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Heads of state and government from across the globe have given speeches and sent messages to mark the arrival of 2020, reflecting on the past 12 months and looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the new year.
President Xi Jinping said in his New Year address on Tuesday evening that 2020 will be a "year of milestone significance" for China, signaling that the elimination of poverty would be at the forefront of the national agenda over the next 12 months.
Here are some highlights and key quotes from other world leaders:
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin stressed the importance of Russian unity to resolve issues "faced by our society and our country.”
"We live in a turbulent, dynamic, contradictory time, but we can and must do everything for Russia to develop successfully so that everything in our life changes for the better.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin makes his annual New Year address to the nation in Moscow, December 31, 2019. /Reuters Photo
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Abe looked ahead to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will begin in Tokyo in July, and pledged to press ahead with major domestic reforms.
"Keeping an eye squarely on the future, we will advance major reforms associated with this nation's vision. Beyond that lies constitutional amendment. Here, as we ring in the second year of Reiwa, I have renewed my determination to work towards nation-building for a new era."
French President Emmanuel Macron
Macron addressed the ongoing protests in France over his planned pension reforms, insisting that the overhaul will go ahead despite one of the country's biggest transport strikes in decades.
"The pension reform will be fully carried out," he said, adding that he expected his government to quickly find a compromise with unions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Merkel said she is fighting climate change with all her strength to enable future generations to live in peace and prosperity.
"At 65, I am at an age at which I personally will no longer experience all the consequences of climate change that will occur if politicians do not act. It will be our children and grandchildren who have to live with the consequences of what we do or refrain from doing today."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives her New Year speech at the chancellery in Berlin, broadcast on December 31, 2019. /Reuters Photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip****Erdogan
Turkey will fully implement the agreements signed with Libya on security and maritime delimitation in 2020, Erdogan said in his New Year message, before adding a note of optimism about his country's future.
"Today, Turkey looks at its future more confidently than ever and with a sense of hope."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Johnson, in his first New Year message as prime minister, urged Britons to join together to make the 2020s a decade of prosperity and opportunity – and vowed to "get Brexit done before the end of this month."
"As we say goodbye to 2019, we can also turn the page on the division, rancor, and uncertainty which has dominated public life and held us back for far too long.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Modi tweeted a New Year message, saying "may this year be filled with joy and prosperity."
"Here is hoping 2020 marks the continuation of people-powered efforts to transform India and empower the lives of 130 crore Indians."
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Morrison acknowledged that Australia, currently suffering from major bushfires, has endured a "tough past 12 months" but insisted there were reasons for optimism.
"One thing we can always celebrate in Australia is that we live in the most amazing country on Earth and the wonderful Aussie spirit that means that we will always overcome whatever challenges we face.”
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin
Marin, the world's youngest prime minister, said that the strength of the society should not be measured on the basis of the strength of the most affluent, but through how the most vulnerable cope with their lives.
"We are entering a decade during which we must find solutions for combating climate change. This calls for decisions that reduce emissions. We will rely on scientific data, while taking account of the social and regional impacts of the solutions proposed."
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Mitsotakissaid Greece has learned valuable lessons from past mistakes, leaving the financial crisis behind and moving forward with confidence and unity.
"We are entering the third decade of the 21st century which brings unprecedented challenges: From geostrategic instability on the planet and the climate crisis to the 'explosion' of technology and its consequences. All this requires open thinking and bold actions."
(CGTN)
