Putin does not mind working in a student team on archeological dig during summer

Vladimir Putin announced that he would not mind working in a student team on an archeological dig during summer.

"I wouldn't mind working in such a team on vacation," said the President in a conversation with historians from the Russian State Library.

This remark followed after one of the participants of the meeting - chair of the department of Slavic-Finish archaeology at the Institute of History of Material Culture under the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Staroladozhskaya archeological expedition, professor Anatoly Kirpichnikov offered the President the post of honorary chairman of the All-Russia Society for Protection of Monuments.

Vladimir Putin rejected the offer, but promised to think about the ways of supporting the society, and also volunteered to work in a student team on an archeological dig.

Arguing with one of the scientists, the head of the Russian State said: "There is nothing unusual or special about the emphasis on negative facts because our task was to destroy the old system. At present, we are focusing on creative work and our tasks have changed. We need to get rid of "husk and foam." One of the participants, director of the Institute of general history under the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Alexander Chubaryan expressed concern about the so-called "problem of the 1990s." He then explained that authors of textbooks present different political commentaries of the 1990s events, based on either leftist or rightist interpretation. "And teachers add their own comments, as well," Mr. Chubaryan said.

He also called for creation of "a common history textbook for all CIS countries." "I have an idea to conduct a meeting discussing the coverage of general history, so that no one has a feeling of being discriminated," the scientist announced. He gave an example of Ukraine.

"It is not the problem of Ukraine alone. It is our common problem," the President replied. He mentioned that Russia also went through a period of "extremes." The Russian President supports the idea of creating unified methodological approaches to preparation of textbooks.