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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Good afternoon, friends, colleagues,
I have invited the top leaders of our state, the Government, the judiciary, the General Prosecutor’s Office and other bodies of executive and presidential authority to thank you for the joint efforts during the years of my presidency, for the synergy, and I will not be afraid to use this word, for teamwork. Our nation faced such grave challenges in this period, and I am referring first of all to the global economic crisis as well as certain foreign policy developments, including the 2008 conflict, that we would not have been able to succeed without teamwork. Therefore, once again I would like to thank you very much for everything we have worked on during the four years while I held the post of President of the Russian Federation.
Second, I would also like to say that we have new challenges ahead of us: the country’s development should never stop. A large number of problems have accumulated in the economy during these years of our cooperation, in the period of the economic crisis and the post-crisis period. Although there are obvious achievements, which have allowed us to make a successful recovery from the crisis on the whole, so we will probably be able to move forward in line with our national development plans, which were elaborated with your participation.
A large number of beneficial programmes were launched in the socioeconomic and political spheres, such as the modernisation of the political system, in law enforcement and in the development of the judicial system. Not all of them have been completed and I am confident that they will be implemented in the years to come. People tell us that we should be more attentive to the needs of society and the aspirations of the people, who, in fact, shape the authorities. On the other hand, we must further advance the achievements reached through our joint efforts.
These are the words of sincere gratitude that I wished to say. I would also like to use this occasion to wish Vladimir Putin as President-elect who will take the office of the President the day after tomorrow, every success in serving our country. We worked together these past years and we will continue to work together in the future.
It was a genuine pleasure working with you these four years. Thank you very much. And, as our national tradition has it, I should show you the extent of my gratitude with a dinner, which I am going to do now.