🗓 On July 26 and 27, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend annual ministerial events held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (#ASEAN) in Vientiane. He will take part in foreign ministers’ meetings in the Russia-ASEAN format, as well as within the East Asia Summit (#EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (#ARF).

🌏 ASEAN is currently one of the most successful regional organisations which forms the core of the integration processes in the Asia-Pacific Region. The association has created a solid network of interstate institutions involving the leading world powers, including Russia.

This year, Russia marks 20 years of joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (the Bali Treaty). Signed in 1976, it is one of the fundamental documents for ASEAN in terms of ensuring regional peace and stability. Geopolitical tension has been escalating in Asia-Pacific, and against this backdrop our relations with ASEAN serve as an important stabilising factor in the region.

❗️ Russia views ASEAN as one of the key partners in the context of carrying out the initiative to build a Eurasian security architecture as set forth by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

The agenda of the July 26 #RussiaASEAN ministerial meeting covers cooperation matters in all their aspects, including politics, trade and economics, as well as social and cultural affairs within the framework of the five-year Comprehensive Plan of Action to Implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Russian Federation Strategic Partnership, as approved by the leaders in 2021.

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📈 In 2023, Russia’s trade with ASEAN countries increased by 14.6 percent to almost $22 billion. Accumulated investment by ASEAN countries in the Russian economy reached $3.5 billion in the first nine months of 2023, while Russia invested a total of $11.5 billion in Southeast Asia.

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Russia has coined a range of #EAS initiatives. They include creating a mechanism of pan-regional cooperation on countering epidemics and restoring economic potential by stimulating tourism. ASEAN has supported our idea of strengthening the resource of civic responsibility by improving cooperation between volunteer movements.

We consider the #ARF as one of the key platforms for discussing topical issues of the regional agenda, developing measures of mutual trust and preventive diplomacy, and boosting non-politicised practical cooperation in security.

During the forum’s 31st session on July 27, we will thoroughly discuss countering new threats and challenges, combating terrorism and transnational crime, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and ensuring security at sea. We will summarise the results of #RussiaIndonesia co-chairmanship in the Russia-ASEAN Forum on the Safe Use of Information and Communication Technologies in 2022-2024.

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🎙 Statement by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Aleksandr Pankin at the G20 Ministerial Meeting of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty (Rio de Janeiro, July 24, 2024)

💬 We are thankful to the Brazilian Presidency and particularly President Lula for his very timely initiative to launch the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

Unfortunately, despite occasional progress in some regions in terms of food access we are still lagging behind in achieving the SDGs for ending poverty and hunger. Figures on hunger and malnutrition cited by United Nations аgencies are gruesome and shocking, especially on some 50 million people, primarily in the Sahel, the Gaza Strip, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria, who are at the brink of starvation.

The situation in Gaza remains the most serious, with its population almost entirely underfed.

🌐 The launch of the Alliance will, hopefully, boost the efforts to improve global food security through political mobilization of the international community, sharing experiences and practices, and increasing resource and financial assistance. <...>

We have to note that against this background, the collective West is still pursuing its disinformation campaign and tightening up its clampdown on Russian food and fertilizer supplies to developing countries in need, while seeking to conceal the underlying real causes of the negative trends, namely their own financial, economic and energy blunders and miscalculations.

Rampant sanctions, protectionism and Western interference in supply chains only increase distortions in markets and price volatility.

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Russia continues to fulfill, responsibly and in good-faith, its contractual obligations to export food, fertilizers, energy and other critical products.

We understand how important they are for the social and economic development of countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, as well as for achieving food security targets and the SDGs.

📈 In 2023, Russia grain exports amounted to 80 million tonnes, including 55 million tonnes of wheat, almost 60% increase on 2022. Russian companies accounted for a quarter of global wheat exports. We aim to boost production in the Russian agricultural sector by at least 25%, and exports – by 50% by 2030 as compared to 2021.

However, illegitimate impediments created by the West for Russian economic operators (trade restrictions, denial of access of Russian ships to European ports, prohibition of insurance and financial transactions) are hampering global food security and slow down progress towards sustainable development.

☝️ Russia acts as a responsible and reliable donor donating – as part of Presidential initiative – tens of thousands of tonnes of Russian fertilizers (seized in European ports) and grain to a large number of African countries, including Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia, Zimbabwe. We are actively seeking alternative routes to supply Russian food products to the poorest countries.

