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🗓 On May 20-21, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part in the Foreign Ministers Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member-countries.

The participants focused on the organisation’s activities in the context of preparations for the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Astana on July 3-4. They also discussed draft documents to be presented for the leaders’ consideration.

The participants will reflect their coordinated approaches to the SCO’s further development and current global and regional issues in the Astana Declaration.

The admission of Belarus will be an important step towards strengthening the #SCO. The Ministers endorsed the relevant draft decisions of the Heads of State Council.

They also coordinated proposals of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council on comprehensive improvement of the organisation’s activities in the context of current geopolitical realities.

They adopted draft leadership statements and conceptual documents as a foundation for promoting cooperation in energy, transport, logistics and environmental protection.

During a detailed exchange of views on key regional and international issues, the Ministers discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the Middle East as a whole, and, in part, settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

They paid special attention to the SCO’s efforts to facilitate stabilization in Afghanistan, considering the importance of this factor for the security of the SCO space.

🤝 FM Lavrov also had a number of bilateral meetings.
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at an extended meeting with the participation of the Foreign Ministers from the Global South and the Global East (June 11, 2024, Nizhny Novgorod)

💬 Welcome to Russia and Nizhny Novgorod, a beautiful city, the beauty of which and the feelings of the residents of which you had the chance to enjoy yesterday.

Today’s meeting reflects the efforts of #BRICS members to develop ties with the stakeholder countries from the Global South and the Global East, the countries of the Global Majority,

in order to identify solutions to the most pressing global issues faced by all members of the international community without exception.

We are witnessing a profound transformation of international relations triggered by the formation of a fairer and polycentric system of international order, which would reflect the entire gamut of cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern-day world and ensure the right of every nation to determine its own future and its own path of development.

The stronger voice of the Global Majority, i.e. the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, which are not part of the collective West, is a major trend now.

Only by uniting our ranks can we truly effectively promote a vision of a just future shared by all of us. In this context, it is important to strengthen the role of the country-to-country groups that advocate balanced and equitable approaches to international development.

We are talking about the formats which reflect the principles of equitable cooperation in practice rather than in words. These include, along with BRICS, #SCO, #AfricanUnion, #EAEU, #CIS, #ASEAN, #LAS, #CELAC, #GCC, #IORA and many other organisations. The chairs of many of these organisations are here with us.

We believe it is important to establish contacts between all such integration entities which operate at regional levels, on the one hand, and our global association BRICS, on the other hand. This will promote gradual and mutually respectful harmonisation of approaches to the issues facing all associations.

The strengthening the international legal framework and collective decision-making on global issues is now at the forefront. Only in this case will those decisions be effective and legitimate.

This principle is laid down in the UN Charter. Unfortunately, the collective West’s decisions, especially in the economy, finance, trade and more, increasingly fail to comply with the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

Our countries have largely overlapping approaches to reforming the system of multilateral institutions, including the UN and the UN Security Council, as well as addressing the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN General Assembly.

🤝 We look forward to discussing all these issues today.
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions at a joint news conference following talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Aleinik (Minsk, June 24, 2024)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I would like to once again express my gratitude to our Belarusian friends for your warm hospitality and excellent arrangements during my official trip to the Republic of Belarus.

Our talks were held in a trust-based and friendly atmosphere, were quite substantive and covered an extensive number of issues.

We focused on important international matters. We compared notes on numerous aspects of bilateral cooperation, including interministerial interaction and foreign policy alignment.

Key talking points:

• Our absolute priorities include foreign policy support for the Union integration and strengthening international positions of the Union State, the 25th Anniversary of which we will celebrate on December 8, 2024.

• We will provide every bit of assistance to our Belarusian allies in order to get them fully onboard at the #SCO and various #BRICS mechanisms as soon as possible.

• We condemn the Western countries’ actions that have led to the Ukraine crisis and the final collapse of the security system in Europe, based on the Euro-Atlantic principles. In this context, we have paid special attention to the prospects for creating a new architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia, inviting all countries in our common continent to cooperate in this process.

