Esteemed participants in the Civic Forum,

First of all, allow me to welcome you and to congratulate you on the start of your work.

Let me note and say from the outset that the assistance rendered by the state in organizing this event has been prompted by the awareness of the need for dialogue and partnership between power and the civil society.

We know that in the course of the preparation of the Forum fears were voiced that the state is trying to subjugate civil society and make it manageable. But I think that everyone and, I assure you, the representatives of power, understand very well that civil society cannot be formed at the initiative of power, at its wish or on its direction.

Moreover, I think it is absolutely unproductive and practically impossible and even dangerous to try to create a civil society "from above". In general, it is impossible to create it "by fiat". And I would like to stress once again that it grows on its own, it has its own roots and it is nourished by the spirit of freedom. It is only then that it becomes a truly civil society.

Yes, our civil society cannot yet be described as a completely formed. But I doubt that one can find any country of which it can be said that its society has been finally formed. In the conditions of democracy that process is imperative and permanent. And for Russia, one has to admit, the process is only beginning.

It is unlikely that anyone has ready recipes for fostering a civil society. But power as a whole can have only one task: to form the most favorable environment for its development. This is the main and essentially the only task.

This audience includes representatives of very diverse civil institutions. Diverse in their goals and in what they expect from the state. There are some that are stiffly opposed to power on fundamental issues of state policy. I think it is not just a normal phenomenon, but an extremely useful one in the conditions of democracy.

Without a true relationship of partnership between the state and society there can be neither a strong state nor a prosperous and happy society. What is needed is an equal dialogue. And we are aware that the effectiveness of the dialogue depends on us to a great extent, on the representatives of power, on power as a whole. In this connection, we are prepared to take the necessary organizational, and, if the need arises, legislative measures; we are prepared to ensure effective feedback from society to the state apparatus. In any case, we will try to do it.

We are ready to listen attentively and to hear what you propose. I believe that now that the time of truly great opportunities has come for Russia and its citizens such cooperation can become highly productive, our state needs it.

Our time is very dynamic and eventful. It calls for responsible actions. It calls for precise decisions. It calls for an influx of new ideas, initiatives, human resources and technologies. That is why the country badly needs intellectual mobilization. Workable and effective models of cooperation between state and civil institutions are needed.

It is our duty together to use the historical chance presented to us. Otherwise, we may again find ourselves in the "backyard of civilization". I think your work in this area is not only possible, but simply indispensable.

During the past years you have been able to come up with your suggestions on how to tackle social, environmental, charitable, information and educational tasks. The Russian Internet is a vivid example. Much of the credit for its development goes to non-governmental, non-profit structures. Its very emergence gave rise to a fundamentally new system of public scrutiny of the quality and authenticity of information, including information on the work of the bodies of power, and it exerts a direct impact on the making of managerial decisions.

I am aware of the proposal to organize an All-Russian Personnel Fund, an information base that could be used by the state, business and the institutions of civil society. I think the idea merits serious attention. Power today acutely needs an injection of modern thinking, competent people from the non-government sector.

Your assistance is undoubtedly useful in the reform of the justice system. It is proceeding with difficulty and it cannot be a purely departmental affair. The voice of the citizens here must be one of the decisive voices. The same is indeed true of the issues of making our penitentiary system more humane. The conditions in penitentiary institutions are hard and the problems accumulated over many decades need to be solved urgently. We will try to ensure real access for civil institutions to the solution of these key problems and other problems.

A few words about interaction with the business community. It is at present well organized, perhaps even better than others, it is consolidated and its structures represent the social and business interests of large groups of Russian entrepreneurs.

In the dialogue with the state they raise not only production or legislative problems that are closely linked with production. They include jobs, social protection, education and national security. Our steps to debureaucratize the economy owe much to constructive interaction with the representatives of the domestic business community. Their direct influence on these decisions is obvious.

I consider similar cooperation to be extremely important on issues of human rights, combating ideological, national and religious intolerance. These are extremely important problems for the multinational Russia. I am convinced that only a civil society based on respect of human rights can provide a reliable barrier to marginalization, extremism and intolerance.

Obviously, the list of topics for our joint work is much broader than what I have just mentioned. We look forward to your proposals and initiatives on the broadest range of issues of state and social life.

Esteemed participants of the Forum, you know that in recent years we have worked hard to strengthen the state. But the state is always more than power. And it is judged not only by its political success and the development of the economy, but above all, by its people and the degree of their personal freedom. By how influential the civil society is.

There can be no genuinely strong democratic state if society is weak. Only full-blooded social life can secure the state machine against inertia and its apparatus against stagnation. The ethical principles embraced by society directly reflect on the style of the activities of the state apparatus and on the results of its work.

I am convinced that power will fail if its partner is a society that is unfree. The worst solution would be an attempt to bureaucratize its institutions. Copying the methods of the work of state structures is obviously not an answer. Civil society has other and more effective instruments. And you did the right thing in using these methods in preparing this Forum.

In conclusion, I would like to say this. People in Russia have always been able to get together and together overcome difficulties. But it is no less important, ultimately far more important, to learn to work in a calm, concentrated and systemic manner. Especially now that there is a good chance to combine the resources of the strengthened state and the energy of democratic society.

It is still hard to admit to ourselves that we are beginning to succeed in a few things, and I am saying this with great caution. The time is coming when life in Russia is gradually becoming more and more dignified. It is becoming prestigious to be a citizen of Russia. Especially since in Russia the notion of "citizen" has always meant much more than a legal form of association with the state. And that is why a civic sense and patriotism cannot be assured by just writing it down in a document.

I sincerely wish success to your Forum.

Thank you for your attention.


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© Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.