🟧 Foreign Minister S.#Lavrov’s #interview given to the Indian Newspaper “Hindustan Times”, Moscow, April 6 2021
 
❓#Question: With #India and #Russia set to resume high-level engagements after the #COVID19 crisis, what will be priorities for bilateral agenda in 2021?

💬 S.#Lavrov: Russia is satisfied with the vigorous political dialogue with India on all levels that keeps on actively developing despite serious restrictions caused by #COVID19. In 2020 we managed to successfully organize several events in face-to-face and online formats. Summits of the #SCO and #BRICS – a new type of multilateral associations where our countries cooperate fruitfully – are among them.

❗️ This year #NewDelhi holds #BRICS chairmanship – we wish our Indian friends every success and are willing to contribute in every possible way in this regard. India has also joined the activities of the #UN Security Council as its non-permanent member.
 
🔗 https://bit.ly/2OsqMV8

#DruzhbaDosti
#дружбаदोस्ती

🎙Briefing by Russian FM Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, May 25.

Main topics:
🔷 FM #Lavrov. Schedule
🔷 Situation in #Ukraine
🔷 Anti-Russia statements by Greek leaders
🔷 Kazakhstan
🔷 Uzbekistan
🔷 Turkey
🔷 #RussiaEU
🔷 #RussiaNATO
🔷 #BRICS expansion
🔷 Four-party summit involving the leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India
🔷 Italian plan on Ukraine

And more...

📺 Watch in full:
📖 Read in full:

⚡️Main Foreign Policy Outcomes of 2022⚡️

The year 2022 saw history-making events, such as the emergence of a new international reality, and became a turning point for Russia’s foreign policy.

👉 The recognition of the Donetsk & Lugansk People’s Republics, the start of the Special Military Operation in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, the referendums held in the DPR & LPR and the liberated territories of the Zaporozhye & Kherson regions and their subsequent integration into Russia – these events will forever go down in the history of Russia.

They put an end to 30 years of Russia’s honest attempts to develop equitable relations with the collective West.

✍️ Russia & other like-minded countries adopted a political declaration in support of the inviolability of the UN Charter.

✍️ An overwhelming majority of states members of the UN GA approved the annual Russia-initiated resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism.

✍️ At Russia’s initiative, the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the 5 Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War & Avoiding Arms Races was adopted in January 2022.

✅ International cooperation within the framework of the #EAEU, #SCO & #BRICS made rapid headway.

✅ Allied relations with Belarus continued to grow stronger.

✅ Several major initiatives have been implemented within the framework of the #CIS aimed at strengthening integration ties in all spheres of the organisation’s activities.

✅ The mechanisms of the #CSTO operated efficiently.

Russian diplomats have significantly stepped up efforts to achieve the peaceful settlement of international conflicts. Russia extensively supported stabilising the situation in Afghanistan. Russia has promoted a complex approach to the Syrian dossier, including within the Astana format. We have promoted comprehensive normalisation of the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

We have successfully developed ties with our many international partners who are interested in maintaining a constructive dialogue with Russia.

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📄 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin’s Article for People’s Daily Newspaper, «Russia and China: A Future-Bound Partnership» 🇷🇺🇨🇳

March 19, 2023

READ IN FULL (original on Kremlin.ru)

💬 I am glad to seize this opportunity to address the friendly Chinese people in one of the largest and most authoritative world media in advance of the state visit of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping to Russia. This landmark event reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership, which has always been built on mutual trust, respect for each other's sovereignty and interests.

We have high expectations for the upcoming talks. We have no doubt that they will give a new powerful impetus to our bilateral cooperation in its entirety. This is also a great opportunity for me to meet with my good old friend with whom we enjoy the warmest relationship. <...>

🤝 The firm friendship between Russia and China is consistently growing stronger for the benefit and in the interest of our countries and peoples. The progress made in the development of bilateral ties is impressive.

The Russia-China relations have reached the highest level in their history and are gaining even more strength; they surpass Cold War-time military-political alliances in their quality, with no one to constantly order and no one to constantly obey, without limitations or taboos.

We have reached an unprecedented level of trust in our political dialogue, our strategic cooperation has become truly comprehensive in nature and is standing on the brink of a new era. President Xi Jinping and I have met about 40 times and have always found time and opportunity to talk in a variety of official formats as well as at no‑tie events. <...>

Unlike some countries claiming hegemony and bringing discord to the global harmony, Russia and China are literally and figuratively building bridges. Last year our border regions were connected by two new bridge crossings over the Amur river, which has been a ”river of friendship“ since time immemorial. Amidst the ”waves and winds“ that sweep the planet, we closely cooperate in international affairs and effectively coordinate our foreign policy positions, counter common threats, and respond to current challenges, standing shoulder to shoulder as a ”rock amid a fast flowing stream.“

We actively promote democratic multilateral structures such as the #SCO and #BRICS, which become more and more authoritative and influential and attract new partners and friends. The work aimed at coordinating the development of the Eurasian Economic Union with the One Belt, One Road Initiative also goes in this vein.

