In his message to President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba, Vladimir Putin noted the dynamic development of Russian-Abkhazian relations based on the principles of alliance and strategic partnership, and expressed confidence that they would further build up mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.
In his message to President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his readiness for constructive joint work to build up mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of both countries’ citizens, and in the interest of strengthening international stability and security.
The Russian leader also extended New Year greetings to Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, pointing out that relations with Armenia, based on centuries-old traditions of fraternal friendship and mutual respect, are highly valued in Russia. Vladimir Putin noted that the further development of our allied ties, constructive bilateral cooperation in all spheres, and partnership in Eurasian integration processes meet the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two states and contribute to ensuring regional security and stability.
In his greetings addressed to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, he emphasised the high level of Russian-Azerbaijani relations and expressed confidence that Russia and Azerbaijan would jointly ensure the further development of their strategic partnership and constructive interaction, which fully meets the interests of both nations, and contributes to strengthening security and stability in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region.
The President of Russia sent holiday greetings to President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. The message highlights that a significant anniversary was marked in 2019 – the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty establishing the Union State. Russia and Belarus have been able to do a lot to develop the entire range of bilateral ties and implement joint projects in various fields. The Russian leader expressed hope for the continuation of a substantive dialogue and constructive joint work in the coming year to develop the bilateral strategic partnership and promote mutually beneficial integration processes.
In his holiday greetings to President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Russia emphasised that Brazil's 2019 BRICS Presidency fully confirmed the country's constructive and interested approach to cooperation within this association, and noted that the Russian side, taking over the leadership of the Five, also intends to work effectively for the sake of enhancing the BRICS authority and promoting common approaches to pressing problems on the international agenda. Vladimir Putin expressed hope for the continuation of a substantive and productive dialogue.
In his message of Christmas, New Year, and Birthday greetings to Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that the development of constructive, mutually respectful, bilateral cooperation in various fields is entirely in the interests of the peoples of Russia and Canada.
In his message of greeting to President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping on the occasion of the New Year and the upcoming Spring Festival, Vladimir Putin noted that much has been done lately to strengthen the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, while the agreements reached in the wake of last year’s meetings opened up new prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas. In particular, the Russian President pointed out that supplies of Russian gas to China via the eastern route were launched, and that the successful Region-to-Region Cooperation Years made it possible to expand mutually beneficial ties on the local level. The President noted that Russia attaches great importance to implementing the next major bilateral project, which is the Years of Russian-Chinese Scientific, Technical and Innovative Cooperation, and expressed his belief that joint efforts will help build up relations between Russia and China and expand their constructive interaction in international affairs.
Vladimir Putin sent Christmas and New Year greetings to President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, and noted the progressive development of Russian-Croatian cooperation and expressed confidence that the further promotion of bilateral relations fully complied with the interests of the two countries.
The President of Russia also sent his greetings to President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro as the Republic celebrates its national holiday, Liberation Day, as well as Christmas and New Year. In his message, the President noted that relations between the two countries are based on good traditions of friendship and mutual respect and have been quite dynamic in the outgoing year: the political dialogue was expanded, and promising joint projects in energy, transport, industrial infrastructure and personnel training were worked through. The President said he looked forward to further strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and Cuba.
In his message of greetings to President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman, Vladimir Putin emphasised that his participation in the events in Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory over the Nazis will, of course, symbolise friendship and mutual respect between the Russian and Czech nations.
In his season’s greetings to President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Vladimir Putin mentioned the 2019 bilateral meetings in St Petersburg and Helsinki, which allowed to outline ways to further promote Russian-Finnish ties in key areas. The President also noted that Russia highly valued its neighbourly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Finland.
In his message of greetings to President of France Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin noted that the meetings in Bregancon and Paris reaffirmed that cooperation between Russia and France remained an important factor of stability in international affairs. Vladimir Putin thanked Emmanuel Macron for his cooperation and expressed hope that next year Russia and France would be able to strengthen bilateral ties. The President of Russia said that he expected to see Emmanuel Macron at Victory Day events to commemorate the Russian and French soldiers who gave their lives to fight the invaders.
