Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Last night, the Kiev regime attempted a drone strike against the residence of the President of the Russian Federation at the Kremlin.
Two unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kremlin. Timely action by the military and special services involving radar systems enabled them to disable the devices.
They crashed in the Kremlin grounds, scattering fragments without causing any casualties or damage.
⚠️ We consider these actions a premeditated terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President, carried out ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where foreign guests are expected to be present, among others.
The President has not suffered in this terrorist attack. His working schedule remains unchanged and follows its ordinary course.
❗️ Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate.
Two unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kremlin. Timely action by the military and special services involving radar systems enabled them to disable the devices.
They crashed in the Kremlin grounds, scattering fragments without causing any casualties or damage.
⚠️ We consider these actions a premeditated terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President, carried out ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where foreign guests are expected to be present, among others.
The President has not suffered in this terrorist attack. His working schedule remains unchanged and follows its ordinary course.
❗️ Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 The Russian Federation’s UN Security Council Presidency concluded on April 30.
Despite the Western delegations’ efforts to escalate tensions at the Security Council, we managed to ensure the effective work of this critical UN body.
❗️ The above period was marked by a number of key events sponsored by our country:
• Security Council open debate on April 10 on “Risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment”.
• The Security Council’s high-level open debate on April 24 noscriptd “Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations” chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was the second central event.
• Other milestone events include the quarterly open ministerial debates on April 25 on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, which were chaired by Sergey Lavrov as well.
On April 5, the Russian delegation held an informal Arria-formula Security Council meeting on evacuating children from the special military operation zone.
☝️ During the Russian presidency, the events envisaged by the Security Council April reporting and mandate cycles were carried out in full.
🇷🇺🇺🇳 During its Presidency, Russia operated on the premise of the importance of reaffirming the Security Council’s role as an effective tool for coordinating efforts to find answers to threats to international peace and security.
Despite the Western delegations’ efforts to escalate tensions at the Security Council, we managed to ensure the effective work of this critical UN body.
❗️ The above period was marked by a number of key events sponsored by our country:
• Security Council open debate on April 10 on “Risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment”.
• The Security Council’s high-level open debate on April 24 noscriptd “Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations” chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was the second central event.
• Other milestone events include the quarterly open ministerial debates on April 25 on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, which were chaired by Sergey Lavrov as well.
On April 5, the Russian delegation held an informal Arria-formula Security Council meeting on evacuating children from the special military operation zone.
☝️ During the Russian presidency, the events envisaged by the Security Council April reporting and mandate cycles were carried out in full.
🇷🇺🇺🇳 During its Presidency, Russia operated on the premise of the importance of reaffirming the Security Council’s role as an effective tool for coordinating efforts to find answers to threats to international peace and security.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
📅 May 3 is World Press Freedom Day as declared by the UN General Assembly in 1993. Its original intended purpose was to attract attention to ensuring free operation of the media, protecting journalists’ rights, and creating conditions for their safe work.
But we have to state with regret that reasons for satisfaction with this are few and far between. Unfortunately, the real state of affairs in this area testifies to the fact that the world has a long way to go before it attains the ideals of pluralism in differing views and freedom of the media.
⚠️ The US-led collective West continues its uncompromising crusade against dissent in mass media with total disregard of its international commitments to protect their legitimate rights and imposes on the world public a distorted picture of the world based on one-sided and politicised interpretations of current developments. It uses any unseemly method ranging from direct broadcasting bans to ungrounded refusals to issue visas to journalists.
Freedom of access to information has deteriorated especially in the Baltic states, in Moldova, and in Ukraine, whose authorities have started using openly terroristic methods of eliminating dissent.
In their hypocrisy, the Western “advanced democracies” close their eyes to the cruel murders of Russian journalists Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, and Oleg Klokov. Their appointees in the executive bodies of international organisations and human rights mechanisms obediently play up to this sordid policy.
A serious destabilising factor is the arbitrary nature of internet monopolies that tend to moderate content on instructions from Washington.
❗️ We must not allow the universally conceived World Press Freedom Day to serve the narratives of a narrow group of countries and to degenerate by degree into sheer profanation. There is a need for an honest review of media freedom and journalist safety, one not distorted by aggressive Western propaganda.
But we have to state with regret that reasons for satisfaction with this are few and far between. Unfortunately, the real state of affairs in this area testifies to the fact that the world has a long way to go before it attains the ideals of pluralism in differing views and freedom of the media.
⚠️ The US-led collective West continues its uncompromising crusade against dissent in mass media with total disregard of its international commitments to protect their legitimate rights and imposes on the world public a distorted picture of the world based on one-sided and politicised interpretations of current developments. It uses any unseemly method ranging from direct broadcasting bans to ungrounded refusals to issue visas to journalists.
Freedom of access to information has deteriorated especially in the Baltic states, in Moldova, and in Ukraine, whose authorities have started using openly terroristic methods of eliminating dissent.
In their hypocrisy, the Western “advanced democracies” close their eyes to the cruel murders of Russian journalists Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, and Oleg Klokov. Their appointees in the executive bodies of international organisations and human rights mechanisms obediently play up to this sordid policy.
A serious destabilising factor is the arbitrary nature of internet monopolies that tend to moderate content on instructions from Washington.
❗️ We must not allow the universally conceived World Press Freedom Day to serve the narratives of a narrow group of countries and to degenerate by degree into sheer profanation. There is a need for an honest review of media freedom and journalist safety, one not distorted by aggressive Western propaganda.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov arrives in #India on a working visit.
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 4, 2023
#RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 4, 2023
#RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇯🇴📞 On May 3, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ayman Al-Safadi.
The Ministers exchanged views on current issues on the Middle East agenda. The parties emphasised mutual interest in continuing to coordinate approaches to resolving conflict situations and crises that have a negative impact on regional and international stability and security.
Mr Safadi spoke about the results of the May 1 meeting of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. Mr Lavrov welcomed the willingness to assume a leading role in facilitating the Syrian settlement that was expressed at the meeting, including the solutions to humanitarian problems, the restoration of infrastructure, the return of refugees, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and the continuation of the intra-Syrian political process. It is fundamentally important to confirm the need for the full restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the SAR.
In addition, the further strengthening of Russian-Jordanian bilateral cooperation was discussed.
#RussiaJordan
The Ministers exchanged views on current issues on the Middle East agenda. The parties emphasised mutual interest in continuing to coordinate approaches to resolving conflict situations and crises that have a negative impact on regional and international stability and security.
Mr Safadi spoke about the results of the May 1 meeting of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. Mr Lavrov welcomed the willingness to assume a leading role in facilitating the Syrian settlement that was expressed at the meeting, including the solutions to humanitarian problems, the restoration of infrastructure, the return of refugees, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and the continuation of the intra-Syrian political process. It is fundamentally important to confirm the need for the full restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the SAR.
In addition, the further strengthening of Russian-Jordanian bilateral cooperation was discussed.
#RussiaJordan
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Opinion by Maria Zakharova
💬 It is primarily the creators and curators of the Kiev regime in Washington, London and NATO in general who are to be held accountable for Kiev’s actions.
They were the ones who destroyed Ukraine’s legitimate government, placed opportunists and thugs at the helm, gave them money and weapons, as well as a feeling of all-permissiveness and impunity, plus a political cover-up and military support.
💬 It is primarily the creators and curators of the Kiev regime in Washington, London and NATO in general who are to be held accountable for Kiev’s actions.
They were the ones who destroyed Ukraine’s legitimate government, placed opportunists and thugs at the helm, gave them money and weapons, as well as a feeling of all-permissiveness and impunity, plus a political cover-up and military support.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Foreign Ministry statement on the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin – the residence of the President of the Russian Federation
❗️ The Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin on the night of May 2, when it was targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.
There is no doubt that the Kiev regime is behind these attacks. It has a long-standing record of intentionally supporting and employing terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and civilians, including the October 8, 2022, explosion on the Crimean Bridge, strikes against non-military targets in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions, as well as many acts of sabotage. Now comes Moscow.
This crime is aggravated by the fact that the Moscow Kremlin serves as the residence of the Head of State. What makes the actions of the neo-Nazi Ukrainian authorities especially cynical is that they made an attempt to assassinate the President of Russia ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade. <...>
☝️ Crimes like this cannot go unanswered. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case into actions designed to intimidate and terrorise people, inflict damage and kill people as a means of influencing the decision-making process by government agencies. We are certain that those who bear the blame for these acts will be identified. They will face imminent and inevitable punishment.
<...>
The silence on behalf of the collective West demonstrates its connivance with the terrorist methods employed by the neo-Nazi extremist regime in Kiev.
The Foreign Ministry believes that the international community and international organisations which are free from double standards and seek guidance from international law must condemn this new criminal undertaking by the Kiev regime. <...>
❗️ The Foreign Ministry reaffirms that Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures in response to these outrageous acts of terrorism.
