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President of Finland Sauli Niinisto (retranslated): Mr President, members of the Russian delegation.

I am honoured to welcome you to this landmark place, Punkaharju.

We very much value your decision to come here for the centenary of Finland’s independence. This is a great honour for our country.

Welcome to Finland.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

I would like to thank you, Mr President, for inviting me and my colleagues here.

We are celebrating the centenary of Finland, the centenary of its independence. Also, this year we will mark 25 years of the friendship treaty between Russia and Finland.

The centenary celebrations include a series of cultural and historical events. One of the special and very pleasant events is a performance by Bolshoi Theatre artists in Savonlinna today.

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