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Dear Russians,
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there remains very little time
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before a historic date in our history:
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The year 2000.
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It is a new century.
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A new millenium.
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We all "tried on" this date ourselves.
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In childhood, growing up, we thought:
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how old will we be in 2000?
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How old will be our mothers? Our children?
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It once seemed so distant,
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this extraordinary new year.
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But the day has arrived.
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Dear friends, my friends,
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Today will be the final time
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that I turn to you bearing New Year's greetings.
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That's not all.
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Today is the final time I address you as President of Russia.
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I have decided.
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I have thought long and hard about it.
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Today, on the final day of the old century,
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I shall be resigning.
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I have heard many times:
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"Yeltsin will hold onto power by any means,
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he won't hand it over to anyone."
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This is a lie.
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There has been a different purpose.
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I have always stated
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that I will not deviate from the Constitution one bit,
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that Duma elections must be held under constitutional terms.
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And it happened.
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Furthermore, I sought,
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on time,
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the 2000 presidential election.
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It was very important for Russia.
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We were setting a major precedent for Russia:
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civilized, voluntary transfer of power
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From one president of Russia
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to another, newly-elected one.
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But a different decision has been made.
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I am...
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leaving.
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I am leaving ahead of schedule.
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I know that I must do this.
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Russia must enter a new millenium
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With new politicians, with new faces,
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with new, smart, strong, and energetic people.
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And us,
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those who have held power for many years,
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must leave.
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Seeing how, with such hope and faith,
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the people voted in the Duma elections for a new generation of politicians,
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I understand it, the main purpose of my life:
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To ensure that Russia shall never again return to the past.
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Russia now shall move only forwards.
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And I can't get in the way of this natural course of history.
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Six more months of holding onto the reins,
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when the country has a good man,
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one who is worthy of being president,
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and with whom today almost every Russian
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binds their hopes for the future.
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Why should I get in his way?
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Why wait six more months?
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No. For me, it just isn't in my nature.
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Today, in this extraordinarily important day for me,
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I want to say something a little more personal than I usually would.
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I want to ask for your forgiveness,
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because many of our, of your dreams didn't come true,
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and what seemed so simple
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was really excruciatingly difficult.
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I apologise that I could not live up to the hopes and dreams
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of those who thought, in one fell swoop,
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with one jerk, with one action, we could leap
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from our authoritarian, stagnant past
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into a bright, rich, and civilised future.
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I thought so, too.
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It seemed like nothing,
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for we can pull together and overcome anything.
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But one push didn't work.
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In some ways, I was too naïve.
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In some cases, there were problems too complex to solve.
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We were rushing
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forwards, through mistakes and failures.
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Many people in this troubled time experienced shock.
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But I want you to know,
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although I never said it,
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today it is important that I do:
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The pain that each of you felt
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resonated in me.
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It resonated in my heart,
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with sleepless nights and painful experiences:
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"What can I do,
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so that the people, at least a little bit,
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at least a little bit, can live easier and better lives?
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There was no task more important to me.
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I am...
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leaving.
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I've done all that I can.
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I'll be replaced by a new generation,
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a generation of those who can do more and do better.
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In accordance with the Constitution's rules on resignation,
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I have signed a decree entrusting the duties of the presidency
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to Prime Minister Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
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For the next three months he shall be head of state,
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And in three months' time, in accordance with the Constitution,
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presidential elections will take place.
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I have always been sure of the Russian people's outstanding wisdom,
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and I have no doubt
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what choice you shall make
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at the end of March 2000.
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Saying my goodbyes,
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I want
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to say,
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to each
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of you:
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Be happy.
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You all deserve happiness.
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Happiness and peace.
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Happy new year, and happy new century,
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my dear friends.