❗️ Our countries, together with like-minded actors, have consistently advocated the shaping of a more just multipolar world order based on international law rather than certain ”rules“ serving the needs of the ”golden billion.“ Russia and China have consistently worked to create an equitable, open and inclusive regional and global security system that is not directed against third countries. In this regard, we note the constructive role of China's Global Security Initiative, which is in line with the Russian approaches in this area.

We can feel the geopolitical landscape in the outside world change dramatically. Sticking more stubbornly than ever to its obsolete dogmata and vanishing dominance, the ”Collective West“ is gambling on the fates of entire states and peoples. The US's policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American dictation, is getting ever more fierce and aggressive.

The international security and cooperation architecture is being dismantled. Russia has been labelled an ”immediate threat“ and China a ”strategic competitor.“ <...>

🇷🇺🇨🇳 I am convinced that our friendship and partnership based on the strategic choice of the peoples of the two countries will further grow and gain strength for the well-being and prosperity of Russia and China.

This visit of the President of the PRC to Russia will undoubtedly contribute to that.

#RussiaChina

🎙 Interview by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova with RT on the sidelines of XXVI St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Key topics:

🔹 Strikes by Ukraine’s Armed Forces against the Kakhovskaya dam
🔹 Prospects of Russian-German contacts
🔹 Relations between Russia and neighboring countries
🔹 Potential #BRICS candidates
🔹 #RussiaAfrica ties
🔹 Peace initiatives on Ukraine
🔹 Black Sea Initiative
🔹 Relations with the EU countries
🔹 2024 US presidential elections

📹 President Putin's video address to the Participants in the #BRICS Business Forum

Read in full

Key points:

🔹 Our cooperation is based on the principles of equality, partner support, and respect for each other's interests. And that is what lies at the core of our Association's forward-looking strategic course – the course that reflects the aspirations of most of the world’s community, the so-called global majority.

🔹 Over the last decade, mutual investments among the BRICS countries have increased six-fold. Their overall investments in global economy have doubled, and their total exports have reached 20 percent of the world exports.

🔹 The objective and irreversible process of the de-dollarization of our economic ties is gaining pace. We are working to fine-tune effective mechanisms for mutual settlements and monetary and financial control.

🔹 Russia stands for greater cooperation within BRICS as regards reliable and uninterrupted supplies of energy and food resources to the world markets. We are consistently increasing supplies of fuel, agricultural products and fertilizers to countries in the Global South, making a significant contribution to strengthening global food and energy security, addressing acute humanitarian issues and fighting hunger and poverty in countries in need.

🔹 Our country has the capacity to replace Ukrainian grain, both commercially and as free aid to needy countries, especially since our harvest is again expected to be perfect this year. As a first step, we have decided to gratuitously provide six African countries with 25‑50 thousand tonnes of grain each with free delivery of these cargoes.

🔹 I am confident that the BRICS Business Forum and Business Council will continue their creative work aimed at expanding contacts between the business circles of the Group of Five countries and jointly implementing new mutually beneficial projects.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions following the 21th Doha Forum, 10 December 2023

Read - full transcript to be published soon

💬 The domination of the “collective West” was based on diverse history including ruthless exploitation of peoples and territories of other countries.

On the basis of this five hundred years, the US & its allies built the model of globalization, which they believed would serve THEM well to continue to be number one in economy, in military exercises, in culture, politics, and so on and so forth. And they thought that they would be using this globalization scheme to continue their domination.

However, other countries, using exactly the principles and instruments of the western globalization, managed to beat the West on its own turf, building economies on the basis of national sovereignty, on the basis of balance of interests with other countries.

<...>

We see this process very much underway, which is clearly changing the balance of power in the world, and not to the West liking.

This is especially seen in various conflicts which the West ignites all over the world. Everything goes to keep the hegemony.

<...>

❓ The analysis of all these events raises a question: is there a single place where the US intervened with military force, where life has become better?

I think you know the answer 👉 Ruined statehood, human tragedies, and bleak prospects for the future of the countries where the Americans & NATO interfered.

