Medvedev urges govt, church to fight extremism among young people

?Joint efforts are needed to stop all manifestations of extremism, both actions and propaganda,? Medvedev said at a joint meeting of the Presidium of the State Council and the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations, held in Tula on Wednesday. ?We have to engage young people in the inter-cultural dialogue and cooperation, and bring them up in the spirit of tolerance,? Medvedev said. ?We should remember Russian patriotism aimed at supporting inter-ethnic consensus and unity in our multi-confessional state,? the president said. ?Practically everything depends on our joint efforts,? he added. Medvedev recalled that ?the value vacuum in the Soviet period and the 1990s had a negative effect on young people?. ?They turned out to be more vulnerable to destructive ideological trends, including pseudo religious ones, and influence by those who incite ethnic and religious intolerance in our country,? he said. Medvedev said the adaptation of young people to harsh realities of modern life, including at a time of crisis, was one of the key issues to be addressed by both the government and the church. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called for a broad dialogue between the church, the state and society in bringing up young people. ?This is a very important topic because not only middle-age and senior citizens but also young people should have healthy morals and national self-consciousness,? Kirill said on Wednesday after a service at Tula?s Cathedral of All Saints. ?The time has come for a broad dialogue between the church, the state and society because today as never before we understand the need to redouble our efforts so that our people could live a different life,? the patriarch said. Russia is a rich country, and economic difficulties for it are ?like bad weather: if it is there today, it will be gone tomorrow.? ?Economic difficulties for Russia are always a temporary and transient problem. It is important, however, to preserve our faith, moral, spiritual and cultural national traditions,? the patriarch said, Kazinform refers to ITAR-TASS.