June 2, 2016Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Rina, for the lovely introduction, and thank you for all you have done for the Russian-speaking community of this City, and for spreading all over this City the love and appreciation of Russian culture, and the contributions of this community to this City, which are really outstanding. Now, I’m working on my Russian-language skills, so you’re going to have to help me here. [Mayor de Blasio speaks in Russian][Applause]I’m trying [inaudible] practice here. It is a great pleasure to kick off Russian-heritage month and to say something to you that I hope you know and you’ll hear – but this is a community that makes a profound impact on New York City. You know, in a country that’s grappling right now with the issue of immigration – in fact, you could argue all over the world the issue of migration and immigration is on the front pages – well, in New York City, we’re very proud of the fact that we figured out a long time ago what we think and what our values are. We value people of all communities and all nations coming here, and making us greater, and making us stronger. We are clear of the fact that New York City is greater than the sum of its parts. We gain strength through our diversity. And this is such a powerful example – the hundreds of thousands of members of the Russian-speaking community in this city have made us so much of what we are today, and have contributed so greatly. Look at this city today – we have a lot to be proud of. We have a lot of strengths. And this community, which has really blossomed in just the last few decades in particular, has been one of the reasons that New York City has reached the levels we have today. I want to thank some people who are here and express my appreciation to them for being a part of this and for everything they do. We’re honored to have the ambassador of the Republic of Kazakstan here, and the permanent representatives of Georgia, Belarus, Israel, and the Republic of Kazakstan. Let’s give them all a round of applause and thank them.[Applause]I want to thank the honorees. We applaud them for all they do. I want to congratulate and thank the Brownstone Experience Foundation, the Kings Bay Y, George [inaudible] and a good friend who I’ve worked with for years and [inaudible] in this city – our dear friend, the Consul General of Israel Ido Ahroni, you’ve done an amazing job. [Applause]And, of course, thank you to the president of the Russian-American Federation. Thank you for your great leadership. Now, if New York City speaks to the world – we’re an example of a place of many people to come together and do great things. Well, we can safely say that we often speak with a Russian accent, because this city, again, has had such a strong identity brought by the hundred of thousands of Russian-speaking people. But it’s also worth it to think the about generations of people who come here who are Russian-speaking and have made a huge impact, and a lot of them – we’ll never know their name. They weren’t famous. They were every-day people. But then, some of them, we do know their names. And when you actually hear the names together, it is a little bit of an indicator of how much of a contribution this community has made. Go back and think about our cultural heritage – you think about Irving Berlin, who literally wrote God Bless America and brought his heritage here and celebrated this country. You think about George Balanchine, one of the greats in dance, whose Nutcracker is the quintessential holiday expression now in New York City. You think about the works of Issac Asimov. And today, on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, we think about Anna Netrebko, who’s famous all over the world and makes such an impact here as well – just some examples. And it’s so important to recognize those great and powerful voices who contributed – the artists, the thinkers, the writers – but also to appreciate the every-day people. So many hardworking Russian-speaking people contributed. So many entrepreneurs – so many people started small business and made them great. So many people gave something of themselves to this city. We appreciate them all. And to honor all of those contributions and the way it’s added up to a great New York City, I am going to offer a proclamation today, officially starting this month. It has magically appeared in my hand, thank you. I’m just going to summarize the key section here – it say, whereas hardworking and innovative Russian-speaking residents have made invaluable contributions to every sector throughout the five boroughs; and whereas this annual event is a wonderful way to showcase the vibrant traditions and spirit of fellowship that binds Russian-speaking people here and around the word; therefore, I, Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2016 in the City of New York as Russian Heritage Month. [Applause] And, with that, I thank you all. It’s been a great joy to be with you, and I say spasibo.[Applause]Have a wonderful evening.