which often lead to a distorted understanding of true causes of interethnic tensions. It is not provoked by representatives of certain nationalities but by the people with lack of culture, respect for traditions, both their own and of other people. It's kind of immoral International, which includes passed all bounds, insolent natives of some southern regions of Russia, and corrupted law enforcement officials that provide a crime-sponsored cover for ethnic mafia, and so-called "Russian nationalists", various separatists, which are ready to make any domestic crime as an excuse for vandalism and a bloody row. Together we must cope with this challenge, must protect our ethnic peace and hence the unity of our society, the unity and integrity of the Russian state” Vladimir Putin said.