As he was addressing the congress delegates in the Kazan Kremlin, Mr Putin called on government officials to be as correct as possible during an upcoming population census. The state would use the census results to design policies promoting ethnic cultural development and preserving ethnic languages and customs, he said.
While answering questions from the audience, Mr Putin discussed government relations with religions. He said the state should not interfere in the work of religious organisations, but should provide every condition for their performance.
During the discussion, Mr Putin spoke against limitations of ethnic language study.