International conference to discuss Yeltsin's political heritage

MOSCOW, February 2 (Itar-Tass) - Participants in the international
conference Boris Yeltsin and New Russia will discuss on Wednesday
prospects for the development of the country in the light of political
heritage of Russia's first president Boris Yeltsin.
The conference will be held at Moscow's President Hotel. It will
become one of the key events in the program prepared by the Boris Yeltsin
Presidential Centre for the birth anniversary of the first Russian leader.
Yeltsin, who died almost four years ago, would have turned 80 on
February 1. On Tuesday, the first monument to Boris Yeltsin was unveiled
in Yekaterinburg. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was present at the
unveiling ceremony together with Yeltsin's widow Naina and his relatives.
"Russia must be grateful to Yeltsin, as at the most difficult period
the country did not deviate from the path of changes, carried out major
transformations and now moves forward," the president said.
"We have a modern country today, which is developing, although not
without problems, and which is moving forward, and the credit for that
should be given to Yeltsin and to all those who helped him build a new
state," Medvedev stressed. "The foundation, on which our country is being
built, was laid at that time," he said.
First Russian President Boris Yeltsin had to tackle the most serious
problems of the transitional period in Russia, Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin said at the concert late on Tuesday that marked Yeltsin's 80th birth
anniversary.
The personality of Yeltsin is still to be evaluated by new generations
and history, Putin said.
"Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin went a long way of the most difficult but
necessary transformations together with new Russia. He headed the process
of drastic reforms, which led Russia out of the deadlock. The personality
of Yeltsin is yet to be evaluated by new generations and history," he said.
"Russia was born anew when Yeltsin was in office. It became a
civilized and open state, and the role of the first president was enormous
in that process," he said. "The words he said while transferring
presidential power 'Take care of Russia' had a great moral meaning and
reflected his personal attitude to the country."
The modern success of Russia is directly linked to the reforms
supervised by President Yeltsin, Putin said. "It was when an open Russia
mindful of people was born, democratic institutions were formed and the
Russian constitution was adopted to proclaim human rights and freedoms as
the top value," he said.
The Wednesday forum will bring together representatives of
governmental entities, heads of regions as well as Russian and foreign
scholars, economists and politicians.
It is expected that taking part in the plenary session will be the
head of the presidential administration, Sergei Naryshkin, Minister of
Culture Alexander Avdeyev, as well as many of politicians who used to work
with Yeltsin - Anatoly Chubais, Sergei Shakhrai, Gennady Burbulis and
others.
The forum will be a yet another attempt to reconsider the role of
Yeltsin in the formation of Russia's new statehood.