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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

The New Year of 2014 is almost here: in a few moments, we will take a step from the past into the future.

Welcoming in the New Year is one of our most cordial and heart-warming traditions, passed from generation to generation to bring us all together.

In the outgoing year, we had to face problems and tough challenges, including the inhuman terrorist attacks in Volgograd and the unprecedented natural calamities in the Far East. In times of trial Russia has always been united.

This year, my friends, I am addressing you not from the Moscow Kremlin, as is the tradition, but from the Far East where I have arrived to welcome in the New Year with those who have overcome with pride and honour the natural disaster, but cannot yet celebrate this night in their own homes. I would like to greet the entire nation, to raise my glass together with them to our people, to the health of all those who selflessly struggled with the flood, who showed mercy and selfless generosity.

Dear friends,

We bow down before the victims of the terrible acts of terror. We will remain confident, tough and consistent in our fight to destroy the terrorists completely. We shall support all the victims; we shall implement everything we planned; we will build and restore everything that needs to be built and restored. At the same time, we have many achievements to speak of in the outgoing year. Our country has become better, richer, and more comfortable; we persistently promote our interests in international affairs. Therefore, today we are sincerely happy to welcome in the New Year with hope and dreams of the future.

Wherever this moment finds us, the atmosphere of this wonderful night warms our hearts. We look into the future with optimism, we sincerely believe that the best is yet to come, we believe in good luck and success. Every one of us understands that prosperity does not come by itself. It is achieved through hard work and personal deeds, through our endeavours to implement everything we planned. These achievements make up the fate of our Motherland, while care for one’s family, children and parents is inseparable from responsibility for Russia, for the country we live in and which we hope to see successful and prosperous.

These feelings and ambitions strengthen our unity. It is only together than we can be truly strong, guarantee the progress of Russia and implement all our common plans and ideas.

Dear friends,

There is a lot we will need to do next year, including in the economy, in improving our people’s lives, ensuring their safety and security, and hosting the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will start in just over a month, at the highest level.

New Year’s night is the time when we come to feel in a special way how close we all really are. Let us thank each other for this understanding and support, for the love and care. We do not do this often enough in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. However, it is the support of our near and dear ones and the reliability of our friends that give us confidence and motivate us to give more than we get.

I wish you all health and happiness. Let there be joy in every family. Let there be accord and prosperity in every home.

Happy 2014 to you, Russia!