Today, on June 12, we celebrate a holiday that can be confidently called the birthday of sovereign Russia.
Adopted in 1990, the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Russia became the starting point of a new era in the history of Russian statehood. Over these years our country has made significant progress on the path of democratic transformation, reborn as a great independent power.
Exactly one year later, on June 12, 1991, the first democratic presidential elections in Russia were held, which was an important step toward building a democratic state.
In 1994 a decree was signed on the establishment of a new national holiday – the Day of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Russia.
The holiday got its present name, Russia Day, only in February 2002. The changed name really fell to the taste of all citizens, it combined the importance of the event, the solemnity of the date, and the desire of all inhabitants of the vast territory of the national unity and shared responsibility for the future of the country.
This national holiday marks not only the cardinal democratic and economic changes that began more than thirty years ago, but also the entire historical path of the Russian state, which has been continuously developing and living for more than eleven centuries.
For us and for future generations it is extremely important to be aware of this great scale. To be able to appreciate the past, its lessons and deeper meaning. To preserve the continuity of national and spiritual traditions, to understand their importance in solving today’s problems, and never forget that Russia has given the world incomparable examples of true heroism, courage and strength of spirit in the field of war, labor and civilian service. That our country has created true cultural and literary masterpieces, unique scientific discoveries, that the Russian people have made a tremendous contribution to the progress of world civilization.
For a country as vast as Russia, with its multinational people and complex federal structure, the unconditional value of evolutionary, progressive development is obvious. Everything that weakens the country and divides society is unacceptable to us. This is what our entire national historical memory tells us.
We are witnessing the profound transformations taking place in the modern world, and time requires us to rethink Russia’s role in this process. Our Western opponents continue their attempts to “dilute” our common heroic past and to prohibit us from speaking about the Victory over Nazism. It is also regrettable that the “collective West” has ignored the Russian president’s call for a renewed model of indivisible security in Europe. The conflict in Ukraine has become another sore point. The difficult, but conscious decision made in this regard was the only right thing to do in conditions where for 30 years we were diligently imposed a model of unequal relations, where it is absolutely normal to break promises made and treat allies in a consuming manner, where our common history is rewritten, where striving for hegemony results in tragedies and crises around the world.
Russia is a part of the larger world – both economically and culturally. Russia cannot be isolated. But we will continue to proceed from our own interests and goals, not from decisions dictated by someone from the outside. Russia has always pursued an independent foreign policy. This will continue to be the case. Moreover, security in the world can only be ensured together with Russia, and not by trying to “push it aside”, to weaken its geopolitical positions, or to damage its defensive capabilities.
And this is exactly what the so-called collective West has been doing in recent years, imposing unprecedented sanctions against our country, trying to exclude it from international organizations, and silencing the voice of our media. Some “democratizers,” in the hysteria of Russophobia, have gone so far as to demand the “cancellation” of Russian culture.
But despite all this, the potential for support of our country is still very high. It suffice to say that the countries that make up two-thirds of the world’s population do not agree with the position of the U.S., EU and NATO. Russia will develop contacts with them bilaterally and multilaterally. This also fully applies to friendly Ethiopia.
While celebrating Russia Day, we think about our roots, our glorious past, our present and our future, whose fate is entirely in our hands. We, the citizens of Russia, have one country, one Motherland which we love and cherish. And today, on our National Holiday, we understand particularly keenly that in unity we can achieve the most ambitious goals, win and go forward.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
By Ambassador of Russia to Ethiopia H.E. Mr. Evgeny Terekhin
The Ethiopian Herald 12 June 2022
