Address of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov on the occasion of the National Day of Unity

Dear Tatarstan citizens!

Dear compatriots!

I sincerely congratulate you on the National Unity Day - a holiday of friendship, harmony and might of multinational Russia.

Many centuries ago, our ancestors - representatives of different classes, nationalities and religions - united in the face of a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the Fatherland, expelled the invaders and overcame the internal turmoil. Love for the Motherland, courage, solidarity, sacrifice, desire for freedom and justice are the high human and civic qualities that helped our people to preserve the state and win.

All this is highly relevant today, when our country is under unprecedented pressure from outside and is being tested for strength in an open and uncompromising confrontation. But the glory of the ancestors and our common will, inherent in the people of Russia faith, determination and restraint strengthen us in our efforts to confront any challenges of our time.

The Day of National Unity has a special significance in the Year of the Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia, which has attached great importance to the preservation of ethnic cultural diversity and the cultural identity of all peoples and ethnic communities in our country. Called to preserve the continuity of this mission, the year 2023 was declared the Year of National Cultures and Traditions in Tatarstan. Only by carefully preserving and developing our national and religious diversity and our cultural identity will we be able to preserve the unity of the Russian people and the great state they created. I am sure that the celebration of the Day of National Unity will contribute to the strengthening of citizenship and patriotism, the cohesion of the multi-ethnic people, will retain faith in their own strength and love for their Fatherland.

I wish all of us good health, happiness and well-being!

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov