Russia not going to leave UN, UNESCO - Putin

ST. PETERSBURG. Nov 17 (Interfax) - Russia has no need to leave the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"I think there is no such need. Why? It's a platform where people talk, work. We have quite serious projects that are being implemented through UNESCO. I don't see a need for that," Putin said at a cultural forum in St. Petersburg, speaking about the possibility of Russia leaving UNESCO.

"Some say we need to leave the UN, it's total nonsense. Because Russia is a founder of the organization. Why would we leave it?" Putin said.

At the same time, Putin said he believes international organizations created after World War II need changes.

"The situation is, of course, changing. And it has changed seriously. New centers of power, new centers of growth have appeared and are appearing in the world. The tendencies are obvious, you understand, the tendencies are obvious. For example, the United Kingdom was recently the world's fourth largest economy, and now it is, I think, the tenth or ninth. It's not because some events are happening in Russian-Ukrainian relations. Not at all! These are objective tendencies in the world's development. Russia now has a bigger parity of buying capacity than the Federal Republic of Germany. The tendencies have just changed cardinally, and they are increasing and will change," Putin said.

"In accordance with these tendencies, in accordance with the changed world, international organizations, the UN and all other agencies, of course, need to be adjusted for it," he said.

"Yes, it needs to be done. It's also fair - Africa needs to be represented, of course, Latin America, Asia, India, Brazil, the South African Republic. No doubt, it needs to be done. But it seems to me there is no point in closing them or leaving them," Putin said.