In the message sent to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, the Russian leader expressed his conviction that ”our long-term policies designed to fully strengthen our strategic partnership, fruitful and mutually advantageous work, and consolidate our traditional friendship are in the interests of the peoples of both our countries and represent an important contribution towards strengthening regional stability and security“.
In a message addressed to the President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, the Russian head of state noted that 2007 ”was an important milestone in the development of the multifaceted Armenian-Russian strategic partnership and expanding cooperation on the economic and humanitarian fronts“. The President of Russia also praised his Armenian counterpart's vigorous efforts to strengthen their bilateral alliance.
When congratulating the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, the President of Russia stressed that ”in 2007 integration cooperation between Russia and Belarus continued to develop, and our policies designed to increase its effectiveness and create stable market-based instruments of cooperation are being implemented“. The message continued: ”decisive steps have been taken to improve the economic foundations of our cooperation. I am confident that constructing pragmatic and mutually beneficial relations in this sphere will act as a solid foundation for improving the socio-economic stability of our two countries, as well as the standard of living and well-being of our peoples“.
When addressing President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, Vladimir Putin expressed his conviction that ”the outgoing year has confirmed the truly strategic nature of Russian-Kazakhstan partnership, and witnessed effective, joint work on promising projects in the fuel and energy sector, in civil nuclear energy, the expansion of cross-border ties, effective cooperation in the international arena and in the integration structures in the Caspian.“ ”I am confident that fruitful interaction between Russia and Kazakhstan will continue to play an important role in strengthening stability in Eurasia“, the President of Russia said.
In a message addressed to the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev, Vladimir Putin noted that ”Russia cherishes its traditionally close relations with Kyrgyzstan, relations based on the principles of alliance and strategic partnership“. Vladimir Putin also expressed his confidence that ”through joint efforts we will continue our policy of further strengthening Russia and Kyrgyzstan's multifaceted cooperation, cooperation in the interests of our nations, as well as security and stability in Central Asia“.
When congratulating the President of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin, the Russian head of state drew attention to the fact that ”2007 was marked by active and constructive work designed to further deepen Russian-Moldovan cooperation“ and expressed his confidence that ”the upcoming meeting in Moscow will give an additional impetus to the further development of the multifaceted cooperation and partnership between Russia and Moldava.“
In the greeting to the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rakhmonov, Vladimir Putin noted with satisfaction that ”the past year has once again demonstrated the strength of the traditional friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation, strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Tajikistan.“ The President of Russia also expressed his conviction that the cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan will continue to develop dynamically based on the principles of mutual trust and respect that fully reflect the desire of the two peoples to live in friendship and harmony.
To President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan, the President of Russia stressed that ”the most important result of 2007 was further deepening the mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan, and translating this into concrete actions, especially in the energy sector“. As he gave high praised to the trusting dialogue between the countries' leadership, Vladimir Putin expressed his confidence that future joint work will be able to strengthen the positive dynamics in the development of relations between Russia and Turkmenistan, bring cooperation between the two countries to an even higher level in the interests of their citizens, as well as strengthen stability and security in Central Asia.
In his greeting to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, Vladimir Putin noted that ”the past year has seen important developments in relations between Russia and Uzbekistan, relations based on the principles of strategic partnership and alliance.“ ”We highly appreciate our trusting dialogue and our frank exchange of views on regional and international issues. I hope to continue this in the future,“ Vladimir Putin stressed.
The message addressed to the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, read in part: ”I am convinced that the peoples of Russia and Ukraine, joined by deep historical roots, ancient spiritual and cultural ties, must preserve and increase everything positive that has been achieved in their shared history.“ Vladimir Putin expressed his conviction that ”through reciprocal efforts, Russian-Ukrainian interaction will develop in the spirit of good-neighbourly relations, based on pragmatism and mutual benefits, since this reflects the desire of the citizens of our countries to live in friendship and harmony.“
In the message of congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Elizabeth II, Vladimir Putin expressed the hope that in 2008 relations between Russia and Great Britain will develop in the benefit of our peoples and in the interests of global stability.
