| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Putin Feeds His Own
// The pro-presidential Nashi movement meets the president
Youth Policy
Russian President Vladimir Putin received a delegation of commissioners and supporters of the pro-presidential Nashi (Ours) movement congress that just concluded in Seliger at his residence in Zavidovo, Tver Region, yesterday. Putin called Nashi “a brilliant example of civic society” and expressed the hope that “they will be able to influence the situation in the country.”
The national congress of commissioners and supporters of the Nashi movement took place on the shores of Lake Seliger from July 11 to 25. Three thousand activists from 45 regions of Russia played sports in their tent city, learned extreme survival skills and took part in political lessons. Political scientists Gleb Pavlovsky, Sergey Markov and Sergey Kara-Muza lectured. Deputy head of the Russian administration Vladislav Surkov, Tver Region governor Dmitry Zelenin, Krasnodar Territory governor Alexander Tkachev, Duma deputy Andrey Kokoshin, senator Mikhail Margelov and other officials also made appearances.
The main intrigue at the congress, talked about for the entire two weeks, was whether of not Putin would come to Seliger (he had already met with Nashi leaders at the Kremlin on May 30). Leaders of the movement had assured journalists in private conversations that the president would be there. Alexander Smirnov, deputy head of Ostashkov District in Tver Region, where the camp is located, even named the date of the president's arrival – July 22. The descent of Federal Protection Service employees seemed to confirm indirectly that the president was on his way as they carefully inspected the forest surrounding the camp, as did the news that Putin had arrived unexpectedly at his residence in Zavidovo, an hour from the Seliger, on July 19.
But the president did not come to the camp. The congress ended Monday evening and yesterday morning the commissioners and supporters began to depart. After a group of buses had already left, Nashi commissioner Vasily Yakemenko got a call on his cellular phone from the presidential administration. “They told me that the president couldn't make it to us at the camp for technical reasons,” he said, “but he is ready to receive us.” The federal commissioner chose 56 people for the meeting with the president, the ones who had distinguished themselves in the political training while there. They were bussed to the presidential residence. “We waited fro the president outside for more than an hour,” Yakemenko recounted. “While he was busy, they fed us very well with barbequed meat and fish, and then the president came, alone, without the Labrador.”
“Thank you for coming,” the president told them. Nashi press secretary Ivan Mostovich said that Putin also “thanked Nashi for for its mass action on Victory Day,” referring to their action on Leninsky Prospekt in Moscow. Yakemenko said the meeting lasted for more than two hours. “The president answered al of our commissioners' questions, about Russia's admission to the WTO, relations with CIS countries, and other things, he said. The president's words about the movement itself left the biggest impression on the members. “Your organization is a brilliant example of civic society, He said, adding that he hoped that “Nashi will be able to influence the situation in the country.”
Putin was interested in the movement's principles concerning defeatists. That is the name that is the name used in the movement for the current generation of officials. I am against labels,” Putin said. “There are people who want to live peacefully and are ready to work under any regime. We have no right to condemn them for that.” At the same time, the president said that “there is an active part of society, people who make decisions… Those who want to live peacefully will also follow in the wake of those people. You look like the people who are in the lead,” Yakemenko quoted the president as saying.
Toward the end of the meeting, they made a campfire. “Somebody around the campfire asked the president if meetings like this were important to him,” Yakemenko recalled. “He said that they were very important.”
Oleg Kashin
All the Article in Russian as of July 27, 2005
|
|
|
