Nizhniy Novgorod, 27 February: (Russian) presidential candidate (First Deputy Prime Minister) Dmitriy Medvedev has said he is against NGOs being financed only from abroad.

"It is inappropriate when they receive funds from abroad. There is nothing bad about this, but we have a strong state, so public organizations should also be strong, and the state should maintain these organizations on its own," Medvedev said at a meeting with voters.

He added that R1.3bn (around 54m dollars at the current exchange rate) was spent on supporting the activities of various nongovernmental organizations last year. This year this sum will amount to R1.5bn.

Speaking about the need to create a developed civil society, Medvedev said that the state "cannot deal with all life's issues, no matter how hard it tries".

"It means that we should either suppress these issues or support self-government organizations to help people solve their problems," Medvedev said.

The authorities intend to build this kind of state, he stressed.