Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev, speaks to more than 800 Russian and foreign journalists at the biggest news conference of his presidency in Skolkovo, outside Moscow, May 18. Photo from the Kremlin website.

Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev said that events of 2008, referring to the war with Georgia, made Russia feel strong.

At the end of over 2 hour-old press conference in Skolkovo, outside Moscow, on May 18 Medvedev told more than 800 Russian and foreign journalists, that Russia’s foreign policy, which led to “lowering tensions with number of countries” should be listed among the achievements.

Medvedev was responding to a question, posted in a written form and selected by himself, asking to name the major achievements of his presidency.

Lowering of tensions with “number of countries,” he said “is very good simply because it allows us to develop and not to get distracted excessively by attendant problems.”

“At the same time we were able to protect ourselves and today we can defend ourselves, defend our independence, our sovereign approaches. I mean the most difficult events, including events of 2008. I think it was very important for the country instead of being crumbled, to make the country feel strong, no matter what the interpretations were given to those events. It was first and foremost important for us,” Medvedev said.