Official website of the President of Russia

Transcripts   /

President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, gentlemen,

Dear friends,

I welcome you to the Kremlin!

This ceremony marks the official beginning of your diplomatic missions in Russia. You represent various countries and continents, but we all live in a global world and we are aware how fast this world has changed over these last years. Changes have affected every area of our lives and have had an impact on development in most countries. This is entirely true of Russia. The Russian economy is showing fast and steady growth and living standards are rising. We see the decision to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia as recognition of our growing possibilities.

We are genuinely grateful to all who supported Russia in this bid. This success, achieved through fair competition, says a lot. Above all it says that our foreign partners react positively to and understand our chosen course of development and all-round intensification of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Gentlemen,

Russia’s relations with the countries you represent are based on trust and constructive partnership.

We have consistently supported developing multifaceted friendly relations with Afghanistan and it is our desire to see a modern Afghan state take its place as a peaceful and independent member of the international community as soon as possible.

Our relations with the Republic of Columbia are growing all the time and our trade and economic cooperation is also increasing. There are good opportunities today for strengthening our science and technology and humanitarian contacts, and we will try to make maximum use of these opportunities.

Relations between Russia and Cambodia have always been traditionally friendly. I am sure that our work together can give a new boost to continued development of our ties. We greatly value the efforts the Cambodian government is making to fight poverty and ensure stable economic growth in the country.

Russia and the Republic of Korea have now established a trusting and multifaceted partnership. We note the rapid growth in our bilateral economic cooperation. We hope that Russia’s active participation in the project to link the Trans-Korean railway to the Trans-Siberian railway and the advancement of a number of other multilateral economic projects on the Korean peninsular will help to bring Seoul and Pyongyang closer together. We are also ready to continue cooperating with the Republic of Korea in the six-party talks and in implementing the agreements on measures for the first stage towards giving the Korean peninsular non-nuclear status.

We support the efforts of the transitional government in the Republic of Somalia to bring about national reconciliation and consensus. In particular, we support the initiative to hold a national conference with all constructive forces in the country taking part. We think that the deployment of an African Union peacekeeping force, soon to take place, is fully in the interests of stabilising the situation in the Republic.

We place great value on our relations with the Republic of Tajikistan – our strategic ally. The substantial and trusting political dialogue between our countries is visible confirmation of the maturity of our bilateral partnership. We are committed to continuing to work together to develop the full potential of our multifaceted cooperation. Ongoing work to carry out large-scale energy projects is an important part of our cooperation. Just as important is our partnership on the international stage, above all in the CIS and also in influential international bodies such as the Eurasian Economic Community, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

We are actively developing our relations with the Republic of Serbia. These relations are based on a solid foundation of deep-reaching historical, cultural and spiritual ties. This in many ways unique experience that we have built up over the centuries can help us now to continue to strengthen our trade and economic cooperation and to expand mutually beneficial business contacts. The Serbian people today are defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country. Our position on this issue is well known – peace in Europe cannot be achieved without taking into account the fundamental tenets of international law, including the principles of the Helsinki charter’s conclusion.

This year marks fifteen years since Russia and El Salvador established diplomatic relations. Our countries are bound by a feeling of mutual sympathy and by the close positions we share on a number of key international issues, and we are interested in continuing to develop our business ties.

We are committed to stepping up our political dialogue and our cooperation on the world stage with Burkina Faso. I am sure that it will be of great benefit to our peoples to develop our bilateral cooperation in trade and the economy and in the humanitarian and other spheres.

In conclusion, I would once again like to wish you success in your work. I hope that your time in Russia will be not only useful but will also be personally interesting for you and your families.

Thank you.