The winners of the prize for significant personal contribution to promoting peace and security in the Central Asian region are President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin:
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
I am pleased to welcome all of you to the ceremony for the presentation of the international peace prize and to offer my heartfelt congratulations to its winners.
I believe it is deeply symbolic that the prize bears the name of Leo Tolstoy – an outstanding Russian writer and a recognised classic of world literature, a great thinker and humanist. His philosophical outlook and rich creative legacy are imbued with ideas of moral and spiritual self-improvement, love, kindness, compassion and mercy, and the struggle against evil and violence.
As a Russian combat officer and a participant in the heroic defence of Sevastopol, Leo Tolstoy knew first-hand the calamities and suffering brought about by armed conflicts, the wounds they leave that do not heal, and how natural it is for people to aspire to a peaceful life. Possessing great moral authority, Tolstoy did much to prevent wars, advocating understanding between nations and the preservation of their cultural identity. As he himself wrote, all people in the world have equal rights to enjoy the natural benefits of peace and identical rights to being respected.
I would note that the prize named after Leo Tolstoy was established only recently. Nevertheless, this initiative has proven to be highly relevant and has generated significant public and international resonance. It is called upon to help unite people around the noble ideals of peace-building, strengthening friendship between nations, protecting human rights and freedoms, and shaping a just multipolar world order based on the principles of sovereign equality, respect for one another’s legitimate interests, and the primacy of international law.
Today, we honour the new laureates of the Leo Tolstoy Prize: President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. I believe the jury, which includes prominent public and political figures, leading scholars and representatives of the cultural community from eight countries, has made a worthy choice. The leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are being recognised for their major personal contribution to strengthening peace and security in the Central Asian region.
As is well known, on March 31 of this year, a truly historic event took place in the ancient city of Khujand, Tajikistan: the signing of an agreement on the junction point of the three state borders and a declaration of eternal friendship. Thanks to the political will, wisdom and foresight of the leaders of the three countries, a long period of uncertainty in border issues has been overcome, the legal formalisation of their shared borders has been fully completed, and a foundation has thus been laid for expanding cooperation based on the principles of good-neighbourliness, trust and mutual benefit.
The settlement of the state border issue also opens up additional opportunities for further strengthening multilateral economic ties, launching infrastructure and industrial projects, and attracting new investment. Equally important is the fact that guarantees of regional security are being reinforced, and prospects are opening up for coordinated efforts to counter cross-border threats such as terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and smuggling. We therefore have every reason to congratulate Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon and Shavkat Mirziyoyev on receiving this prize. We will look to you as an example.
I wish our esteemed laureates good health and continued success in their noble mission of serving peace and mutual understanding, and I wish the friendly peoples of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan stability and prosperity.
Thank you for your attention.