🎙 Address by Sergey Lavrov at the #G20 Ministerial Meeting on the role of the G20 in overcoming current international tensions

📍 Rio de Janeiro, 21 February 2024

💬 When we join forces, the world can change for the better and move forward. The 20th century has become an important milestone in freeing humanity from the shackles of colonialism. <...> The transition to the era of détente during the Cold War allowed the United States and the USSR to lay a strong foundation for containing military risks and building reliable strategic security architecture, especially in Europe. It is regrettable that those achievements have been almost completely destroyed today.

The objective process of the emergence of a multipolar world order driven by self-reliant nations and regions has met with serious resistance. The basic principles of international communication are being undermined at the instigation of the West. Universal legal norms and the principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs and self-determination of peoples, are being violated. Diplomacy as a means of peaceful settlement of disputes is being sacrificed to violent struggle, “hybrid wars”, total confrontation, and the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on the rival. Double standards, hypocrisy and direct lies are brought into play. <...>

Instead of a UN-centred architecture, narrow bloc alliances, closed clubs, behind-the-scenes “best practices”, allegedly “reliable scientific data”, and pseudo-democratic ‘values’ are being promoted.

The world is artificially divided into friends and foes, the “garden” and the “jungle”. <...>

This is what the infamous “rules” the West imposes instead of the international law, appear in reality.

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🌐 Our forum of the world's leading economies could make clear its opposition to the use of “economy as a weapon” and “war as an investment” and to demonstrate our desire for open and equitable trade and economic cooperation.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 On April 8-9, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was on an official visit to China, where he was received by President of China Xi Jinping and held extensive talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.

The Chinese leader welcomed Sergey Lavrov’s arrival in Beijing as an important step of comprehensive preparations for President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China, scheduled to take place this year.

Xi Jinping praised the current state of bilateral relations, which continue to develop dynamically considering the difficult situation in the world, and stated his readiness to further strengthen comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with Russia.

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During Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Wang Yi, the schedule of bilateral contacts at the high and highest levels was discussed, as well as separate issues of practical cooperation in various fields.

The two countries’ Foreign Ministers stressed the importance to promote mutual cooperation with the #UN, #SCO, #BRICS, #G20, #APEC and other multilateral mechanisms and forums. The Ministers also discussed ways to ensure security and stability in the Asia-Pacific regions considering the US’s policy to create limited-membership closed military-political alliances there, which are anti-Russia and anti-China.

Separate matters related to the developments around the Korean peninsula and Taiwan, as well as within the Middle Eastern settlement process, were discussed, as well as prospects of forming new security architecture in Eurasia against the backdrop of stagnating Euro-Atlantic mechanisms.

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The talks, held in Beijing in a traditionally trustful and friendly atmosphere, showed the two countries’ converging approaches to the major global processes and reaffirmed the importance of further promoting bilateral cooperation for strengthening peace and stability in the region and on the whole planet.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 On May 20, FM Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana.

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The Ministers highlighted the critical significance of highest-level engagements in advancing the deepening of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic interaction between both nations. They delved into the substantive discussion regarding the execution of agreements made during the Beijing summit, along with addressing various other topics on the bilateral agenda.

They also exchanged opinions on the current status and future prospects of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The foreign ministers of Russia and China acknowledged the joint efforts of member states in upholding peace and stability in Eurasia. They also highlighted the increasing influence of the Organisation on global and regional affairs.

🤝 The Ministers reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing mutual coordination within the #UN, its Security Council, as well as the #SCO, #BRICS, the #G20, #APEC and other key international organisations and dialogue platforms. Various pressing issues were addressed, including the Middle East peace process, developments in the Red Sea region, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. <...>

Sergey Lavrov thanked the Chinese partners for their well-balanced stance on resolving the Ukrainian crisis and appreciated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal to convene a peace conference with an equal participation by Russia and Ukraine, considering Moscow’s legitimate security interests and the current situation.

🌏 There was a thorough discussion regarding the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly concerning the increased provocative actions by the United States and its allies. These actions aim to involve specific Asia-Pacific nations in narrow-bloc arrangements, undermining the #ASEAN-centric security framework and deploying destabilising weapon systems in the region.

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