Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Excerpts from President of Russia Vladimir Putin's speech in the plenary session of the 21st annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club (November 7, 2024)
💬 Vladimir Putin: The moment of truth is fast approaching.
The former world arrangement is irreversibly passing away, actually it has already passed away, and a serious, irreconcilable struggle is unfolding for the development of a new world order. It is irreconcilable, above all, because this is not even a fight for power or geopolitical influence.
It is a clash of the very principles that will underlie the relations of countries and peoples at the next historical stage. Its outcome will determine whether we will be able, through joint efforts, to build a world that will allow all nations to develop and resolve emerging contradictions based on mutual respect for cultures and civilisations, without coercion and use of force. And finally, whether the human society will be able to retain its ethical humanistic principles, and whether an individual will be able to remain human.
At first glance, it might appear that there is no alternative. Yet, regrettably, there is. It is the dive of humanity into the depths of aggressive anarchy, internal and external splits, the erosion of traditional values, the emergence of new forms of tyranny, and the actual renunciation of the classical principles of democracy, along with fundamental rights and freedoms.
Increasingly often, democracy is being interpreted not as the rule of majority but of minority. Traditional democracy and the rule of the people are being set against an abstract notion of freedom, for the sake of which, as some argue, democratic procedures, elections, majority opinion, freedom of speech, and an unbiased media can be disregarded or sacrificed.
The peril lies in the imposition of totalitarian ideologies and making them the norm, as exemplified by the current state of Western liberalism. This modern Western liberalism, in my view, has degenerated into extreme intolerance and aggression towards any alternative or sovereign and independent thought. Today, it even seeks to justify neo-Nazism, terrorism, racism, and even the mass genocide of civilians.
Moreover, there are international conflicts and confrontations fraught with the danger of mutual destruction. Weapons that can cause this do exist and are being constantly improved, taking new forms as the technologies advance. The number of nations possessing such weapons is growing, and no one can guarantee that these weapons will not be used, especially if threats incrementally multiply and legal and moral norms are ultimately shattered.
❗️We have come close to the dangerous point.
The West’s calls to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, a nation with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, reveal the reckless adventurism of certain Western politicians.
Such blind faith in their own impunity and exceptionalism could lead to a global catastrophe.
Efforts to cling to their diminishing power through force result only in widespread instability and more tensions, leading to casualties and destruction. However, these efforts fail to achieve the desired outcome of maintaining absolute, unchallenged power.
For the march of history cannot be halted.
💬 Vladimir Putin: The moment of truth is fast approaching.
The former world arrangement is irreversibly passing away, actually it has already passed away, and a serious, irreconcilable struggle is unfolding for the development of a new world order. It is irreconcilable, above all, because this is not even a fight for power or geopolitical influence.
It is a clash of the very principles that will underlie the relations of countries and peoples at the next historical stage. Its outcome will determine whether we will be able, through joint efforts, to build a world that will allow all nations to develop and resolve emerging contradictions based on mutual respect for cultures and civilisations, without coercion and use of force. And finally, whether the human society will be able to retain its ethical humanistic principles, and whether an individual will be able to remain human.
At first glance, it might appear that there is no alternative. Yet, regrettably, there is. It is the dive of humanity into the depths of aggressive anarchy, internal and external splits, the erosion of traditional values, the emergence of new forms of tyranny, and the actual renunciation of the classical principles of democracy, along with fundamental rights and freedoms.
Increasingly often, democracy is being interpreted not as the rule of majority but of minority. Traditional democracy and the rule of the people are being set against an abstract notion of freedom, for the sake of which, as some argue, democratic procedures, elections, majority opinion, freedom of speech, and an unbiased media can be disregarded or sacrificed.
The peril lies in the imposition of totalitarian ideologies and making them the norm, as exemplified by the current state of Western liberalism. This modern Western liberalism, in my view, has degenerated into extreme intolerance and aggression towards any alternative or sovereign and independent thought. Today, it even seeks to justify neo-Nazism, terrorism, racism, and even the mass genocide of civilians.
