Heads Of State

"It seems that we have been born, only to consume. And when we can no longer consume, we have a feeling of frustration, we suffer from poverty and we are marginalized...."

"We have sacrificed the old immaterial Gods and now we are occupying the temple of the market god. This god organizes our economy, our politics, our habits, our lives and even provides us with rates and credit cards and gives us the appearance of happiness."

"Croatia had a long, difficult, complicated path. We are different and we are special, although every parent likes to think and tell their children that they are special and that they are different, while most are in fact ordinary like almost all of us. We are a different and special country. We are the only country that had to go through a war after 1990 (…) and had to fight for what to others had come easy. That’s why we are different and that difference is also reflected in the fact that we are sometimes misunderstood and hurt, but we don’t care. We, you especially, know that our path was right, just, and that we were guided by the fight for our state, for our historical right, which all peoples have."

"And one more thing about the Croats in World War II. To go to war as a Croat in 1941 and 1942 was an act of incredible bravery and adventure, something that is difficult to describe in words, something that has no graphic form. Croats weren’t persecuted in the way Serbs and Jews were."

"[Slava Ukraini - Heroiam Slava] This is the chant of the most radical chauvinists from Western Ukraine who collaborated with Nazis, who killed hundreds of thousands of Poles, Jews, and anyone else they got their hands on."

"The fight against the dirty economy, drug trafficking, theft & fraud, corruption - all of these contemporary scourges which were adopted by this opposite set of values, those who maintain that we are happier when we are richer no matter what means are used."

"Going from one adventure to another, politics achieves little more than perpetuating itself, and as such it delegates its power and spends its time bewildered, fighting for the Government. Out of control, human history marches forward, buying and selling everything and innovating in order to negotiate what is, in a way, non-negotiable..."

"We are a European state, we are getting better in public affairs and we should do even better and make use of every euro of European money allocated to us, every single euro. That must be our goal. Of course, not every goal can always be met in every war, in every operation, in every human struggle and endeavour. But our goals should be set high."

"We've been talking all afternoon about sustainable development. To get the masses out of poverty. But what are we thinking? Do we want the model of development and consumption of the rich countries? I ask you now: what would happen to this planet if Indians would have the same proportion of cars per household than Germans? How much oxygen would we have left? Does this planet have enough resources so seven or eight billion can have the same level of consumption and waste that today is seen in rich societies? It is this level of hyper-consumption that is harming our planet. (Speech at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, June 2012)"

"Violence, poverty and hunger are once again on the rise. Our post-pandemic recovery will be even more hard pressed in upending the world’s uneven economic development. Devastating natural disasters, especially due to severe weather patterns, are increasingly more difficult to deal with. And as our best scientific minds tell us, we can no longer afford to ignore how climate change is making natural hazards worse. Migration continues to rise, further fuelling discontent in its wake. All along, populists and disinformation campaigns, blatantly or maliciously ignoring factual accounts, can unnervingly shake people’s confidence in public authorities, in science and in the media. But we cannot, we must not give in."

"I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more. This is a matter of freedom. If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself."

"I have the duty to fight for tolerance for those who are different and with whom we have differences and disagreements. We do not need tolerance for those with whom we agree. Tolerance is the foundation of peaceful coexistence, understanding that we are all different in this world."

"I also come with a huge social debt and with the need to defend the Amazon, the seas, and our great rivers of America."

"The average city dweller wanders between financial institutions and tedious office routines, sometimes moderated by air conditioning. He often dreams about vacations and freedom. He dreams about having the ability to pay his bills until one day his heart stops and he is gone. Other such soldiers will fall prey to the jaws of the marketplace."

"Preventing and fighting corruption and waste is an important, urgent and long-term task of extreme difficulty and complexity. To enhance the efficiency of the work, timely detection, investigation and handling of offences plays a decisive role."

"Reinforcing Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation is in line with long-term and principal benefits of the two countries and two peoples, and beneficial to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world."

