MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that the popular portrayal of him and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a "young liberal lawyer" and KGB "spy" is incorrect as they both have a lot in common in reality.
Speaking to Swiss media before his official visit to Switzerland on September 21-22, Medvedev said that he and Putin have the same educational background majoring in law and both graduated from the Leningrad State University.
"That is why it is wrong when we are portrayed in different colors with one as a 'young liberal lawyer' and the other as a 'spy,' because in reality we have the same perception of many things in life," he said.
Commenting on Putin's statement that they are "of the same blood," Medvedev told journalists that it was simply a figure of speech, although they do share the same blood group.
When asked last week whether he would be running for the presidency in 2012, Putin told the Valdai Discussion Club that he would reach an agreement with Medvedev "because we are of the same blood and of the same political outlook."
Medvedev also said that the ruling political party United Russia, led by Putin, is a party just like any other in Russia with no specific privileges.
"I believe the fact that we have such a strong political force does not hinder the development of democracy, but on the contrary provides for the development of a party system," he said.
Other parties must be developing as well, Medvedev said, and the competition between them should contribute to the development of a political system.
"I believe that in the future we will have a system where several parties will compete on equal footing and a permanent basis. We shouldn't create an artificial situation," he added.