Moreover, there are international conflicts and confrontations fraught with the danger of mutual destruction. Weapons that can cause this do exist and are being constantly improved, taking new forms as the technologies advance. The number of nations possessing such weapons is growing, and no one can guarantee that these weapons will not be used, especially if threats incrementally multiply and legal and moral norms are ultimately shattered.
❗️We have come close to the dangerous point.
The West’s calls to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, a nation with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, reveal the reckless adventurism of certain Western politicians.
Such blind faith in their own impunity and exceptionalism could lead to a global catastrophe.
Efforts to cling to their diminishing power through force result only in widespread instability and more tensions, leading to casualties and destruction. However, these efforts fail to achieve the desired outcome of maintaining absolute, unchallenged power.
For the march of history cannot be halted.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Excerpts from President of Russia Vladimir Putin's speech in the plenary session of the XXI annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club (November 7, 2024)
#MultipolarWorld
💬 In the emerging multipolar world, there should be no nations or peoples left as losers or feeling aggrieved and humiliated.
Only then can we secure truly sustainable conditions for universal, equitable, and secure development.
Understanding the general trajectory – from hegemony to a complex world of multilateral cooperation – allows us to attempt to sketch at least some of the pending contours.
👉 Firstly, openness to interaction stands as the paramount value cherished by the overwhelming majority of nations and peoples. The endeavour to construct artificial barriers is not only flawed because it impedes normal and advantageous to everyone economic progression, but also because it is particularly perilous amidst natural disasters and socio-political turmoil, which, unfortunately, are all too common in international affairs. <...>
👉 Secondly, we have consistently underscored the diversity of the world as a prerequisite for its sustainability.
The international community is a living entity, with its civilisational diversity making it unique and presenting an inherent value.
👉 Thirdly, we have said more than once that the new world can develop successfully only through the broadest inclusion. The experience of the last couple of decades has clearly demonstrated what usurpation leads to, when someone arrogates to themselves the right to speak and act on behalf of others.
Those countries that are commonly referred to as great powers have come to believe that they are ennoscriptd to dictate to others what their interests are – in fact, to define others’ national interests based on their own. Not only does this violate the principles of democracy and justice, but worst of all, it hinders an actual solution to the problems at hand.
👉 Fourtly, the key principle of security for all without exception is that the security of one nation cannot be ensured at the expense of others’ security. I am not saying anything new. It has been set out in OSCE documents. It only needs to be implemented.
The bloc policy and the legacy of the Cold War colonial era run contrary to the essence of the new international system, which is open and flexible. There is only one bloc in the world that is held together by the so-called obligations and strict ideological dogmas and cliches.
NATO, which continues expansion to Eastern Europe and is now trying to spread its approaches to other parts of the world, contrary to its own statutory documents, is a blatant anachronism.
<...>
The future Eurasian security system, now beginning to take shape across our vast continent, is founded on a spirit of respect and mutual consideration of interests. This approach is not only genuinely multilateral but also multifaceted.
👉 My fifth point is about justice for all. Inequality is the true scourge of the modern world. Countries face social tension and political instability within their borders due to inequality <...>
👉 My sixth point is that we keep emphasising that sovereign equality is an imperative for any lasting international framework. <...>
The most harmful and destructive attitude that we see in the modern world is supreme arrogance, which translates into a desire to condescendingly lecture others, endlessly and obsessively.
<...>
The modern world tolerates neither arrogance nor wanton disregard for others being different. To build normal relationships, above all, one needs to listen to the other party and try to understand their logic and cultural background, rather than expecting them to think and act the way you think they should based on your beliefs about them. Otherwise, communication turns into an exchange of clichés and flinging labels, and politics devolves into a conversation of the deaf.
Read in full
#MultipolarWorld
💬 In the emerging multipolar world, there should be no nations or peoples left as losers or feeling aggrieved and humiliated.
Only then can we secure truly sustainable conditions for universal, equitable, and secure development.
Understanding the general trajectory – from hegemony to a complex world of multilateral cooperation – allows us to attempt to sketch at least some of the pending contours.