"Along with globalization and regionalization, the trends of linkage and integration, and the impacts of the revolution in science and technology, our region in recent years has yielded a cornucopia of long-term ideas, initiatives, and strategies for cooperation that are both inter-regional and global in scope."

"President Obama and I also discussed the future direction of bilateral ties and measures to further deepen bilateral cooperation. We underscored the importance of confidence-building and priority for development cooperation in trade and investment, science and technology, human resource development, and addressing climate change."

"Our country is thousands of kilometers long with many areas needing investments. We expect many investors, not only large investors, but also small investors with high technology, to expand investments in those areas."

"I promise to make every effort to well fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party, State and people."

"Education opens the way to a new life and a new world. Be brave and confident. Open all doors through knowledge, open with your willpower and the impulse of your hearts, diligence, helping each other, trusting each other, learning from each other."

"Moreover, nobody gave us independence. We tried, we fought, and we achieved. We achieved it not only at the cost of our will and devotion but also at the expense of the lives of many of our compatriots."

"Whatever political force you give preference to, and whatever your decision is, remember that it is a decision for the sake of the Homeland, for the sake of our state, for the sake of your future, and that of your family."

"The independent statehood is the inviolability and unbargainability of our borders, our ability to make and implement decisions, our capability of ensuring security and dictating peace. We must not only be able to win but also understand in depth how to deal with that victory."

"I insist that we live in Armenia mixing the imagination and the reality. And this is one of the main reasons. We say ‘we have a good army’, but we do not in reality. We say we have IT, but we do not have it. We have Information system, but I do not know whether we have it or not, which would correspond to the 21st century."

"The losers on the battlefield were not the soldier and his spirit, but the decision-making officials who were supposed to be ready for a possible war, properly organize and wage it."

"If you can find Newton in 1,000 and Einstein in 10,000, imagine how many talented people can you find in hundreds of millions? This new world is a world of innovation and start-ups."

"It does not matter to me that the behaviour of some political forces and parties has even been disrespectful because, as President, I leave their expressions aside and look at the situation that exists in our country today and those challenges and problems that we have today."

"We also seek to create a ripple effect in the use of information and digital technology, and step up economic restructuring and growth model transformation in close coordination with digital transformation."

"The COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving with complexities while the endurance of the people and businesses has its limit. Poverty is resurgent, unemployment is on the rise, and social inequality is worsening. Racing against time, we must take bolder actions, and engage in more substantive and effective cooperation."

"The strong advances of science and technology and the digital transformation taking place around the globe present both opportunities and challenges to countries, especially the developing ones. Social conflicts stemming from social disparities, discrimination and stigma have deteriorated due to the pandemic, further widening the divide within countries."

"Vietnam has a young population that is digitally savvy. Around 60 percent of our population of 93 million are under 35, and approximately 54 percent are internet users. This is a favorable foundation and a sufficiently large market to cultivate the digital economy and accelerate investment into new business models in Vietnam."

"We don’t forget our past, our history, but we need (closure) in order to look to the future. We need such mutual understanding to build our nations in peace, to better solve the problems in the lives of our citizens."

"Millions of Vietnamese died throughout years of resistance wars to protect the country, our independence and freedom. More than ever, we value peace, based on mutual respect for each others’ independence and sovereignty."

"Vietnam is one of the most open and dynamic economy in the region. In the spirit of integrity, development-enabling, action and service to the people and businesses, the Vietnamese government has put in place many policies to improve the business environment and assist businesses."

"The many-thousand-year-long history of our nation has proved that the love for the country, the preservation of the country, the resolute fight against foreign invasion, and the defense of national independence, sovereignty and unification constitute an extremely precious tradition of our people. Building on this tradition, since the mid-19th century when our country was invaded by the French colonialists, never subjugated to slavery, our people had kept rising up in continual and forceful patriotic movements characterized by multiple paths and tendencies, ranging from national salvation paths chosen by scholars to rebellions by peasants and bourgeois-styled revolutionary paths, etc. However, despite their staunchness, wholeheartedness and immense sufferings, all those movements ended in failure due to historical limitations, most notably the lack of a judicious line. A new path was dictated by history."