The greeting to the President of Germany Horst Koehler reads, in part: ”Over the past year, Russia and Germany have cooperated successfully in all areas of bilateral relations and on major issues in global politics. Our partnership is firmly embedded in the fabric of the general cooperation between European and other states in the interests of strengthening international security and stability.“
Addressing the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin expressed his satisfaction with the level of Russian-German partnership, which received an additional positive impetus following intergovernmental high-level consultations in Wiesbaden, and expressed his confidence that the two states should ”carefully preserve the accumulated capital of cooperation, increase its scope and promote new initiatives. For its part, Russia is firmly set on developing multifaceted, trust-based cooperation with Germany that will be decisive for the future of the continent.“
In a message to the President of India, Pratibha Patil, the President of Russia stressed: ”we are confidently looking towards the future of relations between Russia and India and intend to make every effort to reach new milestones in increasing the political, economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation between our two countries. I am confident that successfully hosting the Year of Russia in India in 2008 will further these objectives.“
When addressing the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, the President of Russia noted with satisfaction that 2007, a year that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, was marked by a high intensity of Russian-Indian political and business contacts and a dynamic advance in the key directions of bilateral cooperation.
The message Vladimir Putin sent to the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, emphasized that ”in the past year, Russian-Italian relations have been further strengthened by the development of our partnership cooperation, which is enriched by new political arrangements, large-scale economic projects, and important initiatives in the cultural and educational spheres.“
The greeting to the Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, read, in part: ”I am satisfied with the joint work we have done in 2007 to further develop and enrich Russian-Italian partnership cooperation. We highly appreciate our open, trusting and constructive dialogue, which contributes both to moving forward on the way towards deepening and enhancing bilateral ties in political, economic, cultural and educational spheres, as well as finding solutions to the problems facing the entire international community.“
In a greeting to the Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, Vladimir Putin expressed his satisfaction with the sustained momentum over the past year in the relations between their two countries and peoples. He also expressed his confidence that Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov's recent visit to Canada will contribute to further deepening Russian-Canadian partnership relations, the fruitful development of their countries' comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade and economic ties, and constructive cooperation in priority areas, including in the joint development of the Arctic.
In a message to the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, the President of Russia noted that ”over the past year the dialogue between Russia and Canada has developed remarkably. Our cooperation on the world stage has constructively evolved in order to ensure the sustainability and stability of the entire system of international relations, as well as to find viable solutions to global problems.“
The greeting to the President of China, Hu Jintao, read, in part: ”relations between Russia and China are a clear example of friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation, based on long-term strategic interests. Bilateral political, economic and humanitarian contacts are developing dynamically, and are obviously benefiting the Russian and Chinese peoples. The close cooperation between our countries in the international arena is an important factor in building a just world order that takes into account the diversity between civilizations as well as between political and economic systems.
The success of the Year of China in Russia, as well as the Year of Russia in China illustrates our shared aspiration to develop mutual understanding and cooperation. Our decision to make the most successful events held within these national years into regular activities will no doubt contribute to deepening mutual trust and traditional friendship between our two peoples ”.
In a congratulatory message to the President of the United States, George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin noted: ”the past year witnessed the 200th anniversary of the establishment of Russian-American diplomatic relations and demonstrated the strategic value of our partnership in meeting the global challenges of ensuring the stability of the entire system of international relations.
We highly appreciate your personal interest in promoting mutual understanding between Russia and the United States. I am pleased to recall the meetings we had in 2007, in Heiligendamm, Kennebunkport and Sydney, which once again confirmed how important it is to cooperate in order to formulate constructive approaches in the interests of our countries and the entire international community. I hope that the positive dynamic we have established in our bilateral relations will be maintained as our two countries enter a challenging period of their political life.“
In the greeting to the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin expressed his hope that 2008 will witness a stronger, multifaceted Russian-French partnership, further development of their countries' bilateral cooperation and cooperation in the international arena. ”I am confident with regards to the positive dynamics of the political dialogue between Russia and France, and the success of many joint projects“, the President of Russia noted. Recalling the meetings that took place in an open and constructive atmosphere with his French counterpart in Heiligendamm and in Moscow, Vladimir Putin stressed that the practical results of these meetings have greatly promoted their creative partnership and allowed their countries to chart new future plans in the various fields of cooperation.
The President of Russia sent warm greetings for the New Year to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan, and wished the friendly people of Japan welfare and prosperity.
In the message to the Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda, the Russian head of state expressed his sincere satisfaction that ”in the past year, and according to the Japan-Russian Action Plan, bilateral ties have developed rapidly in almost all areas, while active cooperation designed to solve pressing international problems has been undertaken.“ He expressed the hope that the coming year would give an additional boost to the multifaceted and constructive cooperation between Russia and Japan in order to make further progress in building a genuine partnership.
Vladimir Putin sent congratulations to the heads of state and government of other foreign countries.