Anwar: Momentous Russia visit as I set foot in this country for the first time

The Star

Speaking at the plenary session of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia on Thursday (Sept 5), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it was the first time he had set foot in the largest country in the world.  Read more at https://shorturl.at/KuKW8  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

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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