SPEECH BY H.E. DR EDWARD FENECH ADAMI, PRESIDENT OF MALTA

ON THE OCCASION OF THE NATIONAL DAY

OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

THURSDAY, 10 JUNE 2004

It gives me great pleasure to be with you here this evening to celebrate the National Day of the Russian Federation.

In May of last year I was invited to St Petersburg to participate in a Russia-EU Summit and in the festivities celebrating the three hundredth anniversary of this magnificent city built by Peter the Great to serve as a “window to the west”.  And indeed, St Petersburg did serve as a window, to the Heads of State and Governments present for these festivities, a window to the great reforms underway in Russia.

I saw a country that is changing economically and politically.  I saw a country that is not only rightfully proud of its history but also a country determined to carve for itself a vibrant present and a prosperous future.  I saw a country that is succeeding in redefining itself.

With their unexpected twists and turns, the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties have proved to be a worthy climax of the twentieth century.  The momentous events of those years, nothing short of a massive political earthquake, literally shaped a new world.  Malta had its fifteen minutes of fame in this exciting theatre when we hosted the Bush-Gorbachev Summit which, to quote Georgia’s former President Edward Schevarnadze, served to bury “the cold war in the warm waters of the Mediterranean”.  On the face of it Russia stood to lose most from these turbulent events.  Not only did it not lose, but since 1990 Russia gained and continues to gain more in economic, social and political terms.

As the twentieth century gave way to the twenty first we all had high hopes of securing peace between nations.  However new threats have emerged which, coupled with existing ones, soon made us realise that more needs to be done to

make this a better world, a world we all hope for. Russia has, on many occasions, proved its willingness to act in this regard.  Malta appreciates the firm stand taken by Russia in combating global terrorism. Recent tragic events have shown that no country is immune to or spared from this phenomenon.  We have to seek  the root of this evil and work relentlessly to eradicate it.  Russia’s contribution to this effort is critical.

Mr Ambassador and Madame Vlasova,

Throughout the years our countries maintained excellent relations.  Now, with Malta as a member of the European Union, there is much scope for these relations to intensify.  I am sure that in the years to come, the initiatives you referred to, together with other new economic, political and cultural ones, will serve to bring our peoples closer and help foster fruitful two-way relations.

With these thoughts in mind, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I ask you to join me in raising your glasses to toast His Excellency President Vladimir Putin and the people of the Russian Federation.