Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the government was ready to take into account environmentalists' concerns over the construction of the controversial Moscow-St. Petersburg highway, but warned them against politicizing the issue.
The statement followed Thursday's order by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to suspend the construction of the highway, which threatens a forest north of Moscow, as a result of a large-scale grassroots protest movement.
"Problems always emerge when it comes to development and environmental protection," Putin told reporters in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.
"Sometimes this ecological problem is used for political purposes," Putin said, adding that in order to find a compromise, both politicians and ecologists should restrain their "ambitions."
The construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway through the Khimki forest, part of Moscow's so-called greenbelt, began in 2006, sparking public protests against the destruction of a section of the centuries-old forest.
Environmentalists have maintained a round-the-clock vigil at the forest since July 15 in order to stop "illegal" attempts to cut down trees. Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that the decision to build the road does not violate the law.
Medvedev decided however to suspend the construction and hold additional public and expert discussions on the issue.
"They [the talks] have already been held, but because of the increased public response, I do not see anything bad in returning to the talks once again...in order to dot the i's and cross the t's," the president said in his video blog on Thursday.
Putin agreed with Medvedev's decision. "This is normal. This is right," he said.
However, he said, the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway should still be constructed as it was "necessary for economic development."
Following Medvedev's order, the Russian Natural Resources Ministry said it was ready to join discussions on new possible routes for the highway.
MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti)
