The ceremony took place in the Grand Kremlin Palace’s St Alexander Hall.
President Putin received the letters of credence from Itti Ditbanchong — Kingdom of Thailand; Raymond Sarsero — Republic of Malta; Gustavo Antonio Otero Zapata — Republic of Peru; Anibal Fernando Cabral Segalerba — Oriental Republic of Uruguay; Lim Kheng Hua — Republic of Singapore; Boyko Vassilev Kotzev — Republic of Bulgaria; Bolot Dzhunusov — Republic of Kyrgyzstan; Hannu Antero Himanen — Republic of Finland; Galym Orazbakov — Republic of Kazakhstan; Ravi Mohan Sapkota Kopila — Federative Democratic Republic of Nepal; Berdymurat Redzhepov — Turkmenistan; Shol Dang Alak — Republic of South Sudan; Zoran Jocovic — Montenegro; Hajji Hayni bin Hajji Hashim — Brunei-Darussalam; Assam Ekanem Assam — Federative Republic of Nigeria; Herbert Estuardo Menezes Coronado — Republic of Guatemala; Ivan Barbalic — Bosnia and Herzegovina; Igor Petrishenko — Republic of Belarus; Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams — Republic of Honduras; Aminatu Gao — Republic of Niger; Marie Odile Bonkungu — Burkina Faso.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen,
You have been charged with the honourable and responsible mission of representing your countries in the Russian Federation and helping to promote and develop bilateral relations and mutually advantageous cooperation in all areas. It is in our common interest that you be effective and successful in this work.
You are taking the head of your embassies at a time when the situation in the world is becoming ever more troubled and unstable, regrettably. Global finances and the global economy face increasing problems, and, unfortunately, the crisis is taking on a protracted and systemic nature.
The United Nations General Assembly began just recently. Given the current complicated situation in international affairs this is a good moment to remember the UN Charter’s importance, which remains as valid as ever. The UN Charter sets out the principles for collectively managing international relations and establishing a fair and just world order that respects all countries’ sovereignty and equality. These principles guide us to settle all problems through negotiations, without resorting to outside intervention.
Strict adherence to these principles is needed more than ever today. The supremacy of the law should be as guaranteed in the international arena as it is within countries themselves. This directly concerns the events taking place in the world’s ‘hot spots’, above all in the Middle East and North Africa. Various forms of instigation and continued violence with the aim of forcing regime change will only drive the situation into a dead end. Violence breeds only more violence.
”The supremacy of the law should be as guaranteed in the international arena as it is within countries themselves. This directly concerns the events taking place in the world’s ‘hot spots’, above all in the Middle East and North Africa. Various forms of instigation and continued violence with the aim of forcing regime change will only drive the situation into a dead end. ”
We see the solution in coordinated action by the international community to settle crises through peaceful political and diplomatic means and encourage the conflicting parties to end armed violence. Human life is the greatest value of all and must not become the currency of exchange in geopolitical games.
We consider it essential to bolster joint efforts to prevent terrorist threats and extremism no matter where they occur, be it in Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, or Afghanistan. There is no room for double standards here. Terrorists must be given firm and unanimous resistance.
At the same time, we should respect each people’s cultural values and religious feelings. Multi-ethnic and multi-faith Russia’s entire history shows that there is no alternative to the path of preserving civil peace and harmony in society.
Let me stress again that basing ourselves on international law is the only possible way to conduct affairs in the modern world. No good comes out of attempts to substitute unilateral or bloc-based action for the universal principles in the UN Charter, or to bypass the Charter and use force.
Such actions carry the risk of destabilisation and chaos, and in such circumstances no crisis management is possible. Events of late have once more confirmed that our view is correct. It is time to learn the lessons from what is going on.
There are ambassadors here from countries whose leaders took part in the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s summit in Vladivostok. Let me say that we are happy with the results of our work together in Vladivostok. We succeeded in laying a decent base for continued efforts to develop trade and investment activity, transport infrastructure, ensure food security, and encourage innovation.
I draw particular attention to the importance of the integration underway between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The Customs Union, the Common Economic Space, and the future Eurasian Economic Union have great potential indeed. Russia will preside over a number of leading international forums over the coming years, including the G20, G8, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. We will do everything we can to strengthen positive trends in the global economy and in global affairs.
Overall, we will continue actively implementing a foreign policy built on openness and unity. How this policy will be perceived and interpreted in your capitals depends in large part on you, as the heads of your countries’ diplomatic missions. I hope that you will follow developments in Russia and give an objective assessment of events here.
