KISLOVODSK. Aug 3 (Interfax) - The mutual radicalization of power and society leads nowhere, the only alternative being cultural tolerance and mutual respect, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told young people of the North Caucasus in Kislovodsk on Wednesday.
"When people begin transgressing certain borders, for example in Europe, if local residents see that the government does not protect them, this is fraught with radical elements breaking their way into power. On the other side, there appear radical elements that start fighting them. Tension escalates. This is a way that leads nowhere," he said.
Speaking about tolerance and xenophobia in Europe, Putin said: "Some European countries have problem with women who want to wear the veil. Perhaps it would be better for me not to speak up on the issue, as I risk being immediately criticized, but I will speak all the same. People should certainly be allowed to live as they want, but if they move to different cultural surroundings, they should respect the people they choose to settle with."
If one's behavior is perceived as religious and cultural aggression, if this causes alienation, one should treat it with understanding and not respond by trying to impose one's own rules, Putin said.
"I assume that there are people with far radical views. Then go there and live there, where these views are a norm," Putin said.
He reiterated his call for respectful attitude to people of other cultures and religions, speaking other languages.