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As part of the gala events organised at the State Kremlin Palace, the President also attended the performance of Russia’s Children’s Choir and met with elected and acting regional governors as well as those who resigned in 2017.

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Speech at gala reception devoted to seeing in the 2018

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,

I am happy to welcome you as we approach the New Year 2018.

Today everyone has a lot of pre-holiday concerns. We are trying to complete urgent tasks and observe the review schedule.

This holiday has its own New Year’s challenges and commotion as well as good traditions. We are following them with the hope and belief in the best things.

Each of you, every family has had its own record in the outgoing year. Some people will consider it successful whereas for others it was not easy. For them, it has been a year of overcoming difficulties.

But I am sure that each of us has tried to fulfil his goals, do something good for the country, for people around, for our families, and for those who are near to us and who need help and support.

The road to achieving a goal and attaining a result, for progress and preparedness to be useful always means development, gaining experience and knowledge, and displaying persistence and resolve, courage and responsibility.

Those who have gathered here today are displaying these very qualities and helping achieve our common goals – the prosperity of Russia and our people.

I am sincerely grateful to you for your honest, professional work, successes in government service, on the battlefield, in public affairs, business and creative endeavours.

Let us remember the outgoing year as yet another important stage in our life. We are bidding farewell to it, understanding that many new concerns, tasks and ambitious plans lie ahead. I am convinced that we will achieve success by all means and resolve even the most complicated challenges. Everything is in our hands and everything depends on us alone!

Please accept my sincere greetings on the coming New Year 2018. I wish you and your families and friends good health and energy, and a striving to reach new goals.

Allow me to offer a toast.

To the wellbeing and prosperity of the people of Russia!

To our Motherland!

To Russia!

Happy New Year to you!