Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attends Help the Tigers! concert held as part of International Tiger Conservation Forum
Vladimir Putin's speech:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends! Once again I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your participation in today's event.
We have talked a lot about conserving wildlife and specifically about protecting tigers today; the scientists, experts and politicians have discussed it thoroughly and competently. Now it is the artists' turn.
Art is a way to communicate for both individuals and for entire nations. It does not require knowledge of a foreign language; it comes from the heart and the soul. And sometimes it is the best way to understand each other and to cultivate trust between people and even whole nations.
I had the feeling that this was the language we were speaking from this very morning. And I am much obliged to the artists from around the world, especially to those from countries with tiger populations, who came here to support today's event with their talent and creativity. I am happy to see the Russian artists who, along with all the artists here, are admired and beloved in their countries.
Nevertheless, I would like to make special mention of one person who, I am told, is here. This is Leonardo DiCaprio, a famous American actor who is well-known and admired all over the world. Where is he? Is he here? I would like to mention him not only because today he donated $1 million to the World Wildlife Fund, as important as that is, and I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for that. But that's not the point.
The point is that, though not many of you are aware of it, even I only just found out about it: the day before yesterday he left for Russia on a commercial airliner, and after the plane gained altitude, one of its engines caught fire and shut down. The American pilots, who turned down all the engines to initiate a fire-extinguishing system, should be praised for showing courage, presence of mind and professionalism. The plane fell for a couple of seconds then the pilots powered up the engines and flew back to New York. I don't think many of the plane's passengers wanted to go on with their journey after that.
But Mr DiCaprio, who took another flight, is not one to be easily frightened. Still, this wasn't the end of his adventure! This time he was flying on a small private plane to get here. But the plane unexpectedly ran low on fuel due to strong headwinds over the ocean. Strange, isn't it? So the plane was forced to land in Helsinki to refuel. I think Mr DiCaprio fought through the front lines to get to Russia. Russians call people like you "tough guys." I beg your pardon for any impropriety.
If people with this kind of character are involved in conserving wildlife and protecting tigers, then I believe we are destined for success.
Thank you very much!
