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🎙 FM Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions during a news conference to sum up his visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan

📍 Samarkand, April 14, 2023

🌐 The CIS Foreign Ministers Council held its meeting in a business-like and trust-based atmosphere, which is the way it should be among friends. We focused on the international situation, which has achieved an unprecedented level of escalation due to the hybrid war unleased by the West to secure its global dominance & to halt objective processes paving the way to the emergence of a multipolar world order.

📃 Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept reserves a special place for promoting wide-reaching partnerships across Eurasia. Organisations in this space, including the #CIS, the #CSTO, the #EAEU & the #SCO have a special role to play in these efforts.

🇺🇳 As regards political matters, we spoke out strongly in favour of respecting the UN Charter & refraining from singling out some of the provisions from it, while failing to comply with others, as is the case for our Western colleagues.

🔹 Despite the sanctions the West has imposed on Russia & Belarus, & despite the fact that the US & the EU have been trying to intimidate all our partners into stopping to work with Russia & Belarus & to impose the so-called secondary sanctions or punish them by other means, trade within the CIS has been on the rise.

🔹 During his visit to Beijing, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke at a news conference, calling for a move away from the US dollar & reliance on national currencies in mutual trade. This tendency is irreversible.

❗️ Ukraine is used as an expendable product. The stake of the West is not to allow a single event to cast doubt on its claims to dominate the world order.

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🌐 Today is International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.

On December 12, 2018, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution A/RES/73/127 on marking this day. The document notes that the International Day aims to promote UN values and to reaffirm the trust of the world’s nations in the goals and principles of the UN Charter.

🇷🇺🇺🇳 Russia is invariably committed to the policy of upholding multilateralism and the UN’s leading role in global affairs and is actively involved in efforts to overhaul the UN and to adapt it to new international realities.

This is particularly topical today when a narrow group of states advancing the rules-based order concept exerts unprecedented pressure on the UN and other multilateral institutions.

✍️ Under the Russian Foreign Policy Concept, approved on March 31, 2023, Russia intends to prioritise efforts to reinstate the UN’s role as a central coordination mechanism in coordinating the interests of UN member states.

At the same time, one of the main aims of national foreign policy is to strengthen the potential of multilateral regional associations and integration organisations involving Russia. For example, this refers to measures to enhance the international role of #BRICS, the #SCO, the #CIS, the #EAEU, the #CSTO, #RIC and other interstate associations and international organisations, as well as mechanisms with significant Russian involvement.

Today, on April 24, FM Sergey Lavrov will take part in one of the key events of Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council, specifically, the open debate on "Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." The debate will be streamed live on all our feeds.

#UNCharterIsOurRules #Multilateralism
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's video address to the participants and organisers of the World Online Conference on Multipolarity (Moscow, April 29, 2023)

Key talking points:

🌐 Today, the movement towards global multipolarity is a fact, a geopolitical reality.

☝️ We see new global centres, primarily in Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, grow and achieve impressive success in various fields relying on their independence, state sovereignty and cultural and civilisational identity.

• We are witnessing the continued transformation of the structure of international relations. A striking example of multipolar diplomacy is the work of multilateral associations of a new type such as the SCO and BRICS.

❗️ It makes perfect sense that Washington and its satellites’ efforts to reverse the course of history and make the international community live according to the “rules-based order” they invented are failing. I will mention only one of them, the Westerners’ policy to isolate Russia.

• In today's multipolar world, in the face of cross-border challenges and threats, the only reasonable alternative to confrontation (those who initiate confrontations will lose, too) is to combine the efforts of key global centres on the principles of the UN Charter, including respect for the sovereign equality of states ensured in practice. Everyone needs to recognise the irreversibility of the emergence of a more equitable polycentric international system.

🇷🇺 Russia remains at the forefront of international efforts to strengthen the multipolar, legal and democratic principles of interstate communication. <...> We will certainly continue to closely coordinate our steps with our numerous friends, allies and countries that share our views, including our partners in the #CSTO, the #EAEU, the #CIS, #BRICS, the #SCO and other regional associations of the developing world.

#UNCharterIsOurRules
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🛡 #OTD 22 years ago, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (#SCO) was founded - a multilateral association aimed at ensuring peace, security and stability and jointly countering new security challenges and threats to member states.

Today, the SCO is made up of eight countries: its founding members – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – as well as India and Pakistan, which joined in 2017. Iran is also expected to become a full SCO member at the upcoming summit (July 3-4, New Delhi).

In June 2002, the organisation's member states signed the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation that cemented the SCO's focus on the positive promotion of multidimensional cooperation and its non-targeting of third countries and organisations. Today the SCO continues to firmly rule out bloc, ideological and confrontational approaches to solving international and regional development problems.

🤝 One of the most important areas of SCO activity is joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. The SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure operates in Tashkent on a permanent basis to ensure effective cooperation between the competent authorities of the member states in these areas.

🌐 The SCO's legal framework for relations with the United Nations and its agencies continues to expand. Partnerships have been established with the #CIS, #CSTO, #EEC, #ASEAN and a number of other multilateral associations that share similar principles of constructive development.
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🎥 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with RT TV Channel on the sidelines of the 26th St Petersburg International Economic Forum (St Petersburg, June 16, 2023)

Key
talking points:

🔹 We can no longer rely on the promises and the agreements signed with the West which were presented as a foundation for developing constructive partnership. <...> The West has “lost” Russia at this point of history.

🔹 The dominant trend today is the awareness of the need to regionalise the development processes. This includes the #SCO and, in a wider sense, the Greater Eurasian Partnership, which President Vladimir Putin mentioned at the #RussiaASEAN Summit a few years ago.