We overfulfill our commitments under the Food Assistance Convention having donated 50 million US dollars to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) alone in 2023 for food assistance to LDCs and other developing countries.

🇷🇺 We will continue our active efforts together with all our constructive partners in this crucial area for global development.

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⚡️ Joint Statement of ASEAN and Russia Foreign Ministers Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Russia’s Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)

We, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (#ASEAN) and the Russian Federation, met in Vientiane, Lao PDR for the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) 10+1 Session on 26 July 2024 <...>, hereby:

• Reaffirm the significance and essential role of the TAC as the key code of conduct in governing inter-state relations in the region and as a foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability and emphasised the importance to fulfil obligations under the TAC;

• Acknowledge the importance of ASEAN Centrality and unity in the evolving regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific built upon ASEAN-led mechanisms with ASEAN as the driving force, and based on international law and the principles of openness, transparency, inclusivity, mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, equality, trust and mutual benefit;

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• Deepen cooperation between ASEAN and Russia within the relevant ASEAN-led mechanisms, in particular the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), as well as platforms such as Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) through active, inclusive, full, equal, effective and constructive participation with a view to enhancing ASEAN Centrality and the effectiveness of these mechanisms;

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• Continue ASEAN-Russia high level dialogue, including discussions on the developments in the Asia-Pacific region;

• Promote cooperation in the political-security, economic, social, technical, scientific and administrative fields;

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• Advance constructive cooperation at the United Nations and its various specialised agencies;

• Promote possible practical cooperation on issues of mutual interest between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) <...>.

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⚓️ Today, on July 28, Russia celebrates Navy Day! Our country is among the world’s biggest naval powers and possesses everything it needs to protect our national interests in the world’s oceans.

The true origin of Russian naval traditions was the October 30, 1696 decree of the Boyar Duma on the construction of a regular fleet, accepted upon the recommendation of Peter the Great.

👉 For 328 years the ships of the Russian Navy and their crews have been guarding the borders and national interests of our Fatherland. The chronicles of our heroic Navy include triumphant naval battle victories, round-the-world cruises and great geographical discoveries.

The Navy Fleet of the Russian Federation is the successor of the Navy Fleet of Russia and the Navy Fleet of the Soviet Union. Structurally, the Russian Navy consists of five operational-strategic units: the Northern, the Pacific, the Baltic, and the Black Sea fleets and the Caspian Flotilla.

We are proud of the heroic history of the Russian Navy, and we cherish the memory of our naval commanders and sailors!

⚔️ July 28 marks the 80th anniversary of liberating Brest from Nazi invaders.

👉 In the first half of July 1944, as a result of the successful advance of the Soviet troops across Belarus, proper conditions were created for encircling the enemy’s Brest grouping.

Nazis made thorough preparations for the battles for Brest. They built entrenchments with a large number of pillboxes and minefields. Their defence system included the Brest fortress as well.

Hitler issued an order prohibiting retreat from these positions. Despite this, the Soviet troops liberated Brest in less than two days.

The liberation of Brest contributed to the success of the Lublin-Brest Offensive, which swept the enemy away from Soviet Belarus. The Red Army advanced westward up to 260 km deep and, having seized bridgeheads on the Vistula River, created favourable conditions for the subsequent defeat of the enemy in the direction of Warsaw and complete liberation of Poland.

The victory at Brest had a great symbolic, moral and political meaning. Forty-seven units and formations of the 1st Byelorussian Front which distinguished themselves for selfless valour in the battles were awarded the honorary name of “Brest.” A 20 artillery volley salute from 224 guns was fired in Moscow on the occasion of victory. In 1971, a memorial complex was built in Brest.

🙏 The immortal feat of the heroes who defended the Brest Fortress, who were the first to bear the brunt of the Nazi invasion and became another example of courage and fortitude for all Soviet people, will remain forever seared in our memory.

(Excerpt from MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's briefing on July 24, 2024)

On presidential elections in Venezuela 🇻🇪

🗳 On July 28, presidential elections were held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. According to data published by the National Electoral Council, after processing 80 percent of the votes, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, a candidate from the United Socialist Party, received 51.2 percent. His main rival, Edmundo Gonzalez representing the Unitary Democratic Platform of Venezuela, received 44.2 percent. Voter turnout was 59 percent.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent a message to President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, congratulating him on his victory.

