With anticipation and blessings, the world ushered in the New Year. On the last day of 2021 or the first day of 2022, the world's leaders delivered New Year's messages, summarizing the past in words or videos and giving hope for a new beginning. In the past year, the COVID-19 epidemic has become an unavoidable topic, focusing on the fight against the epidemic and the future, seeking to cope with multiple challenges.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his longest New Year's address to date — 6 minutes and 22 seconds, 700 words long: praising solidarity and focusing on traditional family values
Putin said 2021 was met with "great challenges" and that 2022 was "expected to see pleasant changes," but that could not be separated from the experience of the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed "thousands of lives" and he expressed his condolences and support to all those who have lost loved ones to the disease.
Putin also praised the unity of the Russians. While many issues "remain unresolved," Putin has been positive about Russia's approach to the outbreak, calling the year's results "commendable." Putin said Russia had succeeded in "rapidly recovering its economy" and "now embarking on the task of strategic development." He believes that this is largely due to the collective efforts of the Russian people, "most importantly, we have met this year's challenges together." ”
Regarding Russia's "basic values," Putin elaborated on the values and life goals that he believes Russian families hold most dear: caring for children, honoring parents, feeling loved and being close to those they love. "All of these are fundamental values; they are the greatest things in our lives." Putin said, "I hope that every family will be happier, more families will be born, more children will be born, and they will also grow into healthy, intelligent, honest and free people." ”
Putin also said, "We firmly safeguard our interests and guarantee the security of the country and the people." ”
The White House publishes a short video: Biden's New Year's Address – Reflecting on the Path to 2021 and beyond
Biden: We often hear people being described as "ordinary Americans," and they're not ordinary. After losing loved ones, jobs, and facing uncertainty, we remain indomitable and we regenerate. It's extraordinary to go back to work, to go back to school, to get back to joy. That's how we're going to spend the year, and how we're going to embrace the next year – [the answer is] together.
10 Downing Street released British Prime Minister Johnson's "New Year's Message", urging vaccination to become one of the priorities
Johnson said: "Happy New Year. 2022 is just around the corner. Whatever challenges fate continues to present us, whatever anxieties we may have about the coming weeks and months, especially about The Omi kerong and the growing number of hospital admissions... We can say with certainty that our (2021) December 31 is much better than last year. ”
Review the UK's "results" in 2021. Johnson said: "We are the fastest growing country in the G7 ... Britain's tech sector received nearly £30 billion in investment this year – twice as much as Germany and three times as much as France. ”
Johnson also urged the epidemic prevention. While praising the success of the vaccine program and praising those who were vaccinated, he added, "I want to talk directly to all those who have not yet completed vaccination." Those who think the disease won't hurt them – look at the people who are hospitalized right now, that could be you. Look at the miserable, unnecessary pain of unvaccinated people lying in intensive care units, and that's you. At the end of the speech, Johnson appealed: "So make it (vaccinations) your New Year's resolution – much easier than losing weight or keeping a journal – find a vaccination center or make an appointment online." Get a shot and do something that makes 2022 a Happy New Year for all of us. ”
French President Emmanuel Macron: Hope that "2022 will be the year to get rid of the epidemic"
Macron said about the COVID-19 situation: We all know that the next few weeks will be difficult. In the past 24 hours, the number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day has exceeded 200,000 for the third consecutive day, making the country one of the most affected countries in Europe at the time of the arrival of Omi Kerong. Still, Macron said he remained "optimistic" about the future. He cited the measures taken by the French government during the crisis, including the response to unemployment, and reiterated his call for vaccinations, saying that this is a solution for France's "sure bet", a measure to overcome the current wave of the new crown virus and "maintain economic activity". "2022 could be the year we get out of the pandemic. I want to believe that."
In addition, Radio France 24 said macron also refused to confirm in his speech whether he would run for a second French presidency in 2022, as was widely expected. He said he would continue to serve France "no matter what role he plays" after the April elections.
