Speaking at the ceremony, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that Russia was open to the world. He said that the main goal of Russian foreign policy was to help create a stable and secure world based on equality, respect and mutually beneficial cooperation.
He accepted the credentials of the ambassadors of the Republic of Zimbabwe, the United Mexican States, the Confederation of Switzerland, the Lithuanian Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Myanmar, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Bulgaria, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Angola and the Vatican.