🎙 Statement by the Head of Delegation of the Russian Federation, G20 Sous-Sherpa Marat Berdyev at the G20 Development Ministers Meeting, session 1 «Multilateralism - Collective Actions for Accelerating Progress towards SDGs»

📍 Varanasi, June 12

Key talking points:

💬 We appreciate the Indian Presidency for its tremendous efforts to move forward the issue of development with a holistic approach that provides for synergies amongst development, growth, climate and environment.

• The unwillingness of the Western countries to discuss mutual security guarantees, economic wars they had unleashed amidst attempts to shift primary responsibility for the degradation of international relations to other states, including Russia is quite worrisome. It reveals strong intention by the West to resist a multipolar world and the primacy of the UN Charter, trying to replace them with their own unilateral rules.

• We are concerned by cases of weaponization of economy by the West, in particular in areas of food and energy security through price ceilings, misuse of value chains, seizure of foreign assets, like Russian fertilizers capturing by the EU. The new wave of large-scale threats emerges from terrorist attacks/war crimes of Kiev regime and its accomplices against critical civil infrastructure.

🇷🇺 Russia supports developing countries as a donor at an amount of about 1,4 bln USD per year and serves as a major supplier of food, fertilizers and energy. We will be hosting 2nd #RussiaAfrica Summit on July 26-29 in Saint-Petersburg to foster our cooperation and look forward for the African Union membership at the #G20. Our country also endeavors to implement the Greater Eurasian Partnership underpinned by closer relationships between Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and #ASEAN.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s briefing on a wide range of international issues, including humanitarian aspects in the context of developments in Ukraine (Moscow, June 30, 2023)

Key topics:

🔹 Global transition to a multipolar world order
🔹 Western attempts to maintain its dominance
🔹 Humanitarian situation in Ukraine
🔹 Peace talks on the Ukrainian crisis
🔹 Kiev regime’s crimes against children
🔹 Black Sea Grain Initiative
🔹 US biolabs in Ukraine
🔹 Zaporozhye NPP
🔹 Russia's military cooperation with Africa
🔹 #RussiaAfrica Summit

And more...

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💬 FM Sergey Lavrov: The current events reflect the fundamental transition from centuries-old Western dominance to a more democratic multipolar world with better justice for all.

The West is doing everything it can to resist this trend by devising containment strategies and seeking to suppress its competitors, i.e., anyone acting independently in international affairs guided by their own national interests instead of following the so-called rules imposed by the United States and its allies.

The global majority refuses to live by the Western rules and stands for universal international norms with the UN Charter as their primary source of reference. Our objective consists of fulfilling all the principles contained in the Charter without exception and in full, rather than selectively, and considering their intertwined nature.

☝️ The overwhelming majority of nations share this view.

📰 Article by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin «Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future» (July 24, 2023)

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Key points:

• The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots being distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill at all times.

• We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance in the formation of statehood, strengthening of sovereignty and defence capabilities.

• We highly value the honestly gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share.

🌍 Russia welcomes the rising international authority of individual states as well as Africa as a whole. Their desire to make their voices strongly heard and to take the continent's problems into their own hands. We have always supported the constructive initiatives of our partners. We stand for granting African countries their rightful place in the structures that determine the fate of the world, including the UN Security Council and the G20, as well as reforming the global financial and trade institutions in a way that meets their interests.

• Africa feels the burden of global challenges like no other part of the world. In such a challenging environment, we look forward to working with our African partners to shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation.

• We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African States. <...> Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilizers, and other goods to Africa.

🤝 We attach great importance to the upcoming Second #RussiaAfrica Summit. <...> I am looking forward to welcoming the African leaders in St. Petersburg and stand committed to a fruitful constructive dialogue.

#RussiaAfrica

🇷🇺🌍 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video address to participants in the second Russia-Africa Media Forum of top managers of Russian leading news agencies (July 27, 2023)

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💬 Relations between the Russian Federation and African states are on the upswing, which is in the fundamental interests of both sides. Russia-Africa cooperation rests on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs. We are particularly glad to note the ongoing expansion of contacts between people. It is promoting the sympathy our people developed for each other during the period of decolonisation.

