🌍 The Second Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum has successfully concluded in Cairo.

Over two intense days of work, the Russian delegation led by Sergey #Lavrov took part in more than 20 meetings and events. On December 19-20, the Russian Minister held bilateral talks with representatives of the following countries and organizations:

1. 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
2. 🇧🇮 Burundi
3. 🇹🇿 Tanzania
4. 🇧🇼 Botswana
5. 🇬🇲 The Gambia
6. 🇳🇦 Namibia
7. 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea
8. 🇹🇬 Togo
9. 🇲🇷 Mauritania
10. 🇲🇼 Malawi
11. 🇸🇨 Seychelles
12. 🇷🇼 Rwanda
13. 🇪🇬 Egypt
14. 🇩🇿 Algeria
15. 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
16. 🇹🇳 Tunisia
17. 🇸🇸 South Sudan
18. 🌍 ECOWAS

Recap of the key events of the Second Ministerial Conference:

📄 Sergey Lavrov’s meetings with Egypt’s Leadership

📺 Sergey Lavrov’s address at the Plenary Session of the Conference

📺 Joint press conference of the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Egypt

📄 Joint Statement by the Participants of the Second Ministerial Conference

💬 Sergey Lavrov: It was a sincere pleasure for me to take part in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, which is being held for the first time on the African continent, in Egypt’s capital.

I would like to kindly thank our Egyptian friends for the excellent organization of the event, their traditional hospitality, and to congratulate them on the successful hosting of this Conference.

❗️ We have every reason to state that the conference has laid solid groundwork for high-quality preparations for the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for 2026. We will make every effort to ensure its successful holding.

🇷🇺🇰🇿 Following the informal meeting of CIS leaders, Russia's President Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (December 22, 2025)

💬 Vladimir Putin: Mr Tokayev,

We began working together yesterday, and today we had the opportunity to devote half a day to informal discussions of our joint work within the #CSTO, the #CIS, and on bilateral matters.

However, I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you separately and to discuss the issues that both you and I regard as priorities for the development of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Russia.

Overall, in my view, the situation is developing positively in virtually all areas. We do not have a single contentious or difficult issue, although, of course, at this level of interaction there are always many practical questions to address.

I very much value the opportunity to discuss all of these matters with you.

#RussiaKazakhstan

🇷🇺🇹🇯 A bilateral meeting between Russia's President Vladimir Putin and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon was held at the State Hermitage Museum. Earlier, the Head of State of the Republic of Tajikistan took part in an informal meeting of the leaders of the #CIS member countries.

💬 Vladimir Putin: Mr Rahmon,

Once again, I would like to thank you for accepting the invitation and coming to St Petersburg.

◾️However, I would like to begin our bilateral meeting by expressing my sincere condolences to you and to the family of the boy from Tajikistan who tragically lost his life a few days ago. Perpetrating terrorist acts against children is an especially abhorrent crime.

The investigation will be concluded without doubt, and the perpetrators, should there be several, will undoubtedly be brought to full justice. I repeat once again: I was shocked by this crime.

As I have already said, crimes of this kind are beyond comprehension, and when such terrorist acts are committed against children, it evokes particularly strong emotions.

Please convey my most sincere condolences to the family of the deceased boy.

#RussiaTajikistan

🇷🇺🇦🇲 In St Petersburg, Russia's President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Earlier, Nikol Pashinyan took part in a session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, as well as in an informal meeting of #CIS leaders at the State Hermitage Museum.

💬 Vladimir Putin: Mr Pashinyan, I would like to welcome you once again and thank you for participating in these events under the auspices of the EAEU and the CIS.

We have already exchanged views on the results of our yesterday’s and today’s work. Overall, in my opinion, everything proceeded at a very high level. I hope the atmosphere was positive, but the most important thing is that our teams worked diligently from all sides and prepared excellent documents. Everything has been signed, and everything is progressing.

Regarding bilateral relations, they are developing. Our trade turnover has seen an adjustment, as we discussed yesterday. If in 2024 it surpassed $11 billion, in the first nine months of this year it reached 4.5 billion. This is also a good indicator and gives us reason to believe that in the near future, we will be able to increase it.

We also have promising plans. We have already spoken about energy, including nuclear energy. We will not delve into detail now, but there is an opportunity to discuss this further.

The same applies to logistics: during our last meeting, you raised questions about various areas where we could work together. I am referring to the restoration of old routes and the creation of new ones that would open up Armenia’s borders.

So, overall, everything is progressing. Naturally, there are other issues we can discuss now.

I am very pleased to see you. Thank you for being here.

#RussiaArmenia

🇷🇺🇻🇪📞 On December 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela Yvan Gil had a telephone conversation.