• Our proposal [on Eurasian security] is addressed to all those who are willing to consider the prospect for creating a new security system on an equitable basis with regard for the interests of all countries on the continent and based on the balance of these interests, excluding any outside interference.

• We reiterated our commitment to jointly uphold traditional values and the historical truth, and to prevent the rewriting of history and the glorification of Nazism.

• We noted the counterproductive consequences of politicising international cultural, humanitarian, scientific and sports relations.

• We focused on creating a common Union State space in defence and security. We noted that the joint regional grouping of troops and forces deployed in the Republic, as well as advanced Russian defence complexes and tactical nuclear weapons which reliably shield our common western borders in accordance with the decisions of the presidents of the two countries, are quite helpful in achieving this goal.

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🇷🇺🇺🇳 On July 1, Russia assumed the UN Security Council Presidency, which, pursuant to the UN Charter, bears the primary responsibility for finding effective responses to threats to international peace and security.

Three central events have been planned during the Russian presidency:

🗓 July 16 – open ministerial-level debate on multilateral cooperation for a more just, democratic and sustainable world order.

🗓 July 17 – open ministerial-level debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.

🗓 July 19 – debate in the Security Council on UN cooperation with the #CSTO, the #CIS and the #SCO.

The first two events will be chaired by Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov.

In general, the Council has a very busy agenda. The mandate-reporting cycle will include meetings on the situation in Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Africa and the Sahel region, Yemen, Cyprus, Colombia, Lebanon and Syria, as well as on the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.

The mandates of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement and the Security Council sanctions regime against the Central African Republic are scheduled for renewal.

The agenda also includes discussions on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2720 on the humanitarian mechanism for the Gaza Strip to be attended by the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

🇷🇺 The Russian Federation as a permanent member of the Security Council and a responsible participant in the international community, will traditionally make every effort to ensure a coherent and expeditious work of this agency. In this connection, Russia will urge its colleagues in the Security Council to seek common denominators, given due account of the interests of all the parties concerned.
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#Opinion

✍️ Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, member of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Europe will eventually have to choose between the US and BRICS

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Key points:

💬 Rather than setting out to organize a genuine multipolar system based on mutual recognition of each nation’s core interests, <...> the US proceeded to enhance its exclusive and comprehensive dominance.

• This year, at the #BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan, the group will for the first time include the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Another major Eurasian institution is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) <...> to be admitted soon. A number of other Eurasian countries, from Turkey to Thailand and from the Malpes to Mongolia, have voiced their intention to join either BRICS or SCO.

• To counter that trend among the members of what we increasingly call the World Majority, Washington has raised the profile of NATO in the Indo-Pacific; strengthened its Cold War-era bilateral and trilateral alliances in the Western Pacific, and founded a new one, #AUKUS, in the South Pacific.

❗️ All these multiple arrangements are completely dominated by the US and are aimed at containing and deterring Washington’s designated primary adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – with one overriding goal of defending America’s hegemonic position.

• In contrast to that, neither BRICS nor the SCO is dominated by a single power, or a tandem/triumvirate of nations. BRICS’s recent expansion also suggests that it does not aspire to become a version of the West’s G7, as an elitist steering group, or directoire, for the non-Western world.

• Neither BRICS nor the SCO is overtly anti-American or anti-Western: their main focus is internal rather than external, and they have their work cut out for them.

• The emerging mutual security space within the SCO will make the continent – minus Western Europe, for the time being – far more stable, whether in terms of strategic stability in major-power relations, regional security systems, or the risks of terrorism.

☝️ Eventually, the countries of Western Europe – or far western Eurasia, if you like – will have to make a choice between staying in the US orbit as America’s power continues to shrink, or reaching out east to a vast and vibrant new world next door.
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🇷🇺🇨🇳 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin met with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana.

💬 Vladimir Putin: I remember how warmly you welcomed us all in China. I would like to thank you again for the hospitality you showed us, on behalf of my colleagues and myself. <...>

Our countries stood at the cradle of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2001. As the number of participants grew – and tomorrow Belarus will become another full member of the organisation – the #SCO also gained a bigger role as one of the key pillars of a just multipolar world order. We will certainly support China’s chairmanship of the SCO in 2024–2025 in every way.