The well-organised elections took place in a peaceful and calm setting, without any serious violations, despite ongoing public security challenges. Statements by international observers confirm this. According to the Russian delegation, which included members of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Central Election Commission and NGOs, the voting process was transparent and unbiased.

✅ Russia is pleased to note the success of the election in Venezuela and reaffirms its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations in the spirit of strategic partnership, as well as continuing close coordination at international and regional platforms.

At the same time, Moscow has taken note of statements by a number of countries passing judgement on the recognition or non-recognition of the voting results. Russia believes that genuine democracy means the sovereignty of the people. Only the people have a right to decide, without external interference, who will govern the state.

⚠️ In this connection, Russia urges all political forces inside and outside Venezuela to refrain from provocative actions that could destabilise the situation in the country and undermine regional stability. We hope that the well-known political wisdom of the great Latin American leader Benito Juarez will prevail: “Respect for the rights of others means peace.”

🇺🇳 On July 29, the 29th session of the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) commenced its work.

🇷🇺 The Russian Federation is represented by an interdepartamental delegation headed by the Permanent Representative of Russia to ISA, Mr. Sergey Petrovich. During the opening ceremony, he made a statement on non-recognition by our country of the outer limits of the unilaterally established US continental shelf.

As part of its work (July 29 – August 2), the Assembly will consider the following key issues:

🔹 annual report of the ISA Secretary-General on the work of the organization;

🔹 consideration of a proposal for a general policy of the Authority for the protection and preservation of the marine environment;

🔹adoption of the ISA budget for the financial period 2025–2026;

🔹election of the organization's Secretary-General.

🏛 The Assembly is the ISA's principal body, that holds its meetings once a year. All Member States are supposed to take part in its work.

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question about Kiev’s collaboration with terrorists
 
❓ Question: Ukraine has indirectly admitted to collaborating with terrorists in the Sahel by taking responsibility for the transfer of intelligence on the movements of a group of Malian and Russian military forces in the region. Kiev has also hinted many times that it is involved in the civil war in Sudan. Should the issue of Kiev’s collaboration with terrorists be raised on international platforms, for example the UN? Is this likely to happen in the near future?

💬 Maria Zakharova: It is not surprising that the Kiev regime is collaborating with terrorists, as it has often used and continues to use terrorist methods itself. In particular, it has targeted residential neighbourhoods, tourist beaches and sports and children’s grounds, has used its own civilian population as human shields, and has carried out subversive attacks and political assassinations in our country.

Russia has been actively working to draw international attention to the openly barbaric methods used by Kiev, and has raised this issue repeatedly on multilateral platforms. Numerous discussions of this issue have been held at the UN Security Council.

❗️ We have no doubt that the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime will become increasingly apparent to the international community.

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question on the recognition by certain countries’ of the Venezuelan presidential election results 🇻🇪

❓Question: Venezuela has come under pressure after the presidential election. Several countries refused to recognise its results and Nicolas Maduro’s victory. Many of the dissenters have previously recognised Juan Guaidó as the head of Venezuela. How would you comment on this?

💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia set out its reaction to the presidential election in Venezuela in a Foreign Ministry statement released on July 29, which, among other things, clearly indicated our categorical rejection of certain countries’ attempts to appropriate the right to recognise or not recognise the results of the electoral process in Venezuela.

We would like to emphasise Russia’s principled position, which has been repeatedly stated earlier: electing a country’s leadership is the exclusive privilege of the people. We strongly believe that there should be no double standards in this regard. It is no secret that in recent years, serious and even gross violations of democratic processes and legal procedures for the transfer of power have occurred in a number of countries, including those that you tacitly mentioned in your question. At the same time, the same states that are now denying the obvious did not express their strong condemnation, or even elementary concern when that happened.

☝️It is our view that the reaction of the international community, and primarily, Latin American countries to the elections in Venezuela should be to support efforts to maintain peace, find constructive solutions and maintain public order. As we can see, Nicolas Maduro’s government is ready to do this.

⚡️ On the killing of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh

Moscow strongly condemns the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who headed the political bureau within Hamas, a Palestinian movement. He died after a missile strike hit his residence in Tehran. It is worth noting that this attack took place while the Hamas leader was visiting Iran. He travelled there at an official invitation to take part in the inauguration ceremony of President-elect of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.