The Russian President extended his Christmas and New Year greetings to Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel. Among other things, the President emphasised in his messages that a number of Russian-German projects have been implemented recently, including as part of the cross years of scientific research and educational partnerships, and that the Russian Seasons cultural programme was successfully completed in Germany. The Russian President expressed confidence that the upcoming year marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II would see the continued development of Russian-German cooperation on pressing items on the bilateral and international agendas.
In his greetings to Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia expects to continue working together to strengthen Russian-Greek relations based on the good traditions of friendship and spiritual closeness.
Addressing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin stressed that continued Russian-Hungarian relations, constructive dialogue and cooperation in various areas fully meet the interests of the peoples of the two countries.
In his messages of greetings addressed to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President of Russia highlighted the high level of bilateral relations, emphasising that the agreements reached during the talks in Vladivostok paved the way for building up mutually beneficial cooperation in many areas, and for the coordination of efforts in resolving current issues on the regional and international agenda. Vladimir Putin also recalled that 2020 would mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Russia and India, expressing confidence that this important anniversary would be marked by new achievements in the development of bilateral cooperation.
In his message to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin noted that Russia values its friendship with Israel and is determined to work dedicatedly next year to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas, which undoubtedly meets the interests of the two nations and contributes to ensuring stability and security in the Middle East.
Addressing President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and the country’s Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, Vladimir Putin noted that despite the difficult international situation, Russian-Italian relations continued to develop. The President of Russia shared his warm memories of the meetings in Rome and said he looked forward to continuing joint work both on bilateral issues and on the international agenda.
Addressing Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, the Russian President spoke highly of mutual understanding with the Japanese leader, which was fully confirmed during recent meetings in Moscow, Osaka and Vladivostok. Vladimir Putin pointed out the importance of the consistent implementation of existing bilateral agreements, which creates proper conditions for the progressive development of Russian-Japanese relations in politics, trade, the economy, culture and other areas. The President expressed his conviction that the upcoming Year of Russian-Japanese Region-to-Region and Twin-City Exchanges would bring the two countries closer, and stressed that he would be pleased to see Shinzo Abe during the celebrations in Moscow on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
In his message to President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Vladimir Putin noted the important fact that the two countries have not only fully preserved the accumulated potential of Russian-Kazakh relations, but also continue joint efforts to strengthen their strategic partnership, alliance and neighbourly contacts. According to the Russian President, the coordination of efforts between Moscow and Nur-Sultan as part of the Eurasian Economic Union, CSTO, SCO and other multilateral platforms has been very rewarding. Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that in the coming year, interaction between the two states would continue to develop even further.
In his message of greeting to President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, Vladimir Putin pointed out the dynamic nature of bilateral relations, stressing that the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea would celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2020. The Russian President expressed confidence that Mutual Exchange Years dedicated to this anniversary would further strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the Russian and Korean peoples.
In his New Year message to President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Vladimir Putin noted the progress in strengthening the Russian-Kyrgyz strategic partnership and alliance and expressed confidence that Russia and Kyrgyzstan would continue close mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas in 2020, which has been declared a cross-year between our two countries.
In his message of greetings to President of Moldova Igor Dodon, Vladimir Putin highlighted the long-standing bonds of friendship and spiritual closeness between Russia and Moldova and expressed confidence that the development of constructive bilateral dialogue and cooperation in various fields meets the common interests of the two countries.
In his message of greeting to Reigning Prince of Monaco Albert II, the President of Russia expressed hope that next year would be an auspicious one for Russia-Monaco relations and would open up new prospects for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.
Vladimir Putin conveyed his New Year and Christmas greetings to President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, noting with satisfaction that the agreements reached following the meetings in Belgrade and Sochi opened up new prospects for bilateral cooperation in many areas. Vladimir Putin stressed he was looking forward to seeing Aleksandar Vucic at celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
In his message of greetings to President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, the President of Russia noted that Russian-Slovenian relations were based on traditions of friendship and spiritual kinship and expressed confidence that next year the joint work to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, culture and other areas would continue.
In his message of greetings to President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, the Russian President stated that bilateral meetings in Osaka and Sochi confirmed the high level of relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa, and also expressed the conviction that implementation of the existing agreements would further enhance Russian-South African comprehensive strategic partnership and coordination within the UN, the G20, BRICS and other multilateral forums.
