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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Highness, friends, let me wish you a warm welcome to Moscow once again.

Thank you for your involvement and help in organising this Olympic event in our capital. We have not forgotten how you supported Sochi’s bid to host the Winter Olympics.

We promised you that we would not disappoint you, and we held the Olympics and continue to put every effort into upholding the traditions of the Olympic movement in Russia and throughout the world.

We have another good reason to meet: the Year of Russia is currently underway in Monaco, with more than 140 events planned and taking place over the course of the year.

Your Highness, we are very grateful for your support.

Prince of Monaco Albert II (retranslated): Mr President, I have already had the honour of speaking with you today.

It is a great pleasure to come to Moscow, and a great pleasure that my visit coincides with the World Olympians Forum, which held its opening ceremony today, and which you honoured with your presence.

This is an important event for the Olympic movement and also for Russia, as it lets your country relive the unforgettable moments that the Winter Olympics in Sochi gave us, and remember the values at the heart of the Olympic movement.

Let me take this occasion to say once again that people all around the world appreciated greatly the Sochi Winter Olympics, which were a fine event and organised at the highest level. I also had the opportunity to take part in that event.

Mr President, you rightly noted that the Year of the Russian Federation is taking place in Monaco this year, and I thank you for this. This is a very successful event and has become the year’s key event for us. Many prominent and world-renowned personalities took part in the opening. The Russian ballet has come, along with various exhibitions and modern artists too. I was just discussing this with your Culture Minister.

Soon, on December 17, we will hold the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in Monaco. There will be a magnificent music festival for the occasion, and I hope that Russia’s Minister of Culture will do us the honour of representing your country at the closing ceremony. What is interesting is that the closing ceremony also coincides with an economic forum that Russian representatives will also be attending.

I am very happy that the Year of Russia in Monaco has not just a cultural but also an economic dimension. Let me take this opportunity to thank all of the organisations, ministries and agencies in Russia that have worked closely with their colleagues in Monaco to organise this Year of Russia in Monaco.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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