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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 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.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇺🇳 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.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🌐 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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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇺🇳 The Russian Federation completed its Presidency in the United Nations Security Council on July 31. Its packed agenda revolved around three central events, with the first two of them attended by FM Sergey Lavrov.

On July 16
, we held a high-level open debate titled “Multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order,” which reaffirmed the need to hold detailed discussions dealing with the underpinnings of the emerging multipolar world order, the objective to reinforce a UN-centred system of international relations, as well as the need to carry out a comprehensive review of the root causes of present-day conflicts and to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome them. The fact that the Global Majority tends to distrust the infamous Western concept of a rules-based world order was also mentioned during the debate.

On July 17, the Security Council held a quarterly ministerial-level debate on the agenda item titled “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.” During this meeting, participants discussed the situation in the region with all its tension, while placing a special emphasis on the escalating violence in the Arab-Israeli conflict zone for finding ways out of this unprecedented crisis. In addition to this, the UNSC held separate meetings on July 26 and 31 on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the assassination of the Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

On July 19, the UNSC held a debate titled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (#CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (#CIS), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO).” In his remarks, Deputy FM Sergey Vershinin stressed the importance for the UN to work closer with constructive regional organisations. <...>

In addition to this, Russia’s UNSC Presidency included all the events as part of the mandate-reporting cycle.

👉 The Middle East bloc included meetings on Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
👉 The African agenda covered discussions of the situation in West Africa, the Sahara and Sahel region, and the DR Congo.
👉 The council also touched upon peacebuilding efforts in Columbia and the start of deploying the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
👉 We exchanged views on the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Cyprus settlement.

❗️The Ukraine crisis remained high on the agenda. On July 9, Western countries convened a Security Council meeting in connection with the tragic incident involving a children’s hospital in Kiev. During the debate, the Russian delegation refuted accusations by its opponents and shared evidence demonstrating that the Ukrainian air defence systems were to blame for the incident. On July 25, Russia initiated a UNSC meeting to discuss the unrelenting flow of Western weapons into Ukraine, which delays a settlement in this conflict and leads to more victims.

The Security Council adopted four resolutions in July:

on focusing the CAR arms embargo on illegal armed groups;
extending the mandates for the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti;
regarding the UN Focal Point on delisting-related matters and re-establishing the Informal Working Group of the Security Council on General UNSC Sanctions Issues.

🇺🇳 Russia went to great lengths to enable the Security Council to be effective and responsive in its work. We encouraged our colleagues within the Council to come up with collective responses when dealing with challenges to peace and security, while seeking guidance from a holistic view of the purposes and principles set forth in the UN Charter and their inter-connected nature. The central events on the agenda of the Russian Presidency attracted a lot of attention within the international community, reaffirming our country’s high authority and the respect it commands as a UN founding member and permanent member of the Security Council.

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#RussiaUN
Russia is holding Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Chairmanship this year

🇷🇺 Russia's CIS Chairmanship has seen significant achievements this year, with around 80 events held so far, including key charter meetings.

🔹Notably, during the CIS Foreign Ministers’ Council in April, Russia proposed statements on journalist safety and the 30th anniversary of UN observer status.

🔹 The CIS states have advanced multilevel consultations, now covering 17 topics, and held meetings on issues from combating threats to UNESCO cooperation. The CIS Heads of Government Council and Economic Council have focused on enhancing food, technological, energy security, and transport connectivity. The Innoprom International Industrial Exhibition, supported by the CIS Executive Committee, took place in Yekaterinburg in July.

🔹Military and security cooperation was emphasized with meetings on counter-terrorism and defense. Cultural and humanitarian efforts included the Memory Train project and youth events in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Gyumri.

🤝 The CIS Year of the Volunteer Movement starts with an international forum at Lake Issyk-Kul on August 1.

🔹 Support for the Russian language was highlighted by the Meetings in Russia festival in St Petersburg, celebrating Pushkin’s 225th birthday. Human rights remain a priority with meetings of children’s rights commissioners and the CIS Human Rights Commission.

👉 The second half of the year promises over 150 new projects, culminating in the CIS Heads of State Council Meeting in Moscow on October 8.