In his New Year and Christmas greetings to President of the Republic of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov, Vladimir Putin noted that many projects have been implemented recently that have promoted South Ossetia’s socioeconomic development and statehood, and expressed hope for continued joint work to build up bilateral cooperation on various tracks in 2020.
The President of Russia extended his Christmas and New Year greetings to King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, expressing hope that the coming year would open up new opportunities for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
In his message of greetings to Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, the President of Russia noted that the bilateral meeting in St Petersburg reaffirmed the significant potential of Russian-Swedish relations and he expressed confidence that the development of constructive bilateral cooperation would be in the interests of both nations and would promote prosperity and stability in northern Europe.
In his message of greetings to President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, the Russian leader reaffirmed his commitment to further developing relations of friendship and cooperation with Syria and confirmed his constant support for the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Vladimir Putin expressed hope that next year the final return of peace to Syria would become closer.
His greetings to President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon highlighted the intensive development of strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Tajikistan. Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that the implementation of agreements achieved during Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Moscow in April will serve to further build up bilateral cooperation in all areas, as well as constructive interaction towards ensuring regional security and stability.
In his New Year greetings to President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin noted that Russia and Turkey had managed to achieve significant success in the implementation of mutually beneficial strategic projects, including in energy and military and technical cooperation and to outline new prospective areas for the development of Russian-Turkish trade and economic ties. Moscow and Ankara closely cooperated in fighting terrorism in Syria and together helped launch the political settlement process in the country. The President of Russia noted that next year would mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Turkey and expressed confidence that this significant date would be marked by new achievements in the development of bilateral cooperation.
The President of Russia extended his New Year greetings to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, noting with satisfaction the dynamic development of the dialogue between Russia and Turkmenistan, and their constructive trade, economic, energy, and humanitarian cooperation. Vladimir Putin emphasised that Turkmenistan’s successful chairmanship of the CIS has contributed to greater effectiveness of multilateral cooperation mechanisms within the CIS. The Russian leader expressed confidence that productive joint work to strengthen the two countries’ strategic partnership would continue in the coming year.
In his message of greetings to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin noted that continued Russian-British relations based on equality and mutual benefit would contribute to strengthening international stability and security.
In a Christmas and New Year greeting message to President of the United States of America Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin noted that Russia and the US were historically responsible for ensuring global security and stability, and that Moscow speaks in favour of normalising bilateral relations and establishing an equal dialogue based on the mutual respect of interests. The President of Russia also reaffirmed his invitation to Donald Trump to visit Moscow to take part in the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Addressing President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Russian President noted with satisfaction the progressive development of the strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Uzbekistan. He noted that the two states have recently accomplished a lot to expand their mutually beneficial bilateral ties in the political, trade, economic, energy, humanitarian and many other areas. Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to the Russian Federation in 2020 would help consolidate prior achievements and outline the prospects for further cooperation between the two states.
In a message of greeting to President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, the Russian President emphasised that the September talks in Moscow confirmed that Russia and Venezuela see eye to eye on key items on the bilateral and international agendas, and expressed confidence that next year both countries would continue constructive joint work on expanding their strategic partnership and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas.
The Russian President extended greetings on the New Year and on the coming Tet Holiday, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, to Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. In his message, Vladimir Putin noted with satisfaction the progress in comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam, stating that the countries’ joint efforts will promote bilateral ties in the political, trade, economic, military, defence, cultural and other areas.
In his Christmas and New Year greetings to His Holiness Pope Francis, Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that their meeting in July contributed to strengthening relations between Russia and the Vatican, and expressed his intention to continue to fully develop constructive dialogue with the Holy See, and cooperation to uphold moral values and build a fairer world order that will ensure the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of all countries and peoples.
The President extended his New Year greetings to a number of top officials at international organisations, in particular, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge and Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee Jean Claude Killy. The President also sent messages of greetings to President of the International Federation of Football Associations Gianni Infantino, President of the Union of European Football Associations Aleksander Ceferin, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel and President of the International Judo Federation Marius Wizer.
In addition, Vladimir Putin sent greetings on Christmas and the New Year to a number of former heads of foreign states and governments, as well as politicians, in particular Robert Kocharian, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Serzh Sargsyan, Silvio Berlusconi, George W. Bush, Romano Prodi, Nicolas Sarkozy, Francois Fillon, Tarja Halonen, King Juan Carlos I and Gerhard Schroeder.