It is hard to overestimate the role of the media, primarily news agencies, in the further strengthening of friendship, trust and understanding. Now our priority goal is to expand Russia’s media presence in Africa and the African media presence in Russia. One of the aims is to overcome finally the negative stereotypes imposed by the collective West.

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It is important to fully harness the potential of modern information technology – social media, the blogosphere, and digital services and platforms.

❗️ The West is relentless in its attempts to smear the image of Russia and African states in the media space. Under the circumstances, there is high demand for the initiative, responsible work of journalists, media top managers and new media specialists.

I am convinced that you can create a constructive news agenda that will be based on truth and facts rather than manipulation and invention to which the US and European media are increasingly resorting now.

#RussiaAfrica

🇷🇺🌍 President Vladimir Putin held a trilateral meeting with Chairperson of the African Union and President of the Union of the Comoros Azali Assoumani and Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat at the Expoforum Centre.

📍 Saint Petersburg, July 27, 2023

Key talking points:

• We view the African Union as a leading regional organisation that shapes the modern security structure on the continent and paves the way for Africa to take its rightful place in the system of global economic links.

• We support the Union’s involvement in the work of leading international associations. I would like to remind you that Russia was one of the first to react positively to the initiative advanced by the President of Senegal, who preceded you in this position, for granting the African Union full membership in the G20.

• As before, Russia is ready to help strengthen African countries’ sovereignty and contribute to Africa becoming a key partner in the new system of the multipolar world order.

• Our mutual trade reached approximately 18 billion US dollars in 2022 and increased by nearly 35 percent in the first six months of 2023.

• Russia remains a reliable food supplier for Africa. In 2022, Russian food exports amounted to 4.7 billion US dollars. Many large Russian companies are successfully working in Africa. The key spheres of our cooperation include energy, subsoil use, agriculture.

🇷🇺🇰🇲 We highly value our relations with the Union of the Comoros. They are based on the principles of mutual respect and a balance of each other’s interests and have a development potential in a number of spheres. Of course, we are open to cooperation with your country in all areas.

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🎙 Russia’s President Vladimir Putin's answers to journalists’ questions following the Second #RussiaAfrica Summit

Key points

• The [Summit] atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly in every sense of the word. These people want to work with us. As for us, we must do everything to move in this direction, and this is what we will do.

• We have done a lot of good and useful things for Africa. When we contact African leaders and they say as much, we always have a feeling that we are good people. This is true in this case and it is very good.

• There is a lot of demand for working together on security matters. Africa still suffers from terrorism. This is a challenge for many regions and countries there. We know all too well that stability at home is a must in order to promote economic development, while there can be no stability without security. It is for this reason that they want to continue working with us and are sincere about it. This includes military-technical cooperation. Outside pressure has done nothing to scare them away.

• The African continent is extremely friendly and positive towards us. This is an important foundation we can use to build business relations as well.

#Ukraine

• Just like any peace initiative, this initiative is helpful because it is focused on finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. There are certain provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented after our meeting in St Petersburg six weeks ago.

• You know this, I constantly speak about this. We have never rejected peace talks.

☝️ The conversation in general was long and constructive. I think we spoke for almost two hours. Every participant had a chance to share their opinion on the matter. I want to stress once again: we spoke from the position of friendship, trying to find realistic ways and opportunities to lower the tensions.

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🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, August 2, 2023)

🔷 FM Sergey Lavrov’s schedule
🔷 #RussiaAfrica Summit
🔷 Ukrainian crisis
🔷 Kiev regime’s crimes and use of terrorist methods
🔷 Actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
🔷 Developments in Niger
🔷 New evidence of militarist Japan’s crimes

And more...

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#Ukraine

Сriminal activity involving the open use of terrorist methods has long become routine for the Kiev regime. Its representatives are no longer afraid to admit this openly, assuming responsibility for attacks on civilian facilities and acts of terrorism against civilians.