It is obvious that those who organised this political assassination understood that these actions were fraught with dangerous consequences for the entire region. There is no doubt that Ismail Haniyeh’s killing will have an extremely negative impact on the indirect contacts between Hamas and Israel, which offered a framework for achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on mutually acceptable terms.

❗️ Russia reiterates its insistent calls on all the parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid any steps that could dramatically worsen the security situation in the region, leading to a large-scale military confrontation.

🎙 Statement by the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation at the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Deputy Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Mikhail Kondratenkov (Cluster III Specific Issue on Strengthening the Review Process of the NPT)

📍 Geneva, 30 July, 2024

💬 The Working Group failed to deliver recommendations adopted by consensus due to the narrow and maximalist approach of certain countries, who, instead of agreeing on a wide range of recommendations to strengthen the NPT review process, opted to wait till the last minute to table proposals concerning exclusively the matters of transparency and accountability of nuclear-weapon States and tried to impose them on the rest of the members of the Group as an outcome.

• However, that did not work. It is noteworthy that those who prevented the adoption of recommendations reflecting the lowest common denominator included the countries that had initiated the establishment of the Group.

• Transparency and other confidence-building measures are not an end in themselves, but rather a means of addressing arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation challenges. What is more, it should be remembered that Article VI of the NPT puts nuclear disarmament within the context of the general and complete disarmament. Hence, both nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon States should report on the implementation of their disarmament obligations.

🇷🇺 As for Russia's transparency measures, we have continuously and within admissible limits informed the international community of our steps to implement our NPT obligations. As part of the Treaty review process Russia, like other N5 countries, submits national reports prepared according to the agreed common reporting framework.

• One should have in mind that our strategic nuclear forces have already become target of Ukrainian attacks, and we are confident that Kiev, which absolutely lacks legal personality, could not make this decision on its own. NATO obviously had a hand in this. An aggressive, bloodthirsty, illegitimate nuclear military bloc, NATO has put the world on the brink of a global nuclear war with the only purpose of checking Russia's reaction to its aggressive behaviour.

☝️ Such steps on the part of NATO should receive proper assessment and response of all countries interested in ensuring their security.

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🇺🇳 The Russian Federation completed its Presidency in the United Nations Security Council on July 31. Its packed agenda revolved around three central events, with the first two of them attended by FM Sergey Lavrov.

On July 16, we held a high-level open debate noscriptd “Multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order,” which reaffirmed the need to hold detailed discussions dealing with the underpinnings of the emerging multipolar world order, the objective to reinforce a UN-centred system of international relations, as well as the need to carry out a comprehensive review of the root causes of present-day conflicts and to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome them. The fact that the Global Majority tends to distrust the infamous Western concept of a rules-based world order was also mentioned during the debate.

On July 17, the Security Council held a quarterly ministerial-level debate on the agenda item noscriptd “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.” During this meeting, participants discussed the situation in the region with all its tension, while placing a special emphasis on the escalating violence in the Arab-Israeli conflict zone for finding ways out of this unprecedented crisis. In addition to this, the UNSC held separate meetings on July 26 and 31 on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the assassination of the Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

On July 19, the UNSC held a debate noscriptd “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (#CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (#CIS), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO).” In his remarks, Deputy FM Sergey Vershinin stressed the importance for the UN to work closer with constructive regional organisations. <...>

In addition to this, Russia’s UNSC Presidency included all the events as part of the mandate-reporting cycle.

👉 The Middle East bloc included meetings on Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
👉 The African agenda covered discussions of the situation in West Africa, the Sahara and Sahel region, and the DR Congo.
👉 The council also touched upon peacebuilding efforts in Columbia and the start of deploying the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
👉 We exchanged views on the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Cyprus settlement.

❗️The Ukraine crisis remained high on the agenda. On July 9, Western countries convened a Security Council meeting in connection with the tragic incident involving a children’s hospital in Kiev. During the debate, the Russian delegation refuted accusations by its opponents and shared evidence demonstrating that the Ukrainian air defence systems were to blame for the incident. On July 25, Russia initiated a UNSC meeting to discuss the unrelenting flow of Western weapons into Ukraine, which delays a settlement in this conflict and leads to more victims.

The Security Council adopted four resolutions in July:

✅ on focusing the CAR arms embargo on illegal armed groups;
✅ extending the mandates for the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti;
✅ regarding the UN Focal Point on delisting-related matters and re-establishing the Informal Working Group of the Security Council on General UNSC Sanctions Issues.

🇺🇳 Russia went to great lengths to enable the Security Council to be effective and responsive in its work. We encouraged our colleagues within the Council to come up with collective responses when dealing with challenges to peace and security, while seeking guidance from a holistic view of the purposes and principles set forth in the UN Charter and their inter-connected nature. The central events on the agenda of the Russian Presidency attracted a lot of attention within the international community, reaffirming our country’s high authority and the respect it commands as a UN founding member and permanent member of the Security Council.

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#RussiaUN

🎙 Комментарий официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой относительно ситуации вокруг Украины

💬 Преступный киевский режим продолжает наносить удары по ни в чём не повинным жителям российских городов и сёл. Украинские неонацисты, терпя неудачи в зоне боевых действий, совершают кровавые террористические акты против гражданского населения. <...>

▪️ В ночь с 5 на 6 августа боевики ВСУ нанесли удар по н.п. Суджа в Курской области. Ранены пять человек, в том числе трое детей, повреждены несколько жилых домов.

▪️ 6 августа украинские вооружённые формирования атаковали с помощью дрона движущийся автомобиль в Грайворонском городском округе Белгородской области. Погиб один мирный житель.

▪️ 6-7 августа украинские неонацисты осуществили массированную террористическую атаку на Курскую область, задействовав значительные силы пехоты и тяжелую бронетехнику. В эту мясорубку Зеленский отправил граждан Украины, чтобы под шумок продлить смертельную украинскую мобилизацию ещё на 3 месяца. Сегодня он подписал соответствующий закон.

Российские вооружённые силы дали решительный отпор противнику, который понёс существенные потери. Вместе с тем, по имеющимся сведениям в результате обстрелов украинскими боевиками ранения и травмы получили 24 мирных жителя Курской области, в том числе 6 детей. При ударе дроном по автомобилю скорой помощи погибли фельдшер и водитель.

Своей варварской атакой в Курской области укробандеровцы попытались посеять панику среди жителей региона и продемонстрировать хотя бы какое-то подобие активности на фоне постоянных провалов ВСУ в зоне конфликта. Очевидно, что и здесь расчёты неонацистов не оправдались.

❗️Все эти кровавые преступления происходят на фоне циничного молчания Запада, который продолжает покрывать своих киевских марионеток. Всё это только укрепляет чувство безнаказанности украинских неонацистов, уверенных, что любое злодеяние сойдёт им с рук. Призываем международное сообщество не оставаться в стороне и решительно осудить преступные действия киевского режима. <...>

🔻 4 августа на Украине состоялась помпезная презентация переданных странами НАТО истребителей F-16. Присутствовавший на мероприятии Зеленский рассыпался в благодарностях перед натовскими спонсорами за поставку. <...>

Данный шаг идёт в русле линии Запада на эскалацию украинского кризиса и не способствует созданию условий для его урегулирования политико-дипломатическими методами. <...>

Поставки истребителей F-16 для ВСУ не станут той самой «волшебной таблеткой», на которую так рассчитывают в Киеве. Они не смогут повлиять на ситуацию в зоне боевых действий и будут последовательно уничтожаться российскими Вооружёнными силами.

🔻 Начальник Главного управления разведки Минобороны Украины К.Буданов вновь заявил о планах нанести удар по Крымскому мосту. По его словам, ведётся соответствующая «работа» по подготовке к террористическим атакам. Между тем ранее, 17 июня, спикер ВМС Украины Д.Плетенчук признал, что Крымский мост уже не играет прежней роли для военной логистики и поэтому не является военной целью. Очевидно, что главной задачей киевских террористов в их маниакальном стремлении разрушить данный гражданский объект является создание паники среди населения полуострова и туристов. Напомним, Крымский мост используется в туристических целях миллионами россиян, включая семьи с детьми. <...>

👉 Перечисленные факты в очередной раз подтверждают актуальность задач специальной военной операции по денацификации и демилитаризации Украины и устранению угроз, исходящих с её территории. Все они обязательно будут выполнены.

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