Participants in a Valdai Discussion Club meeting discussed on Wednesday whether modernization is possible in Russia and, if so, how it can be achieved.

One of the major problems that hampers modernization in Russia is that it is initiated by the authorities and is being implemented in their interests, not in those of society, the experts said.

The Russian elite treat the society as children, which leads to mutual misunderstanding and harms the country's development, they added.

Russian experts appeared more critical in their opinions than their Western colleagues. The country should be modernized by the present generation, otherwise Russia will collapse, they said.

Western experts said changes that had already taken place in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union would allow further modernization.

Some experts said the Russians should modernize their "brains" first, which would lead to a wider modernization of the country.

Modernization should benefit Russia's market, not its authorities. The development of oil, gas and space industries strengthens the state, not the market.

The 7th Valdai Club Meeting, an expert forum for international specialists on Russia, will take place between August 31 and September 7 onboard the Kronstadt cruise ship in northwestern Russia.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko are also expected to attend the event.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will join the talks on their final day.

The Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti, in association with The Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the journals Russia Profile and Russia in Global Politics, and the newspaper The Moscow News, has hosted the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting every year since 2004.

The annual Valdai Club aims to create an international expert forum where key international Russia specialists can receive reliable information about the growth and development of Russia and its society from leading members of the Russian elite.

LENINGRAD REGION, September 1 (RIA Novosti)