#CIS #Russia2024
🎻 The II Festival of Youth Orchestras of the World was held in Moscow on August 16-18

For the first time, combined youth symphony orchestras from the #BRICS and #CIS countries were formed especially for the festival, and they presented their unique programs.

🎶 Artistic director and principal conductor of the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra Yuri Bashmet personally served as the conductor.

🌐 More than 100 musicians from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates took part in the joint project from the BRICS countries, having gathered in advance for rehearsals in Moscow.

A grand concert was held on the Red Square on August 18.

#YouthOrchestrasFestival
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions at a meeting with students and faculty of MGIMO University (Moscow, September 2, 2024)

💬 I would like to congratulate all of you on #KnowledgeDay.

I would like to highlight that, according to the statistics, MGIMO graduates hold important positions at the Central Office of the Government of Russia, particularly the Presidential Executive Office. Additionally, two-thirds of them join the Foreign Ministry staff every year. This speaks volumes about the “seal of excellence” associated with the diplomas from this great – without any exaggeration, for me at least – institution of higher learning.

We welcome the fact that MGIMO supplies the Foreign Ministry with most of its staff. We are always eager to welcome those whose qualifications meet the high standards of Russian diplomacy. I would like to address the final-year students: together, we will implement the Foreign Policy Concept approved by President Vladimir Putin in March 2023.

I am certain that you keep up with international news and developments on the global stage. The primary trend is the strengthening of new growth and development centres located outside the historical West.

Regional integration associations, such as the #SCO, the #EAEU, #ASEAN, the #CIS, the #LAS, the African Union, and #CELAC, play a significant role at the current stage of development of the multipolar world order. #BRICS, as it strengthens its influence and authority, increasingly acts as an informal global coordinator for these regional integration processes.

The globalisation, which the West pro-actively promoted for years, has been accepted as a method of interstate relations in the economy, technology and the financial sector. However, this globalisation model is now falling apart.

We will advance integration processes within the EAEU, CIS, SCO, ASEAN, and, of course, strengthen strategic partnership with China, India, Brazil, and all our other like-minded countries, working in the context of forming the Eurasian architecture. There are many, it is impossible to list them all. That is why we have a clear and comprehensible image of the future – multipolarity, based on another key principle of the UN Charter – sovereign equality of the state.

<...>

❗️The essence of Western policy towards Russia has always been based on the assumption that our country is too strong and independent and that something must be done to change this, preferably by pulling it down. History repeats itself. Today, these 50 countries have again been rallied under Nazi banners against Russia, considering the essence of Zelensky’s regime or even the chevrons and flags of the so-called Ukrainian army. <...> Today, all those who show independence and a will to defend their national interests within international law while refusing to play by Western rules, are under threat. It is clear, however, that these attempts are largely an agony of the West.

<...>

We do not seek to embed ourselves into various “schemes” that are being established by Western “rules” without our participation and without consideration of our interests. We will continue to champion widely held principles of international law and the UN Charter in their entirety instead of cherry-picking them as the West does.

President Putin has repeatedly stressed that “we are open to contacts with the countries of the ‘collective West’ on the understanding that they pivot away from their openly hostile course towards our country”. Any unfriendly moves will still be met with a tough response. The ball is not in our court, it is up to those who set out to deliberately destroy their relations with Russia and demonise our land and our nation.

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Invitation to participate in the #BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan was sent to 38 countries in total; 32 of them already confirmed their participation.

Other statements made by Russian president’s aide Yuri Ushakov:

👉 The leaders of nine #BRICS member countries will take part in the summit in Kazan, Saudi Arabia will be represented by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

👉 The secretaries general of the #UN, #SCO, #CIS, Eurasian Economic Union (#EAEU), #UnionState, and the president of the New Development Bank will take part in the summit;

👉 The #BRICS summit in Kazan will be the largest foreign policy event ever held in Russia;

👉 The launch of a single financial platform, clearing infrastructure and reinsurance company within #BRICS will expand the practice of settlements in national currencies and reduce costs in mutual trade;

👉 Russia regards the launch of new formats of interaction in the transport and logistics sector, nuclear medicine, and climate spheres as an achievement of its #BRICS chairmanship.

#BRICS2024