The Ministers expressed serious concern over the escalation of Washington’s actions in the Caribbean Sea, which are fraught with far-reaching consequences for the region and pose risks to international shipping.

🤝 The Russian Side reaffirmed its comprehensive support and solidarity with the leadership and people of Venezuela amid the current challenges.

The Ministers agreed to continue close cooperation through bilateral channels and to coordinate steps at international venues, above all within the #UN, in the interests of ensuring respect for State sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

#RussiaVenezuela

✉️ Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey #Lavrov has sent a congratulatory message to Director of Russia's MFA Press and Information Department Maria #Zakharova on her anniversary (December 24, 2025)

✍️ Dear Maria Vladimirovna,

I extend to you my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your jubilee.

An energetic and goal-oriented diplomat representing a new generation, you have devoted your entire life to serving Russia. Your vivid and distinctive professional style, exceptional dedication to work, and unconventional approach to addressing the tasks at hand have enabled you to achieve truly impressive results.

Your invaluable contribution to promoting Russia’s foreign policy in the information sphere, to communicating its principles and priorities to broad audiences in Russia and worldwide, as well as to exposing Western propaganda, commands the deepest respect. It is only natural that you have earned – and I do not hesitate to say this – nationwide affection and the respect of millions of Russians and friends of our country abroad.

I greatly value our many years of close cooperation. I highly appreciate your reliability and your sincere readiness to work for the benefit of the country, regardless of personal time and other circumstances.

I wish you sound health, well-being, and new major successes in all your endeavours.

SERGEY LAVROV

🎄 Видео предновогодней Москвы за последние сутки широко разошлось по соцсетям мира

🗓 On December 25, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired a regular meeting of an interdepartmental working group on preparations for and support of the Russian Federation’s chairship of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation in 2026.

The meeting took place at the Russia's Foreign Ministry and was attended by representatives of the Presidential Executive Office, federal executive authorities and organisations involved in this work.

Taking into account the outcomes of the #CSTO Collective Security Council session held in Bishkek on November 27, 2005, and objectives related to the implementation of the decisions adopted at the session, the meeting participants approved a plan of activities for Russia’s CSTO chairship in 2026.

The participants also discussed progress in preparations for the key events of Russia’s chairship, including the Moscow Summit of the CSTO and the International Forum for Collective Security, scheduled to take place in the Russian capital in November 2026.

🎙 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question regarding the practice of applying unilateral coercive measures (December 26, 2025)

❓ Question: How would you comment on the differences in approaches between the “collective West” and the Global Majority to the use of unilateral coercive measures in contemporary international relations?

💬 Maria Zakharova: This practice runs counter to the UN Charter, which vests the exclusive prerogative to impose measures of this nature in the UN Security Council, and only in cases involving threats to peace and security.

In this context, the use of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) constitutes an encroachment on the unique powers of the UN Security Council. It is well known that the “collective West” routinely resorts to this practice, most often driven by geopolitical considerations.

UCMs represent a serious obstacle to the formation of a just and equitable polycentric world order.

They serve as one of the main instruments of the neocolonial policy of the “collective West”, the goal of which is evident – to preserve its slipping dominance, deprive the countries of the Global Majority of their right to an independent political choice, and slow down their economic, technological and industrial development.

Attempts by the initiators of UCMs to portray them as a “peaceful means of dispute settlement” do not withstand criticism. It is well known that, by hindering the full-fledged socio-economic development of the countries of the Global South and East, unilateral coercive measures undermine efforts to resolve crisis situations. Their indiscriminate nature violates fundamental human rights and freedoms, first and foremost affecting the most vulnerable segments of the population – a fact repeatedly condemned in resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

At the forefront of efforts to counter UCMs within the United Nations stands the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter, which includes the Russian Fededation.

Among the Group’s unquestionable achievements in this area is the adoption, at its initiative, of an entire package of UN General Assembly documents, including Resolution 78/329, which shifted the General Assembly debates on unilateral coercive measures from a three-year to a two-year cycle, as well as Resolution 79/293, adopted in June this year, which proclaimed December 4 as the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.

It is important that the Group’s steps to counter this unlawful practice are part of a broader anti-neocolonial front. It was at the Group’s initiative that the UN General Assembly adopted the principled Resolutions 79/115, “Eradication of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations”, and 80/106, which proclaimed December 14 as the International Day against Colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.

❗️ We are confident that in a truly just multipolar architecture of international relations – which we all aspire to build – there is no place for coercion or neocolonial hegemony. Together with our partners – responsible members of the Global Majority – we will continue the fight against all remnants of the shameful colonial era.

#StopColonialism