00:00Dear President Vladimir Putin, Vice President of China Han Song, Excellencies, Distinguished
00:12Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to President
00:19Vladimir Putin for inviting me to this preeminent and momentous forum here in Vladivostok.
00:27It is also momentous for me on a personal level because, believe it or not, this is
00:35my very first visit to Russia.
00:38More than 50 years ago, when I was still an active youth leader, I flew Aeroflot and transited
00:51Moscow Airport on my way to Belgium for the International Youth Conference.
00:58We were not allowed to disembark, only to the transit hotel, so I never got the chance
01:05to set foot on Russian soil.
01:08And it is a real pleasure here to be finally in Vladivostok, where history blends seamlessly
01:16with progress and where the vastness of Russia meets the boundless promise of Asia-Pacific.
01:25As a crossroads of commerce, this city has been shaped by diverse influences, reflecting
01:31a rich heritage of Russian and East Asian traditions, making Vladivostok a concert of
01:39cultures.
01:42Beyond its economic significance, Vladivostok holds a distinctive place in Russian history
01:51as a vital seaport and eastern terminus of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.
01:57This city truly embodies Russia's connection with the East.
02:02Here we find a powerful symbol of our gathering, a convergence of geography, ideas, aspirations
02:11and futures.
02:12Russia is not just a strategic and economic reality that commands attention.
02:18Indeed, as a cultural, intellectual and scientific force, Russia's prominence on the global
02:26stage transcends the confines of commerce and geopolitics, reaching deep into the very
02:34fabric of human history and thought.
02:38Russia's preeminence stems not from military might or economic leverage, crucial as that
02:46may be, but from the enduring power of ideas, the beauty of artistic expression and an unwavering
02:55pursuit of knowledge.
02:56These achievements run the bedrock of the remarkable soft power, earning Russia a place
03:04of global respect and admiration, influencing the hearts and minds of peoples around the
03:11world.
03:12For me personally, this influence is most powerfully felt in literature.
03:20I say this with earnest conviction because having drunk deeply from the whispers of English
03:28and Malay literature in my early education and then later having immersed in the works
03:35of Dante, Shakespeare and Milton, I do believe that life would be so much poorer without
03:44literature, particularly Russian literature.
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