MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the outgoing year as special and said he is convinced that the country will be able to consolidate efforts and implement a number of projects vital for its further development.
"The outgoing year was special and naturally different for all. But it saw something that unites us all: big event both inside and outside the country," he said on Thursday at a traditional New Year reception on behalf of the Russian president.
Among such events, he listed the commissioning of the Crimean Bridge, the FIFA World Cup, etc.
The Russian leader offered special thanks to all those "who took part in the Year of Volunteers." "I want to thank these real citizens who supported and helped implement this year’s projects," he said. He also thanked the Russian military for their professionalism "in carrying out their combat missions, including abroad," the municipal authorities, teachers, medics, businessmen for the efforts they have been taking in the interests of the country’s development.
"We are ready to keep on moving forward and implement any tasks," he stressed.
The event was held at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and was attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with his wife, speaker of the Federation Council upper parliament house Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the State Duma lower parliament house Vyacheslav Volodin, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, chief of the presidential administration Anton Vaino with his wife, widow of Russia’s first President Boris Yeltsin, Naina Yeltsina, Director General of the Bolshoi Theatre Vladimir Urin with his wife and Russian choreographer Yuri Grigorovich.