Putin Lauds National Cohesion Amid National Unity Day Celebrations

Putin Lauds National Cohesion Amid National Unity Day Celebrations

Russian President Vladimir Putin said as the country celebrates National Unity Day on Monday that only by working together could the people of Russia overcome all challenges

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin said as the country celebrates National Unity Day on Monday that only by working together could the people of Russia overcome all challenges.

Russia commemorates the liberation of Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian occupation by the volunteer forces led by Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky in 1612.

"I congratulate you on this holiday, the National Unity Day, with a holiday that signifies the cohesion of our people, our sincere and deep love toward the Motherland. It is that loyalty to the Homeland that nourished our ancestors, who, more than 400 years ago, united into a people's militia, overcame the [Time of] Troubles and saved the country from collapsing, freed it from the invaders and conquerors," the president said in a speech at an official reception.

He added that the ancestors had left the Russian people a great example of one's sacrifice in the name of the country's defense.

"And that defense became the main unifying cause for the people of various nationalities, estates, and confessions. This mighty, all-conquering spirit of unity has been passed from generation to generation. In all hard times, our people always stood shoulder to shoulder, fought selflessly for freedom and independence of their Motherland, for those historical, spiritual family values, that are dear to all of us," Putin continued.

He urged all Russians to follow that example, calming it to be the foundation of the country's prosperity and independence.

"The most dependable foundation of Russia's successful development is the cohesion of our society, loyalty to the values of peace, trust, and mutual respect between people of different nationalities. The history of our country bequeathed to us [the duty] to preserve these traditions. And we know well that only together we will reach the highest goals, solve the most complicated tasks, honorably respond to any challenge," he declared.

On November 4, 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod voluntary corps, marching under an icon of Our Lady of Kazan, uncovered in Kazan in 1579, stormed the Kitai Gorod walls of Moscow, defeating the Polish-Lithuanian intervention forces, led by Grand Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz.