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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades, foreign guests, friends,

We have military people gathered here today, but not just military – they are navy sailors.

Naval service requires special qualities, a special character, and a special turn of mind. The sea fascinates one and calls for utter devotion, but the sea also poses the kind of challenges that people never face on shore, in their normal daily lives.

When military people gather, especially people of strong character like naval officers, it is a very good sign. It means that the military people who come together seek peace, cooperation and mutual understanding. When you gather for an event like this, you are paving the way for all those things on a global scale – for cooperation, interaction and mutual understanding.

Water – rivers, seas, oceans – not only divides people, but also unites them, because waterways are instrumental in cooperation. This has been the case throughout human history. At a time when people had no big, beautiful roads or airplanes, they used rivers, seas, and oceans to travel and communicate, to move from one continent to another.

Therefore, I think that striving for cooperation is still a natural character trait inherent in seafarers.

Friends,

Once again, I wish Russian sailors a happy Navy Day, and I would like to thank our foreign friends for being here with us today.

I want to assure you that for our part, we have the same warm and sincere feelings for you, the leaders of your countries and your peoples, and in this sense, we see you as ambassadors, as envoys of your nations. Thank you very much once again for being here with us today, in a complicated international situation.

Once again, I wish all the very best to your Russian colleagues, the officers and sailors of the Russian Navy.

Thank you for your attention.