OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2010. Honorable Members of the Cuban Government, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to greet the Cuban friends and all of you present here at this remarkable event – the opening ceremony of the 19th Havana International Book Fair. This fair is famous not only in Latin America, but also outside it. Russia is participating in it for the first time as the Guest of Honor country. Let me take a moment to thank our Cuban friends for the honor accorded to us.

Although Russia and Cuba are separated by thousands of kilometers, we well know the Cubans – our reliable and long-time partners and true friends. This year is special. In May we shall celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between our states. At the same time for the Russians as well as for millions of people around the world, May is a special month. It is memorably by the great Victory over fascism. We are grateful to our Cuban friends for the solidarity they showed us in the United Nations, where we launched a joint initiative to hold a special meeting of the UN General Assembly on this occasion.

Today after the talks with my counterpart, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez a Joint Statement specially devoted to the upcoming 65th anniversary of the Victory was signed. We value our work together on the international stage, aimed at ensuring that the ideals of peace and justice are victorious, that the United Nations grows ever stronger, and that the principles laid down in the UN Charter – the principles of collective work to achieve a common goal – triumph in practice.

Today the agenda of our relations is multifaceted, with its main focus determined by the agreements that were reached by Dmitry Medvedev and Raul Castro in 2008 and in 2009, at the summits held in Havana and Moscow. Our intensive political dialogue is based on the deepening economic ties, on the developing relations in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, on the mutual sympathy of our peoples, their reciprocal interest for and attraction to each other. All this imparts special importance to our participation in the Havana Book Fair.

Russia has always been one of the world’s leaders in quantity of published and read books. However, it’s not only quantitative indicators that matter. It is exceptionally important that the value of books grow in society, and that for people, especially young people, they remain a source of knowledge and moral health. We all support the all-round distribution of electronic media and the Internet. But there should be no forgetting about books, either. Today books need special support. Therefore, in our days the significance of activities such as book fairs, which are devoted to the promotion of one of the most remarkable inventions of humanity, the book, is set to grow even further.

A profound, clever book elevates man, makes him stronger and wiser, and widens the limits of his capabilities. Of this Jose Marti said remarkably: “To be educated is to be free.” It is no accident that in Spanish the words “book” and “freedom” are so much alike.

The exhibit which Russia has brought to Havana is designed so that visitors can get an idea of how and by what modern Russia lives, how our culture, art, education and science are developing. We paid special attention to the section on the history of Russian-Cuban friendship. We are pleased that among the members of our delegation, apart from the representatives of official authorities, are publishers, leading writers, poets, journalists, scientists, cultural and art workers.

We have just enjoyed the performance of Igor Butman and his colleagues. The program of Russia's participation in the fair also includes performances of musicians, ballet soloists, circus artists, a youth discos and other activities. I hope that in addition to directly visiting the Russian exhibit you will get pleasure from communication with Russian cultural and art personalities.

In conclusion I would like to thank all those who applied their efforts and skill, put their heart and soul into organizing this fair, and to wish you interesting meetings and every success.