The President laid flowers at the Friendship Monument in Ufa and visited a farm.
Later in the day Mr Putin met with members of Bashkiria’s Peoples’ Assembly. He stressed that Russia was a unique place where various peoples and cultures lived together, and a high level of professionalism was required to harmonise interethnic relations The President added that it would be useful to set up a body within the presidential structures that would tackle interethnic policy issues.
The President also visited an Orthodox church near Ufa and the Lyalya-Tulpan mosque.
President Putin concluded his brief trip to Bashkiria with a visit to a race track where a horse race and a theatre performance were held on the occasion of the Sabantui national festival.