👉 Firstly, openness to interaction stands as the paramount value cherished by the overwhelming majority of nations and peoples. The endeavour to construct artificial barriers is not only flawed because it impedes normal and advantageous to everyone economic progression, but also because it is particularly perilous amidst natural disasters and socio-political turmoil, which, unfortunately, are all too common in international affairs. <...>
👉 Secondly, we have consistently underscored the diversity of the world as a prerequisite for its sustainability.
The international community is a living entity, with its civilisational diversity making it unique and presenting an inherent value.
👉 Thirdly, we have said more than once that the new world can develop successfully only through the broadest inclusion. The experience of the last couple of decades has clearly demonstrated what usurpation leads to, when someone arrogates to themselves the right to speak and act on behalf of others.
Those countries that are commonly referred to as great powers have come to believe that they are ennoscriptd to dictate to others what their interests are – in fact, to define others’ national interests based on their own. Not only does this violate the principles of democracy and justice, but worst of all, it hinders an actual solution to the problems at hand.
👉 Fourtly, the key principle of security for all without exception is that the security of one nation cannot be ensured at the expense of others’ security. I am not saying anything new. It has been set out in OSCE documents. It only needs to be implemented.
The bloc policy and the legacy of the Cold War colonial era run contrary to the essence of the new international system, which is open and flexible. There is only one bloc in the world that is held together by the so-called obligations and strict ideological dogmas and cliches.
NATO, which continues expansion to Eastern Europe and is now trying to spread its approaches to other parts of the world, contrary to its own statutory documents, is a blatant anachronism.
<...>
The future Eurasian security system, now beginning to take shape across our vast continent, is founded on a spirit of respect and mutual consideration of interests. This approach is not only genuinely multilateral but also multifaceted.
👉 My fifth point is about justice for all. Inequality is the true scourge of the modern world. Countries face social tension and political instability within their borders due to inequality <...>
👉 My sixth point is that we keep emphasising that sovereign equality is an imperative for any lasting international framework. <...>
The most harmful and destructive attitude that we see in the modern world is supreme arrogance, which translates into a desire to condescendingly lecture others, endlessly and obsessively.
<...>
The modern world tolerates neither arrogance nor wanton disregard for others being different. To build normal relationships, above all, one needs to listen to the other party and try to understand their logic and cultural background, rather than expecting them to think and act the way you think they should based on your beliefs about them. Otherwise, communication turns into an exchange of clichés and flinging labels, and politics devolves into a conversation of the deaf.
Read in full
👍1
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🌍🤗 The First Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum is in full swing!
Excitement fills the air as people from different countries and continents connect, share ideas, and create lasting friendships!
📸 © Roscongress
Excitement fills the air as people from different countries and continents connect, share ideas, and create lasting friendships!
📸 © Roscongress
❤1👏1
Forwarded from Russian Embassy to the UK
🕯 We will always remember the British, Soviet and other Allied participants of World War II Arctic Convoys.
In Russia their sacrifice and heroism in battling the enemy and the elements are commemorated in many ways.
Recently, a new exhibition was launched in St Petersburg by the Northern Convoys International Centre Foundation. One section is dedicated specifically to British sailors and pilots who took part in the perilous runs and protected them.
Memorial services are regularly held by local communities and authorities at memorials in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St Petersburg.
Here, in the United Kingdom, Russian diplomats are laying wreaths at the Arctic Convoys memorials on the shores of Loch Ewe and Scapa Flow. This is an honour and privilege.
#WeRemember
In Russia their sacrifice and heroism in battling the enemy and the elements are commemorated in many ways.
Recently, a new exhibition was launched in St Petersburg by the Northern Convoys International Centre Foundation. One section is dedicated specifically to British sailors and pilots who took part in the perilous runs and protected them.
Memorial services are regularly held by local communities and authorities at memorials in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St Petersburg.
Here, in the United Kingdom, Russian diplomats are laying wreaths at the Arctic Convoys memorials on the shores of Loch Ewe and Scapa Flow. This is an honour and privilege.
