Official website of the President of Russia

Документ   /

The President toured exhibitions and displays, and addressed forum participants.

The Mashuk North Caucasus Youth Educational Forum has been held in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Territory, on Komsomolskaya Polyana at the foot of Mount Mashuk since 2010.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Do you know what always surprises me when I meet people like you? It surprises me that what you do, how you spend your time, even years of your life, is unrelated to any pragmatic interests.

Doing business is good and useful, but it has to do with profit. However, volunteer work, your volunteering activity has nothing to do with profitmaking. Rather it has to do with compassion, with the kindness of the heart, with the needs of the soul.

As we well know, no engine is more powerful than a human heart – humanity does not know a more powerful driver. And when people like you do something from the bottom of their hearts, it produces maximum effect.

Therefore, for the state, volunteer activities are often more effective than the bureaucratic machine. For the Caucasus, this comes naturally – here people imbibe with their mother's milk the feelings of friendship, the desire to support a loved one and, in general, anyone.

That is why it was so interesting for me to see today what kind of projects you are involved in here: the restoration of ancient art forms and traditional dress, restoring the national family tower in North Ossetia, addressing environmental issues in Daghestan, and a very important undertaking in Chechnya – assistance to people with disabilities and their rehabilitation. Good job, well done, great!

I have to say that I cannot enumerate everything I saw here and read on my way here, but everything you do is needed. Just now we visited a tent with an entire display about the heroes of Russia – past and present.

These living examples of our compatriots help encourage current and future generations of young Russians. This is a source of strength for each person’s small homeland, and for our vast and great Russia. Thank you very much.

In conclusion, I would like to wish you all the very best, because if anyone deserves success, it is people like you.

Good luck! Thank you.