🔹 The Anglo-Saxons and their ilk are bringing pressure to bear across the board, including on our closest #CSTO allies. The Gulf Arab countries are not an exception. I would say that the Western methods are boorish. I cannot think of another word.

🔹 Our relations with the Africans and our other partners are not based on money. What we are trying to do is identify projects that meet the interests of both sides.

🔹 #BRICS will expand, with the countries representing major Arab, or Islamic civilisation in a broader sense, joining it. This will strengthen the multipolar principles that we are discussing now and that are objectively taking shape.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to media questions following a meeting with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

📍 Minsk, June 20, 2023

Question: It was said today that the aggressive Western hysterics dampen the voice of reason. Is the West ready to listen to Russia and Belarus and to sane initiatives?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: The West is fixated on the feeling of its irreparable confidence in its own rightness, the preservation of its hegemony on the international stage, and the introduction and spread of its own “rules,” which are undermining international law and are based on the premise that “it doesn’t matter whether it’s white or black so long as it suits me.” You can see this in various areas of international life, including in the Western attitude to integration organisations in the post-Soviet space.

We have just finished a 90-minute meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who put forth his views on global developments, which are in line with our actions and substantiate the further development of the #CSTO. The West views the CSTO, just like the #SCO and #BRICS, as a challenge to its domination on the international stage

❗️ We are witnessing desperate and aggressive Western efforts to split the CSTO, BRICS, the SCO and other organisations that are independent of the West, including attempts to use unscrupulous methods to drive a wedge between CSTO Member States.

👉 Our common conclusion is that we must stand up to this pressure, fulfil our allied obligations in full measure and strengthen our solidarity.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks during a meeting with Russia's young diplomats - university graduates (Moscow, October 31, 2023)

Key talking points:

💬 Congratulations to all of you on joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These meetings are a longstanding tradition and take place annually. As usual, most of you are graduates from MGIMO and the Diplomatic Academy, which are our affiliated institutions.

• I am confident that you are familiar with our assessments which align with those of the majority of the world's nations, which we refer to as the Global Majority, which constitutes 85 percent of the global population.

🌍 We maintain extensive diplomatic engagement with the Global South, including #BRICS and the #SCO, which are our closest allies and neighbours, Belarus, with which we are building a Union State, and regional organisations such as the #CSTO, the #CIS, and the #EAEU. Our ties with Africa are on the rise.

☝️ At the same time, we are not slamming the door shut to the West. If and when they come to their senses and sober up from revelling in their grandeur, and if they turn to us and say that we should capitalise on the fact that we are, indeed, neighbours, we will then consider it.

• We welcome those among you who speak rare and Eastern languages that are now being widely taught. The choice of languages is expanding at MGIMO, with traditional studies of Arabic being expanded with classes in Dari, Azerbaijani, Hebrew, Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Tajik, Turkish, and Hindi.

• In today's world, it is essential for the diplomats to be versatile individuals and experts who are well-versed in languages and have an understanding of the world's cultural and civilisational diversity. In our days, this encompasses digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and much more.

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📄 President Vladimir Putin congratulated current staff and veterans of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Diplomatic Worker’s Day.

💬 Vladimir Putin: The Russian Foreign Ministry rightfully takes pride in its rich history and glorious traditions. Throughout history, its employees have honourably protected the interests of the Motherland in the international arena despite any difficulties and challenges.

In the current geopolitical landscape, amidst a hybrid war unleashed against us and attempts by the collective West to isolate Russia and undermine its security, the Foreign Ministry faces difficult and responsible tasks.

Russian diplomacy aims to make a significant contribution to creating favourable external conditions for our country’s dynamic development, fostering effective cooperation with foreign partners, and promoting a positive agenda in international relations. It also seeks to strengthen the unity of the global majority – of countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America – in order to build a just multipolar world order based on true equality, mutual respect, and universally recognised norms of international law.

❗️ Efforts to enhance cooperation with #CIS countries, expand the integration process within the #EAEU, and strengthen ties within the #CSTO and the Union State remain a top priority. Special attention should be given to the proper implementation of tasks and responsibilities during Russia’s chairmanship of the CIS and of the expanded #BRICS association.

Undoubtedly, there is significant need for efforts aimed at uniting the multinational and multi-religious Russian community through supporting our compatriots abroad, promoting the Russian language and showcasing national cultural and scientific achievements, as well as countering attempts to falsify history and revise the outcomes of World War II.

I am confident that staff members at the Ministry’s head office and foreign missions will continue to work with utmost dedication, creativity, and initiative.

#DiplomatsDay
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Astana, May 20, 2024)

💬 Thank you for setting aside the time for this meeting and the opportunity to meet with you. On May 18, you had a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin. He conveys his warmest regards and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday. You maintain close communication.

You have already met in person twice this year (in addition to telephone conversations). Meetings are scheduled to be held as part of #SCO and #CSTO in Kazakhstan. We are also preparing for #BRICS summit in Kazan in October and hope that Astana will accept our invitation to participate in the events for the partner countries.

Our respective Prime Ministers maintain regular contacts and will soon meet in Ashgabat at #CIS Council of Heads of Government. Today, I have held talks with Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, both one-on-one and as part of broader talks with the delegations’ participation. Our Foreign Ministries are consistently working to implement the agreements reached between you and President Putin, including the Joint Statement adopted in 2023 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Neighbourliness and Alliance in the 21st century.

🤝 We have a Joint Action Plan for 2024-2026, which fills our relations substantively. We noted the leaders’ commitment to implementing other projects that will make the lives of our people more comfortable and our interactions easier. This is an important area as well.

We appreciate our economic and financial relations and look forward to the entire range of our ties that cover almost all areas of human activity continuing to expand steadily.
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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.