Russia’s Putin sends New Year greetings to CIS leaders

ITAR-TASS news agency
30 Dec 04

Moscow, 30 December: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent New
Year greetings to foreign leaders, the Russian presidential press
service announced today.

The greeting to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says that “during
the outgoing year a firm basis was laid for further strengthening
strategic partnership relations between Russia and Azerbaijan and for
developing the friendship between the peoples of our countries”.

The message to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan points, amongst
other things, to “fruitful work on many levels in the outgoing year on
further developing Russo-Armenian relations, which are based upon
friendship over many centuries and strategic partnership between our
countries, and confidence was also expressed “in strengthening our
close cooperation in the year ahead”.

Congratulating Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Vladimir Putin
stressed that “the planned steps in the sphere of integration and
building a union will undoubtedly help to form bilateral cooperation
of a new quality and to ensure the social and economic development of
Russia and Belarus”.

Addressing Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Russian head of
state expressed his conviction that “the traditions of many centuries
of friendship and good neighbourliness between our peoples are a
reliable guarantee that Russo-Georgian relations will develop on the
basis of mutual respect, trust and aspiration towards fruitful
cooperation”.

The message to Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, points
out with satisfaction that “2004 was a successful year for relations
between Russia and Kazakhstan”, and the certainty is voiced that “the
traditional bonds of friendship, good-neighbourly relations and
alliance will continue to develop for the well-being of the peoples of
Russia and Kazakhstan”.

The greetings to Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev value highly the
results of the cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the
outgoing year. The Russian president voiced his conviction that
“Russo-Kyrgyz relations of alliance and strategic partnership will be
further developed for the well-being of our people, in the interests
of strengthening stability and security in the Central Asian region”.

Congratulating Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, the Russian
president expressed his conviction that “the development of bilateral
relations on the basis of mutual respect, trust and the mutual
aspiration towards effective cooperation on many levels meets the
long-term goals of Russia and Moldova” and he also expressed the hope
that Russo-Moldovan ties would gather pace in a positive way.

Addressing Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov, the Russian president
commented that “the outgoing year was a significant one for the
further deepening of the traditionally friendly Russo-Tajik
relations”. Putin expressed the conviction that “the consistent
implementation of the provisions of the bilateral documents signed in
Dushanbe in October 2004 will work for the good of the peoples of our
countries and in the interests of ensuring stability and security in
the Central Asian region”.

The congratulations to Turkmen President Saparmyrat Nyyazow voice
certainly that there will be “further all-round development of
Russo-Turkmen relations based upon the firm traditions of friendship
and mutual cooperation”.

Addressing Uzbek President Islom Karimov, Vladimir Putin pointed to
“considerable progress in developing Russo-Uzbek cooperation in all
areas in 2004″, an important landmark of which was the signing of the
Strategic Partnership Treaty. The Russian president voiced his
conviction that ” purposeful joint efforts will be crowned with fresh
successes in strengthening bilateral relations for the good of the
peoples of Russia and Uzbekistan, in the interests of peace and
stability in Central Asia”.

The message to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma expresses the
conviction that cooperation between Russia and Ukraine “will continue
to develop actively in the spirit of strategic partnership and on the
principles of mutual trust and respect, which fully reflects the
aspiration of the citizens of our states to live in friendship and
harmony”