[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[January 13, 1994]
[Pages 48-49]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Reception in Moscow 
January 13, 1994

    Thank you very much. I want to begin by thanking Ambassador and Mrs. 
Pickering for having us here tonight and for giving us all a chance to 
meet and to visit in what I imagine is an extraordinary and 
unprecedented gathering not only of Americans but of Russians who come 
from different political perspectives. I am told that 60 years ago at a 
Christmas Eve party here, three trained seals went crazy in the 
ballroom. Now, in the United States, when people from different 
political parties get together, they sometimes behave the same way. 
[Laughter] So I'm glad to see you all getting along so well tonight.
    It is a great honor for me and the Secretary of State, the Secretary 
of Treasury, and all the other members of our party to be here with so 
many representatives of the new Russia. Each of you who have 
participated in this new democratic process have my respect, my 
admiration, and my pledge of equal partnership. It is difficult for most 
Americans to even imagine the size and scope of the changes going on in 
your nation now. When I leave you, I am going home to attempt to reform 
our Nation's health care system. It is a very big job. It comprises one-
seventh of our entire economy. You are in the process of transforming 
your entire economy while you develop a new constitutional democracy as 
well. It boggles the mind, and you have my respect for the effort.
    Over the years, over the centuries, the Russian people have shown 
their greatness in many ways: in culture, on the battlefield, in govern-


[[Page 49]]

ment, in space. And now on the brink of the 21st century, this great 
nation is being called upon to redefine its greatness again in terms 
that will enable your nation to be strong and vital and alive for 
hundreds of years into the future.
    We live in a curious time where modern revolutions are transforming 
life for the better, revolutions in communications, in technology, and 
in many other areas. And yet the oldest of society's demons plague us 
still, the hatreds of people for one another based on their race, their 
ethnic group, their religion, even the piece of ground they happen to 
have been born on. In the midst of this conflict of historic 
proportions, I believe that greatness of nations in the 21st century 
will be defined by how successful they are in providing the opportunity 
for every man and woman, every boy and girl living within the nation's 
borders to live up to the fullest of their natural capacity.
    If we are to have any chance at all to realize that future in the 
world, I believe this nation must be strong democratically and strong 
economically. And I believe we will have to write a new future for all 
of Europe and create a future which, for the first time in history, 
Europe is not divided by some political line which leads to war or which 
is the product of a destructive isolationism born of past divisions.
    So as I look around this room at the faces of tomorrow's Russia--
people from different political parties, people who are members of the 
Duma and people who are governors and people who represent local 
government, people who are in private enterprises--I say to you there is 
lots of room for difference of opinion. Indeed, the world we are living 
in and the world we are moving toward is so complicated and changes so 
fast, all of us desperately need to listen to one another's opinions. 
But if we are to realize the measure of the true greatness in your 
nation and in mine, we must keep our devotion to democracy, to a certain 
freedom in our economic affairs, and to a respect for one another's 
neighbors. For greatness in the next century will be defined not by how 
far we can reach but by how well we do by the people who live within our 
borders.
    I came here as a friend and supporter of the democratic changes 
going on in this country. I hope that together we can make a positive 
difference in a genuine and equal partnership. But in the end, you will 
have to decide your future. American support can certainly not make all 
the difference, and American direction is unwarranted. The future is for 
you to write and for you to make. But I come to say, from the bottom of 
my heart, the people of the United States and the President of the 
United States wish to be your partners and your friends.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:28 p.m. at Spaso House.