#WeRemember
❤3
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
📑 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has compiled and issued a Report regarding the Situation with the Glorification of Nazism and the Spread of Neo-Nazism and Other Practices That Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
Read in full (pdf)
The report continues the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to draw attention to the manifestations of various forms of glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in foreign countries.
The document reflects the line of Western countries aimed at fomenting rabid Russophobia. which has become one of the "manifestations" of their support for Ukraine against the background <...> Considerable attention is also paid to the actions of certain States, primarily the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine, which <...> actively continue to destroy on their territory the entire array of Soviet and Russian, and often their own, memorial heritage and step up their activities to falsify the history of World War II.
🔻 The West is openly and unceremoniously changing historical concepts – from equating the Nazi regime with the "totalitarian" Soviet one to attempting to place all responsibility for the war on the Soviet Union and declare it "a criminal worse than the Third Reich".
🔻 The meaning and, most importantly, the essence of the verdict of the International Military Tribunal for the trial and punishment of major war criminals of the European Axis countries (the Nuremberg Tribunal) is being deliberately blurred.
🔻 The political elites of the overwhelming majority of European and North American "democratic" states are trying their best to conceal from the international community, including their own citizens, the Nazi essence of the policy of the Kiev and similar regimes.
The absolute majority of members of the international community share Russia's approaches to the glorification of Nazism and the justification of racism.
In 2023, the Russian resolution was supported by the majority of the world's countries – 1️⃣1️⃣8️⃣. 49 delegations voted against it, including the United States and Ukraine, as well as EU member states.
The manifestations of racial discrimination and glorification of Nazism pose a direct threat to the fundamental values of true democracy and human rights and a serious challenge to international and regional security and stability. <...>
☝️ Russia, together with like-minded countries, does not intend to tolerate such racist and neo-colonial approaches and will oppose them in every possible way.
Read in full (pdf)
The report continues the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to draw attention to the manifestations of various forms of glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in foreign countries.
The document reflects the line of Western countries aimed at fomenting rabid Russophobia. which has become one of the "manifestations" of their support for Ukraine against the background <...> Considerable attention is also paid to the actions of certain States, primarily the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine, which <...> actively continue to destroy on their territory the entire array of Soviet and Russian, and often their own, memorial heritage and step up their activities to falsify the history of World War II.
🔻 The West is openly and unceremoniously changing historical concepts – from equating the Nazi regime with the "totalitarian" Soviet one to attempting to place all responsibility for the war on the Soviet Union and declare it "a criminal worse than the Third Reich".
🔻 The meaning and, most importantly, the essence of the verdict of the International Military Tribunal for the trial and punishment of major war criminals of the European Axis countries (the Nuremberg Tribunal) is being deliberately blurred.
🔻 The political elites of the overwhelming majority of European and North American "democratic" states are trying their best to conceal from the international community, including their own citizens, the Nazi essence of the policy of the Kiev and similar regimes.
The absolute majority of members of the international community share Russia's approaches to the glorification of Nazism and the justification of racism.
In 2023, the Russian resolution was supported by the majority of the world's countries – 1️⃣1️⃣8️⃣. 49 delegations voted against it, including the United States and Ukraine, as well as EU member states.
The manifestations of racial discrimination and glorification of Nazism pose a direct threat to the fundamental values of true democracy and human rights and a serious challenge to international and regional security and stability. <...>
☝️ Russia, together with like-minded countries, does not intend to tolerate such racist and neo-colonial approaches and will oppose them in every possible way.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Joint Statement of the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (Sirius Federal Territory, Russian Federation, November 10, 2024)
✍️ We, the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations (UN), Leadership of the African Union Commission and of executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, gathered on 10 November 2024 in the Russian Federation, Sirius Federal Territory, to participate in the First Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum.
We are pleased to note the strategic level of Russia-Africa cooperation, and positively assess the pace of the implementation of the agreements reached during the first (Sochi, 23-24 October 2019) and second (Saint Petersburg, 27-28 July 2023) Russia-Africa Summits and articulated in the final documents thereof, including the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2023-2026.
