Putin notes importance of preserving balance between national values, openness to innovation

ST. PETERSBURG. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Russia should strive for a balance between protecting its national values and being open to innovation that drives progress, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"We must strive for a balance between preserving our national values and being open to those influences that foster development and progress," Putin said during a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum on Friday.

"Mixing traditions and techniques often creates world-class masterpieces while personal contacts help artists, writers and musicians find unconventional forms of realization for their talents," Putin said.

History shows that cultures thrive in times of active interaction with the outside world, he said. "And vice versa: when a society withdraws into itself and blindly believes in its exceptionalism and superiority over others, a period of spiritual and intellectual crisis begins, followed by cultural decay and stagnation in all spheres of life," Putin said.

In addition, a common national goal is to "avert risks, negative social and public consequences, in particular the erosion devaluation of the values of human freedom and rights, ethic and moral norms, loss of the national identify and cultural diversity, without which global harmony is not possible," Putin said.