“No words can describe what I am feeling now. For the first time in a thousand-year long history of Russia the President is taking his oath before the citizens of Russia. There is no honour higher than the one people render to his President; and there is no post more prestigious than the one the citizens elect.
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Esteemed citizens of Russia and dear friends, I am addressing you today, you in particular, since you have entrusted me with the highest post in the country.
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“Citizens of Russia, friends!
I have just sworn the presidential oath, the oath taken before the people of Russia, and its very first lines pledge respect and protection of human rights and freedoms. It is them that our society declares the greatest value, and they determine the sense and the substance of all state policy.
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