We reconfirm our intention to continue strategic-level engagement in order to achieve a world order that would ensure international peace and security for all, equal opportunities for the development of all States, preservation of their cultural and civilizational uniqueness regardless of differences in political, economic and social structures, geographical location, demographic, resource and military potentials.
We welcome the adoption by heads of delegations participating in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership of joint statements on:
• measures to create a fair, transparent and equitable system of International Information Security;
• strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism;
• current issues of exploration and use of Outer Space for peaceful purposes.
We reconfirm the shared responsibility of the Russian Federation and African States for supporting the creation of a just and stable world order based on the principles of sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of all peoples to self-determination as provided for, inter alia, by UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, as well as the need to preserve national identity and national resources, cultural and civilizational diversity and to protect traditional values.
👉 Political Cooperation
We consider the development of constructive partnership with the African Union and the leading African integration organisations as a foreign policy priority of the Russian Federation and African States.
👉 Security Cooperation
We confirm the importance of the principle of "African Solutions to African Problems" in conflict resolution.
👉 Trade and Economic Cooperation
We express our readiness to continue joint efforts to strengthen the voice and representation of the African continent in the global economic governance architecture.
👉 Education, Health, Culture, Sports, Youth Policy and Media Cooperation
We welcome the dynamic cooperation between the Russian Federation and African States in the field of culture.
👉 Environmental and Climate Cooperation
We advocate for stepping up efforts to consolidate approaches to international environmental and climate issues within the specialised UN fora to prevent the politicisation of work in these areas.
***
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations, Leadership of the African Union Commission and the executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, who participated in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia‑Africa Partnership Forum express their commitment to further working together in order to expand cooperation and ensure the success of the third Russia-Africa Summit to be held in 2026.
Read in full
✍️ We, the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations (UN), Leadership of the African Union Commission and of executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, gathered on 10 November 2024 in the Russian Federation, Sirius Federal Territory, to participate in the First Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum.
We are pleased to note the strategic level of Russia-Africa cooperation, and positively assess the pace of the implementation of the agreements reached during the first (Sochi, 23-24 October 2019) and second (Saint Petersburg, 27-28 July 2023) Russia-Africa Summits and articulated in the final documents thereof, including the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2023-2026.
We reconfirm our intention to continue strategic-level engagement in order to achieve a world order that would ensure international peace and security for all, equal opportunities for the development of all States, preservation of their cultural and civilizational uniqueness regardless of differences in political, economic and social structures, geographical location, demographic, resource and military potentials.
We welcome the adoption by heads of delegations participating in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership of joint statements on:
• measures to create a fair, transparent and equitable system of International Information Security;
• strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism;
• current issues of exploration and use of Outer Space for peaceful purposes.
We reconfirm the shared responsibility of the Russian Federation and African States for supporting the creation of a just and stable world order based on the principles of sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of all peoples to self-determination as provided for, inter alia, by UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, as well as the need to preserve national identity and national resources, cultural and civilizational diversity and to protect traditional values.
👉 Political Cooperation
We consider the development of constructive partnership with the African Union and the leading African integration organisations as a foreign policy priority of the Russian Federation and African States.
👉 Security Cooperation
We confirm the importance of the principle of "African Solutions to African Problems" in conflict resolution.
👉 Trade and Economic Cooperation
We express our readiness to continue joint efforts to strengthen the voice and representation of the African continent in the global economic governance architecture.
👉 Education, Health, Culture, Sports, Youth Policy and Media Cooperation
We welcome the dynamic cooperation between the Russian Federation and African States in the field of culture.
👉 Environmental and Climate Cooperation
We advocate for stepping up efforts to consolidate approaches to international environmental and climate issues within the specialised UN fora to prevent the politicisation of work in these areas.
***
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations, Leadership of the African Union Commission and the executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, who participated in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia‑Africa Partnership Forum express their commitment to further working together in order to expand cooperation and ensure the success of the third Russia-Africa Summit to be held in 2026.
Read in full
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