MOSCOW. April 29 (Interfax) - Russia must adopt a pragmatic approach towards its development, Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev said.

"I see our country following a pragmatic path," he said at the meeting with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper staff on Tuesday.

Medvedev said the expression "the knight at a crossroad" used by one of the journalists was "an absolutely precise comparison." At the same time he said the same expression could be used to describe the country's situation both 100 and 200 years ago.

"I think the debates should continue. Discussion is a wonderful thing. But our development must be pragmatic. We must absorb all the best things that were invented by mankind," the Russian president-elect said.

"It is completely obvious that each country chooses its own way and develop according to its own laws," Medvedev said.

However, an attempt to develop a model once and for all may drive the country into deadlock, he said.

"We are such a big and significant power that we are capable of taking a pragmatic and self-sufficient stand," he said.