"Globalization and global integration are on the right track, but they are met with the rise of extreme nationalism, strategic competition and trade wars."

"The struggles against phenomena of degradation in political thoughts, morals and lifestyle are not yet carried out with due vigor. It is exhibited by the insincere and superficial process of self-criticism and criticism in a number of places from time to time. It also includes the unwillingness to admit but blame the mistakes on external circumstances, and hesitation in confronting wrongdoings. Inspections and supervision are executed irregularly and irresolutely with limited scope. Early warning and prevention of violations remain inefficient."

"The international and domestic landscapes are changing rapidly, in complicated and unpredictable ways, with opportunities intertwining with challenges and adversities. This poses new, more complex and more urgent questions to our cause of nation-building, renewal and development. The revolutionary cause of our Party and people is still faced with a multitude of hardships and challenges. The four threats warned by our Party still remain relevant, perhaps even more severe in certain aspects. Hostile elements are relentlessly working to subvert the revolutionary cause of our Party and people through denying the leadership of the Party and dividing the Party from the people, with the aim of overthrowing our Party and polity."

"The 21st century is the century of oceans, as the seas and oceans are the habitat and development space for coastal countries in general and the planet as a whole. The development of maritime economy and the protection of the marine environment play a very important role in the sustainable development of coastal countries, including Vietnam."

"For the peace of the world, for a connected and developed world, let’s shake hands. We shall develop together and contribute to global stability."

"A new spring is coming, bringing along with it a new vitality and confidence. To take full advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges, our entire Party, army and people should strengthen solidarity, join their forces and unanimity, and uphold their spirit of patriotism, skills, virtues and long-standing traditions of Vietnam, continuing to try their best to put the Party’s Resolution into life and determine to make our Party stronger and more transparent, making our country to further develop, and our people’s lives more prosperous, well-fed and happier."

"At different Party Congresses, we issued resolutions on the task of Party building and rectification, considering it a key long-term task. Each Resolution has its own focus, but there is always one constant point that all sectors of different levels, cadres, Party members and the entire people all are aware of the necessity to regularly and continuously take care of implementing the task of Party building and rectification."

"We must focus on building a contingent of cadres, especially those at strategic level, who have sufficient qualification, capability, prestige on a par with their mission, and uphold the responsibility of setting example of cadres and Party members."

"For Africa to move forward, Nigeria must be one of the anchor countries, if not the leading anchor country. It means that Nigeria must be good at home to be good outside. No doubt, our situation in the last decade or so had shown that we are not good enough at home; hence we are invariably absent at the table that we should be abroad.https://www.punchng.com/full-letter-obasanjo-writes-buhari-asks-president-to-halt-2019-ambition/%3famp"

"When democracy is recovered in Vietnam, I can say that my dream has come true. I can go back to my life. I would like to go back to my own province, my native province. That’s the best place."

"The Americans have asked us to do an impossible thing… You have asked us to do something you failed to do, with half a million powerful troops and skilled commanders, and with nearly $300 billion in expenditure over six long years."

"Yes, I'm a military man, and as a military man I say that if peace fails and we want to end this war, we must bring the war to North Vietnam. In all possible ways, including landing."

"You say that you blame me for the fall of South Vietnam, you criticize me, everything. I let you do that. I like to see you do better than I."

"If I do not say that you were defeated by the communists in Vietnam, I must modestly say that you did not win either. But you found an honourable way out. And at present, when our army lacks weapons, ammunition, helicopters, aircraft and B-52s (bombers), you ask us to do an impossible thing, like filling up the ocean with stones…"