<...>

Western countries are not only verbally encouraging the terrorist methods of the Kiev regime, but are also directly involved in the organisation of terrorist acts by supplying weapons and passing on the necessary intelligence.

<...>

With the Ukraine conflict moving into a more intensive phase, we are witnessing major violations of the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons by the United States (2000) and the Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfers (1993). By supplying all these weapons to the neo-Nazis in Kiev, the West encourages human rights violations by the receiving state, escalates the armed confrontation and becomes an accomplice in the war crimes perpetrated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against civilians.

🤝 Russia's President Vladimir Putin met with Dilma Rousseff, President of the BRICS New Development Bank.

💬 Vladimir Putin: Last year we met on the sidelines of the #RussiaAfrica Summit. I am glad to have a chance to continue our dialogue. I must note that over this year the bank has managed to do a lot under your leadership. It has shown a significant net profit for the first time; in fact, it is becoming sustainable and operating more smoothly and successfully.

I hope today we will have a chance to talk about the bank’s further development and our cooperation with the bank, as well as discuss what can be done together, including on such large platforms as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Moreover, the topic is very acute: Developing multipolarity and strengthening its economic base.

Of course, your opinion as the bank’s chair and as former president of Brazil, political figure, and head of a big financial institution, would be very important in all the discussions held on the site of the International Economic Forum.

🇷🇺🇧🇷 Please give my best regards to the current President of Brazil, Mr Lula da Silva. We agreed to have a telephone conversation in a few days, to discuss bilateral ties. We also look forward to seeing him at the #BRICS summit in Kazan this autumn.

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🎙 Briefing by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (October 2, 2024)

🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 Developments in the Middle East
🔹 Kiev regime crimes
🔹 Ukrainian Armed Forces’ links with terrorist organisations
🔹 Situation in Moldova
🔹 US military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region
🔹 Russian chairmanship in BRICS
🔹 75 years of Russia-China diplomatic relations
🔹 Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership in Sochi
🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov’s article about post-war partition of Germany and Austria

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📺 Watch

#Ukraine #KievRegimeCrimes

People who came to the temporary accommodation centre in Kursk told journalists about the first days of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ invasion of the Kursk Region, including the large number of civilian casualties.

According to eyewitnesses, the Ukrainians warned the residents that if they did not leave, then “foreign mercenaries would come and leave no one alive.” Sudzha resident Vladimir Maltsev said: “Georgians, Poles, Frenchmen – all these mercenaries – were exterminating people like cockroaches,” and “a lot of women were killed, abused, and raped.”

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Kiev regime does not hide its links with terrorist groups around the world and, in particular, on the African continent and in the Middle East. The international community’s attention has been drawn to this more than once. In this regard, we note that an increasing number of states become aware of the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime.

We believe that this practice of criminal cooperation between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the international terrorist international is absolutely unacceptable. We will continue to fight this evil spirit by all available means, regardless of where it appears

#RussiaChina

Today, the relations between Russia and China are at their all-time high, and the effort to further reinforce them meets the long-term development goals of the two countries. This is a steady and lasting trend.

On the international stage, Russia and China have been acting in tandem and emerged as a major factor of stability. The two countries are committed to do even more to coordinate their actions in order to fast-track the emergence of a democratic multipolar world order with greater justice for all, empowering all countries to have a say on global governance matters, ensuring equal and indivisible security, and rejecting confrontation and conflict.

#BRICS

In our work, we primarily strive to stand up to the challenges and threats of our time, and find collective solutions to the global challenges of international development. Specifically, we focus on a wider use of national currencies, joint payment instruments and platforms in mutual trade transactions.

Our combined efforts are aimed at promoting and building an interconnected and interdependent international system on a non-aligned and non-hegemonic basis, which would give precedence to such common priorities as economic growth, poverty alleviation, food, climate and water security, combating international terrorism, extremism, and organised crime, etc.