🤝 We have repeatedly stated with good reason that Russia-China relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, are going through the best period in their history. They are guided by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other’s sovereignty.

☝️ Our cooperation is not directed against anyone. We do not create any blocs or alliances; we are simply acting in the interests of our people.

Russia and China continue the series of events dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries we are marking this year.

📈 Trade is on the rise – we noted this during my visit to the People’s Republic of China, and we can reaffirm this today. We saw more positive trends in the first half of this year. <...>

🌐 Russian-Chinese cooperation in global affairs serves as a main stabilising factor on the international stage, and we continue to further enhance it.

This year, Russia holds the presidency of #BRICS, another organisation created on our initiative, and we hope that you and our colleagues will take part in the Kazan Summit in October.

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🇷🇺 Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The meeting is chaired by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and attended by heads of delegations of #SCO Member States and heads of the organisation's standing bodies.

✍️ The meeting began with the Leaders inking the decision to grant 🇧🇾 the Republic of Belarus status of a full SCO Member State.
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🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin took part in a SCO Heads of State Council Meeting in Astana (July 4, 2024)

💬 First of all, I want to greet everybody and, of course, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, following the accession of the Republic of Belarus as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Russia gives high priority to partnership within the #SCO. We can state with satisfaction that this cooperation continues to develop consistently based on the principles of equality, consideration for each other’s interests, respect for the cultural and civilisational diversity, and cooperation in addressing important security issues.

<...>

Our countries are increasingly using national currencies for mutual settlements. For example, the share of national currencies in Russia's transactions with SCO members has exceeded 92 percent in the first four months of this year. I would like to reiterate Russia's proposal to establish a payment and settlement system within the SCO.

Regular meetings between our economic ministers, finance ministers and central bank governors are making a substantial contribution to the development of trade and investment relations in the SCO space.

<...>

Naturally, ensuring security within the Member States and along the external borders has always been a key focus of the SCO’s activities. Today, we have made decisions to upgrade the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure into a comprehensive centre that will address all security threats, as well as to establish an anti-drug centre in Dushanbe. The three-year cooperation programme we have approved will further strengthen our efforts to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

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🌐 A meeting in the SCO Plus format was held in Astana.

Taking part in the meeting were:

• the Leaders of #SCO Member States,
• the Heads of delegations from SCO observer countries and dialogue partners,
• the Heads of international organisations (the #UN, the #EEC, the Islamic Organisation for Food Security, the #CSTO, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, #CICA, and the #CIS);
• the guests of Kazakhstan’s Presidency.

The Russian delegation attending the meeting includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov.

The theme of the SCO Plus meeting is Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development. The agenda includes international and regional issues related to the SCO’s cooperation with invited countries.

***

💬 Vladimir Putin: I believe the growing interest in the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation stems from our core values and ideals: a commitment to pursuing a sovereign and independent policy, alongside a collaborative approach with other countries to find collective solutions to global problems. These principles resonate with many around the world. <...>

It is evident that the SCO is now one of the biggest and most influential regional organisations. <...>

☝️ The world is becoming genuinely multipolar, with an increasing number of states ready to decisively assert their legitimate rights and interests. New centres of power are emerging, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is solidifying its position as one of these key centres.

<...>

We appreciate the sincere and concrete proposals from SCO member countries for the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, a result of the reckless and intrusive policies of the United States and its satellites.

As you know, Russia has never refused to negotiate, and is now ready to continue peace talks. It is Ukraine that withdrew from the talks, and it also did so publicly, on direct orders from London – which means Washington was also involved, there is no doubt about it – as Ukrainian officials have admitted bluntly and openly.

❗️ The Istanbul agreements – we have to give credit to the President of Türkiye, Mr Erdogan, for agreeing to be part of that process as a mediator – are still on the table.

<...>

🤝 The SCO Member States coordinate their actions on the international track, including at the United Nations, and their foreign policy approaches are largely in accord or closely aligned.

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