"The values connection is very important. We have to strengthen that connection. If America invests in that, America will have many friends who live on their own, not with bombs or American troops."

“We should never take democracy for granted. Neither should we worship it. It must be nurtured and strengthened on a daily basis. It is our way of living, our state of mind. A democratic society is sustainable because it aims at the highest development of every one of its members.”

“We arrived from being the most isolated and closed communist regime in the world to one of the most open. Today we have a dynamic market economy, a vibrant, creative society.”

“No dictatorship can stay (in power) for good... People's aspirations for a free life will be the everlasting strength.”

“We have a long-term goal to build the foundation for continued, practical cooperation by continuously holding official and unofficial meetings based on the principle of respecting the rights and proposals of the participants.”

“We never hide our shadow, we give more power to our people, to our media. If our three million people participate, I think we are going to be a big, powerful country.”

“We have two big neighbors, and, of course, we are really striving to maintain neighborly good relations with our two neighbors. As well, we want to have good relations with other nations. All those other nations we call our third neighbor. This is the concept after 1990.”