On the ocassion of Russia Day this year which was celebrated at the posh Avani Hotel in Gaborone, the Ambassador of Russia to Botswana His Excellency Victor Sibilev elaborated some of the principles and values underpinning Russia’s engagement with the rest of the world.
Russia Day is a rather young national holiday of the Russian Federation celebrated since 2002 on the 12th of June. It commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on June 12, 1990. This day allows Russian people not only to assess our achievements in the past but also to shape new plans and look into the future together with their partners and friends. Our country has achieved a considerable progress in its economic development.
The Russian GDP last year was USD 1, 6 trillion (growth – 2, 3%). Manufacturing increased by 7%, agriculture more than 5%. Inflation did not exceed 4%. According to UN World tourism organisation in 2018 Russia became one of the most popular tourism destinations with 24, 6 million overseas tourists visiting it.
On May 29, 2019 a jubilee meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (WEC) took place in Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), devoted to the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). All participants of the meeting positively assessed the results of the Assosiation activities in the first five years and stated the improvement in the economic situation in the Union countries.
In 2018, the growth of GDP as a whole of the EAEU was 2. 5%, industrial output increased by 18, 8%, mutual trade by 9, 2%.In March this year Crimea celebrated the fifth anniversary of its reunification with the Russian Federation upon the referendum when more than 96% of the peninsula's population spoke in favour of the reunification. Russia notes with satisfaction the growing number of people having unbiased opinion on the situation in Crimea, and the interest in cooperating with it from political circles, foreign businesses, and civil society.
Regardless of systematic malicious speculations, Crimea enjoys an atmosphere of inter-ethnic accord characterised by consideration for all ethnic minorities. Now Crimea is one of the most dynamically developing Russian regions. The international conditions for the Russian Federation remains complicated. However, according to the address of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Upper Chamber of our Parliament on February 20, 2019, Russia remains open for dialogue.
Russia helps to consolidate positive trends in Syria and on the Korean Peninsula, resolve other crises and conflicts, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in the Ukraine and Venezuela. As before, our country is interested in restoring normal relations with US and EU on the principles of equality and mutual respect of interests.
The XXIII Petersburg International Economic Forum became the main event in the world during the first half of the year with over 19 thousand people from 145 countrie sattending it. Its key topic was “Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda”. Most participants, 1300, came from China. The USA and Great Britain brought 520 and 300 respectively. During the Forum 620 business agreements were signed with total amount being about 50 billion dollars.
On June 7 the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Guest of Honour and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the President of Bulgaria, the Prime Ministers of Slovakia and Armenia took part in the plenary session. In his speech, Vladimir Putin focused on the need for more equality in global trade and criticised those who opted for sanctions and trade wars as tools of pressure to achieve the dominance in the whole world.