Putin: People should be given opportunity to learn native language

The national issue is not critical in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during his annual big press conference in Moscow today.

The question about native language is directed at ensuring equal starting conditions for all children in Russia, he said.

“If one knows the national language well, but lags behind in Russian, while all major high schools teach in Russian, it is bad for children. We need to guarantee an opportunity to learn national languages to the people, not only Tatar, but Yakut, Chechen, Mari, we have a wide range of such languages, it is our treasure,” Putin said. He added, the government will not impose anything, as it is dangerous for the unity of the Russian Federation.