<...>

We have to accept the existence of new organizations, new formats, new structures like #BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, #ASEAN, #AfricanUnion, and many subregional organizations in Africa, CELAC and subregional groups in Latin America. They are going to be the bricks of the new polycentric world. This must be recognized as an objective course of history and this must be respected. This is something which we actually miss when we analyse the modern Western diplomacy. But this is for the West to draw conclusions.

🎙 Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov’s interview with PIR Center for Policy Studies (May 22, 2024)

Key points:

💬 The interest towards #BRICS has been steadily growing against the backdrop of large-scale geopolitical challenges and dramatic changes taking place in the world today.

• BRICS is seen as one of the pillars of a new, more equitable world order, which is designed to give all countries equal opportunities, to free the states of the Global South and Global East from the role of obedient suppliers of cheap labor and raw materials that the West imposes on them, and to consolidate the right of all nations for preserving their identity, self-determination, independent domestic and foreign policy, and protection of traditional values.

Russia and other BRICS countries fully share this stance and are in favor of an honest partnership that denies any exceptionalism.

• BRICS is an innovative format of interstate cooperation, bringing together different cultures and civilizations, countries with different economic and political systems <...>. Our common goal is a firm commitment to pursuing an independent domestic and foreign policy, defending sovereignty and our national interests.

• As part of Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2024, we intend to continue developing strategic partnership on the basis of consensus and continuity, and work to enhance its role in world affairs. It's also reflected by the motto of the Russian BRICS Year “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”.

• The BRICS Summit in October 2024, will be the culmination of the Russian year in BRICS. We intend to continue the tradition of organizing on the sidelines meetings with developing countries. That cooperation within the BRICS framework and its mechanisms of interaction with like-minded nations will enable the voice of the Global South to sound louder and clearer in the international arena, as well as to defend our national interests and the right to choose our own path of development.

Read in full

#BRICS2024

#Announcement

🗓 The 31st OSCE Ministerial Council meeting (Ministerial Council) will be held in Valletta, Republic of Malta, on December 5-6, with the participation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. <...>

During the forthcoming Ministerial Council meeting, the Russian delegation will focus on assessing the possibility of overcoming the organisation’s crisis on the eve of its 50th anniversary.

The Russian delegation looks forward to having a candid discussion of the backlog of issues and ways to resolve them under fundamentally new conditions, while respecting the interests of all participating states free from the teacher-disciple approach, and so on.

☝️ Special attention will be brought to the failure to issue visas to members of the Russian delegation who planned to attend various OSCE events, including the upcoming Ministerial Council meeting. Cancelling, right before the event, a visa that had been earlier issued by the Maltese Chairpersonship to Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, allegedly "due to circumstances beyond their control," was unprecedented.

❗️The current institutional crisis within the OSCE was triggered by the destructive actions of a number of Western countries that are using this platform to promote their own agenda in disregard of the fundamental principles underlying the Organisation’s functioning, which must be abided by all participating states regardless of their membership in other international entities. Since 2022, the Ukrainianisation of the OSCE’s agenda has paralysed its activities across the three security dimensions, namely, political and military, economic and environmental, and humanitarian. <...>

🇷🇺 At the meetings of the OSCE’s decision-making bodies - the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Cooperation - Russian representatives have been regularly raising the most pressing OSCE-related issues, such as combatting terrorism and drug trafficking, protecting traditional values, countering manifestations of neo-fascism and neo-Nazism, preventing the falsification of history, protecting the rights of ethnic minorities and believers, and ensuring access to information. The participating states must unite their efforts in these areas.

The Russian Federation regularly provides objective updates to the participating states’ delegations about the war crimes committed by the Kiev regime, the ongoing all-out campaign in Ukraine to cancel the Russian language and Russian culture, the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and reprisals against the national media. <...>

The OSCE’s specific executive bodies, such as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, continue to see major complaints coming their way. These institutions have repeatedly manifested their political bias. The ODIHR stands out distinctly in this context, as it is known for conducting openly biased monitoring of election processes in the countries that lie “east of Vienna” and making advance preparations for “anticipated” conclusions on their outcomes. The Representative on Freedom of the Media is also known for practicing double standards and conspicuous silence when it comes to unfair treatment of non-Western media within the Organisation’s space. Russia does not see the HCNM paying proper attention to matters of oppressing ethnic minorities.

👉 Given the current state of the OSCE, we can hardly talk about it playing any meaningful role amid the ongoing profound reformatting of the world. The organisation would undoubtedly benefit from close cooperation with formats such as the #SCO, #BRICS and the #CIS, which are operating based on fundamentally new approaches.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from a number of countries on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council in Valletta.

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