President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear friends,
It is a very pleasant and honourable mission that I have today, one that it gives me great pleasure to fulfil – that of presenting Russian Federation state awards to outstanding citizens of Ukraine who have made an exceptional contribution to the development of their own country and to developing the ties between our two fraternal states.
The history of our two peoples counts many glorious and memorable names, and through their work, the people present in this hall today represent the very best traditions that bind the peoples of Ukraine and Russia together.
This ceremony presenting Russian state awards to outstanding Ukrainian citizens coincides with the end of the Year of Russia in Ukraine. I think the fact that it is taking place in this context confirms yet again the significance of the events that were held throughout this last year.
I think that all the events that were held deserve the highest possible evaluation and I make a low bow to all those who took part in this work because together we have taken a very important step towards developing the relations between our two states and our two fraternal peoples. I am sure that the vast majority of people in Russia and Ukraine realise the immense importance that our joint work has for our countries and for all the ordinary people in our countries.
As President Leonid Kuchma and I already noted at our meeting today, and as we will have many more occasions to mention, the trade turnover between our two countries increased by 30 percent over last year alone. Every month, the trade turnover between Russia and Ukraine comes to a considerable sum – more than $1 billion. Every month. We have achieved good results, but to build on this we need to constantly reinforce the foundation of our relations in the areas of culture, education and history.
It is not just chance that today’s ceremony also coincides with the anniversary that we are celebrating together with Ukraine – the 350th anniversary of the event that united our two countries.
I offer you my most sincere congratulations on receiving these awards and wish you happiness and health. Thank you very much.
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I hope that you will not be the last Ukrainian citizens to receive Russian state awards and medals. I am sure that you will not be the last because it is a very powerful force that drives our cooperation. Our task is to ensure that we lose nothing of this force but only multiply it. Looking at what is happening today and looking at the people present here in this hall, I am sure that we will be up to our task. Thank you very much, and I wish you every success.