В.Путин.Выступление и ответы.14.11.01.Part 1

Speech and Answers to Questions at Rice University.Part 1
November 14, 2001
Houston

Выступление и ответы на вопросы в Университете Райса
14 ноября 2001 года
Хьюстон

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Ladies and gentlemen,

I sincerely appreciate the invitation to visit your University, the oldest in Texas and one that is at the cutting edge of science and education. I am glad to see all those gathered here. My special thanks of course go to the authorities of Texas and Houston, President George Bush Sr as well as Mr James Baker for organising this meeting.

When we met I was surprised to discover that Mr Baker remembers our first meeting. It took place in 1992 in St Petersburg. I was a fairly modest city official at the time, and Mr Baker was a very big boss. Nevertheless, he remembers that meeting, which is very pleasant for me, and another thing is that back then the US Administration led by Mr George Bush Sr paid attention to Russia and even worked in the regions. It worked in a direct hands-on manner with personal involvement and as we see all this has paid off. And for this I would like to thank the former and the current leaders of America.

And of course, I would like to extend greetings from Texas to all the citizens of the United States of America.

For Russian citizens Texas is not just a Lone Star state, a romantic state that enthralls all those who know and love America (and there are many such people in Russia). It is not only a symbol of independence, nobility and the American quest for justice. For Russia, the south of the United States is an economically developed and wealthy region. A region with which our cooperation does not have to start with a clean slate because we already have much in common. This includes the oil and gas industry and the joint work in space research which is fast gathering momentum. Russian speech has long been heard at the Johnson Space Centre. We even have a shared holiday. It is April 12, the day when our compatriot Yuri Gagarin made the first spaceflight in the world. As far as I know the Texas Legislative Assembly has declared it to be a holiday. This is a special symbol to us and, I assure you, it gives us a special feeling for Texas.

I think even these facts provide an affirmative answer to the question that has long been relevant, but is now doubly relevant: do Russia and America need each other?

It has now been brought home to us what being together means. We have started to invest this concept with new substance, to look for ways for a more productive and upgraded cooperation. So our relations should not be seen only through the prism of the events on September 11. Of course these events gave us a chance to make our bilateral ties long-term and genuinely friendly. Today political leaders have a special responsibility. They must not only provide an adequate response to the terrorist challenge, but reappraise the history and the logic of mutual relations between our countries and see how to build on them, what to rely on and what to try to achieve. In short, it is our duty to hear the pulse of history.

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[Stoltarian]

It seems that around 5 minutes in, Putin goes off the speech you have written in the comments. Do you know where I can find the rest?