Putin participates in opening roads, connecting Russia to East, West

MOSCOW

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will continue to develop new logistics routes.

The new roads are necessary "for the formation of convenient transport routes, for efficient logistics, for the disclosure of the potential of adjacent territories," Putin said at a ceremony inaugurating new the North-South and West-East transport corridors.

"And today we are taking the next step in solving this large-scale task," he said.

Russia recently began reorienting its trade from the West to the East because of deteriorating relations with the West concerning differences about the conflict in Ukraine.

In a separate statement, the Kremlin said Putin also instructed the Education Ministry to consider the possibility of studying the history of world religions within the framework of school curriculums.