January 1, 2017
Moscow: Thanking all Russians for their "victories, achievements, understanding and trust" in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday wished "peace and prosperity" for all citizens and that they will be able to fulfill their dreams and "good intentions".
January 1, 2017
Moscow: Thanking all Russians for their "victories, achievements, understanding and trust" in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday wished "peace and prosperity" for all citizens and that they will be able to fulfill their dreams and "good intentions".
Mr. Putin implored his citizens with some New Year's 'magic', saying everyone could become magicians on this occasion. President Putin invoked the need to trust and be thankful towards one's family and friends as the world transitioned into 2017.
"Each of us may become something of a magician on the night of the New Year," Vladimir Putin said in his brief televised address in the last minutes of 2016. The speech was broadcast in each of Russia's 11 time zones.
He revealed the "secret" behind becoming magicians on New Year's Eve for those nearest and dearest to them, EFE news reported.
"We simply need to treat our parents with love and gratitude, care for our children and families, respect our colleagues at work, nurture our friendships, defend truth and justice, be merciful and help those who are in need of support. This is the whole secret," the Russian leader explained.
Mr. Putin acknowledged that 2016 was "a challenging year" in reference to the economic difficulties that his country is experiencing, in addition to sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow due to the Ukrainian crisis.
"It was a challenging year, but the difficulties we faced have brought us together and allowed us to discover our enormous resources for moving forward," the Russian leader said.
(With inputs from IANS and Associated Press)