German Chancellor Scholz's first New Year's message: Controlling the outbreak "will be a major task for the New Year"
In his first New Year's address on December 31, 2021 local time, Scholz said that Germany and the rest of the world face numerous and growing challenges. "We are at the beginning of a new decade. A new era is coming, one that will succeed if we actively shape it. If we are determined and firmly in control of our destiny, we can make a difference. "My biggest wish for 2022 is that we continue to walk side by side."
Scholz also said that controlling the COVID-19 pandemic "will be a major task for the new year" and that we all know that the outbreak is not over and that Omilon has made the situation particularly difficult. "Many of you want to know what this means to us and what happens next. I assure you that we will respond quickly and decisively to this. To this end, he called on the German people to be vaccinated.
In addition, Scholz also mentioned the rare floods that killed hundreds of people in Germany last July, and in response to difficulties such as epidemics and floods, he said that even in the darkest of times, Germany can work together to meet the challenges.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in's New Year message: The New Year is a year full of hope
Moon jae-in said that in today's rapidly changing world, we should lead the rapidly changing economy and lifestyle to cope with the new international order. Until the last day of late spring arrives, I will continue to do my best for the future of Korea. Yonhap News Agency said that Moon Jae-in's "last day of late spring" should refer to May 9, the last day of his term, and it is rare for Moon jae-in to say in his New Year's greetings about the next presidential election, which shows that Moon Jae-in's words are intended to emphasize the importance of direct presidential election.
Moon also thanked the epidemic prevention personnel, medical personnel, small businessmen and self-employed people who have stood on the front line of epidemic prevention in the past two years. He said that the year of Nongyin has arrived, although the weather is harsh, but we have ushered in a new year full of hope, and we hope that the coming year will be more developed.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued a "thought at the beginning of the year" to "prepare for the worst and be cautious" for the new crown epidemic.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Kishida said, "Since I became prime minister last October, I have been responding to the rapidly changing domestic and international situation in a rapid and responsive manner," "The most important task is to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic." Through the rapid promotion of vaccination, the epidemic situation stabilized for a while in the second half of last year. But now we are facing the threat of a new variant, the Omiljun strain, which is considered highly contagious, and we need to deal with it in the true meaning of crisis management, that is, "prepare for the worst and be cautious". ”
In addition to the epidemic, Kishida also talked about economic and foreign policy, which is basically consistent with his policy speech in the Diet. After Kishida became prime minister, he repeatedly withdrew the executive orders or systems that had been issued, and was criticized by the Japanese media as "changing orders and changing orders at the end of the day", in this regard, he argued in his "Feelings at the Beginning of the Year": "In the implementation of policies, even if the policy was once determined, from the perspective of the Japanese people, it will not stick to precedents, but will respond decisively and flexibly." I will do this. ”
In addition, Kishida also mentioned the issue of constitutional amendment, claiming: "Revising the Constitution has been the basic policy of the Founding of the Liberal Democratic Party and a major theme this year. Deepening the congressional debate must be accompanied by a national discussion. ”
UN Secretary-General Guterres' New Year's message: Committed to making "2022 the year of recovery for all"
As the world approaches 2022, Guterres said, our hopes for the future are being tested: rising poverty and inequality; uneven distribution of COVID-19 vaccines; unfulfilled climate promises; ongoing conflict, divisiveness and misinformation. These are not just tests of policy, but also of morality and real life.
Guterres said humans can overcome these tests and listed five key tasks. One is to recover from the outbreak by developing an ambitious plan to vaccinate everyone everywhere. Second, the economies of various countries have recovered, and developed countries should support developing countries through financing, investment and debt relief. The third is to get rid of distrust and division, and to this end we must once again attach importance to science, facts, and rationality. The fourth is to achieve post-conflict recovery, and to this end, we must revitalize the spirit of dialogue, compromise and reconciliation. Fifth, to revive the planet, we must make climate commitments commensurate with the scale and urgency of the crisis.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Qin Hong Text Editor: Li Linwei Title Image Source: Visual China Image Editor: Shao Jing
Source: Author: World Wide Web