MOSCOW, Feb 22: Russia has chosen the path of democracy but democratic institutions must be adapted to suit Russia's specific needs and the West should not use criticism of this process as a means of trying to weaken the Russian state , President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"Democratic institutions should be adapted to today's realities in Russian life, to our traditions and our history," Mr Putin said in an interview with Slovak media, a transcript of which was released here by the Kremlin.

"We are against use of this issue as an instrument for fulfilling foreign policy objectives or for making something amorphous of the Russian state, to manipulate in one way or another such a large and important country for international relations," the Russian leader said.

"But I don't think that is the aim of our partners," he said, stressing that Russia made its choice for democracy 14 years ago, when the Soviet Union collapsed, not in order to please any other countries "but for ourselves, for our country, for our citizens."

Many so-called developed democracies had political problems of their own and like them Russia was open to constructive criticism which was not troubling for Moscow "but only helpful," Mr Putin said two days before summit talks in Bratislava with US President George Bush.

Mr Putin has introduced political reforms that have been questioned by the United States and other Western countries as a rollback of democratic reform, and Mr Bush called on Monday on Russia to renew its commitment to democracy.

But while he defended the political changes he has introduced, Mr Putin also stressed that Russia's relations with the United States were wide-ranging and encompassed many other areas of mutual interest including the fight against terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction as well as economic development.

Mr Putin said Russia was satisfied with its cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but said expansion of the alliance, which Moscow has watched warily, was not an answer to current security challenges.

"Simply enlarging NATO is not an answer to today's challenges," Mr Putin said, using language similar to that used at a recent security conference by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who said the alliance was "no longer at the centre" of the transatlantic security dialogue.

Asked how he felt about revolutions supported by the West in two ex-Soviet republics, Ukraine and Georgia, Mr Putin said Russia took the view that these countries were free to choose the leaders and systems of government that they saw fit.

But he asked: "If democracy doesn't work in post-Soviet countries, as some believe, then why introduce it? And if we introduce it, democratic principles, then why have revolutions?"

"Whey do certain countries and certain peoples have the privilege of living in the rule of law and stability while others are condemned to permanent revolutions?" he asked. -AFP