Ladies and gentlemen, we place great value on our cooperation with the Kingdom of Thailand, which forms the basis for the sincere friendship between our peoples and our rich experience of working together in trade and the economy. I had a useful meeting in Vladivostok with Prime Minister Shinawatra, and we agreed to intensify our ties.
”We consider it essential to bolster joint efforts to prevent terrorist threats and extremism no matter where they occur, be it in Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, or Afghanistan. There is no room for double standards here. Terrorists must be given firm and unanimous resistance.“
Mutual understanding is the distinguishing feature of Russia’s ties with Malta, which help to ensure stability in the Mediterranean and Europe.
The Republic of Peru is an important partner for Russia in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. I am sure that the results of the talks I had with President Humala in Vladivostok will help to deepen our bilateral contacts and relations.
We seek to continue developing our cooperation with the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, with particular focus on promoting joint business projects.
We are happy with the progress in our relations with the Republic of Singapore. These relations are gathering pace, especially in modernisation and innovation in the energy sector, human resources training, and managing special economic zones.
Our cooperation with Bulgaria is built on the traditions of friendship and mutual sympathy between our peoples. Next year, we will celebrate together the 135th anniversary of Bulgaria’s liberation from the Ottoman yoke. We are carrying out big economic projects and are making the preparations for building the Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline.
Multifaceted cooperation and implementation of the important agreements we reached in Bishkek are on the agenda for our relations with Kyrgyzstan. I am sure that these agreements will not only deepen our strategic partnership but will also reinforce stability and security in Central Asia.
Our relations with Finland are an example of true good-neighbourliness. We are expanding our trade and investment ties and conducting a trusting political dialogue. Our countries work constructively through the EU-Russia partnership and in the UN and international regional organisations in the Baltic, northern Europe, and the Arctic.
We have a successfully developing strategic partnership and alliance with Kazakhstan. Deepening relations in this area and continuing this work are among our undoubted foreign policy priorities. Our countries actively encourage greater integration in the post-Soviet area. We are sure that the success of the project to build the Eurasian Economic Union will depend in large part on our ability to carry out these coordinated efforts. Our relations with the Federative Democratic Republic of Nepal are free of problems and based on similar interests and approaches to a wide range of regional and international issues. We support peaceful and constitutional development of the situation in Nepal.
Our cooperation with Turkmenistan is becoming ever more substantial in political, trade, economic, and investment relations, and also in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. We are preparing for the CIS summit that will take place in early November in Ashgabat.
Building relations with the young Republic of South Sudan is an important part of Russia’s efforts to contribute to development in Africa. We hope that the establishment and development of South Sudan and its economy will create many opportunities for carrying out joint projects.
The peoples of Russia and Montenegro have a longstanding friendship. Our bilateral relations are developing fast. In particular, Russian capital is actively entering Montenegro’s economy, and the number of Russian tourists visiting your country is growing.
”Basing ourselves on international law is the only possible way to conduct affairs in the modern world. No good comes out of attempts to substitute unilateral or bloc-based action for the universal principles in the UN Charter, or to bypass the Charter and use force. ‘
We see good opportunities for intensifying relations with Brunei-Darussalam. Given that Brunei will preside in ASEAN in 2013, we hope for an intensive exchange of views on regional security and sustainable development issues.
We place great importance on our relations with the Federative Republic of Nigeria, which plays a big part on the African continent. We are ready to expand and deepen our contacts, including in preventing terrorism and regional extremism.
Our ties with Guatemala are increasing. We welcome Guatemala’s upcoming presidency of the UN Security Council in October and hope to work together on the current international issues.
Relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina are an important part of Russia’s policy in the Balkans. As a guarantor of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia calls for strict compliance with the agreement, which we see as the departure point for building a modern and democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have laid good foundations for economic cooperation, especially in the energy sector.
We have a special fraternal relationship with Belarus, our close neighbour and dependable partner. Our intensive cooperation within the Union State and the integration bodies in the post-Soviet area aims to make our economies more competitive and give our peoples a better quality of life. We are ready to continue deepening our multifaceted and trusting ties and dialogue with Minsk and will work together on the international agenda.
We will develop our ties with the Republic of Honduras in the interest of stability in the Central American region.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations with the Republic of Niger. I am sure that our positive cooperation experience will be put to use to intensify our work together.
We are ready to continue building up our bilateral ties with Burkina Faso in a constructive and mutually advantageous spirit, and we welcome this country’s decision to open an embassy in Moscow.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You represent 21 countries from almost all continents: Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. We value and treasure our good relations with each country. The Russian authorities will provide you with all possible help and support in your work.
I hope that your time and your work in our country will be associated not just with busy activity, but will leave you with many pleasant memories too.
I wish all of you success. Thank you.