Reanimation of USSR is impossible

It is impossible to reanimate the Soviet Union, while it is necessary to use the positive expertise accumulated by past generations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this in Yalta in light of the signing of an agreement on establishing the single economic environment by 4 former Soviet republics - Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.

"The USSR was a complex, heroic, creating and yet tragic page in history Russia has turned over. The train is off. We should think of tomorrow using all positive things we have inherited from past generations," the president said when appearing before reporters along with the other leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) after the summit.

President Putin said the past experience should be treated with consideration.

A reporter's question whether the emergence of a single controlling body would mean the reanimation of the former USSR outraged the Russian president.

This is complete rubbish, the president said, adding that those who asked such questions did not understand quite well what they had asked.

The single economic environment must foster an effective operation of the involved countries' economies, he said.

The president said Ukraine had insisted that the phrase "supra-national bodies" be replaced by "controlling bodies" in the final wordings of the agreement.

Yet, Vladimir Putin referred to the European Union, which did not turn down the idea of setting up supra-national bodies. The EU member countries gave up their "ambitions and ethnocentrism" when signing the Rome treaty, according to the Russian leader.