Read in full
❗️ The Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin on the night of May 2, when it was targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.
There is no doubt that the Kiev regime is behind these attacks. It has a long-standing record of intentionally supporting and employing terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and civilians, including the October 8, 2022, explosion on the Crimean Bridge, strikes against non-military targets in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions, as well as many acts of sabotage. Now comes Moscow.
This crime is aggravated by the fact that the Moscow Kremlin serves as the residence of the Head of State. What makes the actions of the neo-Nazi Ukrainian authorities especially cynical is that they made an attempt to assassinate the President of Russia ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade. <...>
☝️ Crimes like this cannot go unanswered. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case into actions designed to intimidate and terrorise people, inflict damage and kill people as a means of influencing the decision-making process by government agencies. We are certain that those who bear the blame for these acts will be identified. They will face imminent and inevitable punishment.
<...>
The silence on behalf of the collective West demonstrates its connivance with the terrorist methods employed by the neo-Nazi extremist regime in Kiev.
The Foreign Ministry believes that the international community and international organisations which are free from double standards and seek guidance from international law must condemn this new criminal undertaking by the Kiev regime. <...>
❗️ The Foreign Ministry reaffirms that Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures in response to these outrageous acts of terrorism.
Read in full
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
📸 #PhotoOfTheDay
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold talks "on the sidelines" of the SCO Ministerial in Panaji (Goa), India
#DruzhbaDosti
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold talks "on the sidelines" of the SCO Ministerial in Panaji (Goa), India
#DruzhbaDosti
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang hold talks "on the sidelines" of the SCO Ministerial
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 4, 2023
#RussiaChina
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 4, 2023
#RussiaChina
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
📰 Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Nikolai Patrushev’s interview with Izvestia (May 3, 2023)
▫️ Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Washington and London decided that this was their chance to set up a unipolar world. The Anglo-Saxons are not giving up on this idea even now.
▫️ The West believes that destroying Russia or relegating it to a third-rate country governed by an external administration, would serve to alter the international order. However, their desires overlook the strength of our state and the will of the people of Russia to remain independent.
▫️ There are many irrefutable facts showing how representatives of the Anglo-Saxon elite shared fascist ideas, provided financial and organisational support to Hitler, and now they have to save their democratic face. <...> Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxons are eagerly reinstating neo-Nazi ideology to accomplish their modern geopolitical objectives.
▫️ The Americans do not know what war is all about in principle. The last engagements on their soil and continent ended back in 1865. Therefore, their elite feel at ease talking about the need to produce more arms, inflict a military defeat on Russia, prepare for new wars, etc.
▫️ Today’s European politics is in a profound moral and intellectual crisis. A blatant case in point is the Munich Security Conference, to which the Western politicians came simply to read to each other State Department’s guidelines.
▫️ Western secret services are training terrorists and saboteurs to commit crimes in Russia. They hope to instill fear in the population and undermine the nation’s constitutional foundations.
▫️ Americans need Ukraine only for unrestrained exploitation of its natural resources without its historical population. Now the White House is ready to continue the war with Russia until the last Ukrainian but preserving Ukraine as a state is not part of its plan.
Read in full
▫️ Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Washington and London decided that this was their chance to set up a unipolar world. The Anglo-Saxons are not giving up on this idea even now.
▫️ The West believes that destroying Russia or relegating it to a third-rate country governed by an external administration, would serve to alter the international order. However, their desires overlook the strength of our state and the will of the people of Russia to remain independent.
▫️ There are many irrefutable facts showing how representatives of the Anglo-Saxon elite shared fascist ideas, provided financial and organisational support to Hitler, and now they have to save their democratic face. <...> Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxons are eagerly reinstating neo-Nazi ideology to accomplish their modern geopolitical objectives.
▫️ The Americans do not know what war is all about in principle. The last engagements on their soil and continent ended back in 1865. Therefore, their elite feel at ease talking about the need to produce more arms, inflict a military defeat on Russia, prepare for new wars, etc.
▫️ Today’s European politics is in a profound moral and intellectual crisis. A blatant case in point is the Munich Security Conference, to which the Western politicians came simply to read to each other State Department’s guidelines.
▫️ Western secret services are training terrorists and saboteurs to commit crimes in Russia. They hope to instill fear in the population and undermine the nation’s constitutional foundations.
▫️ Americans need Ukraine only for unrestrained exploitation of its natural resources without its historical population. Now the White House is ready to continue the war with Russia until the last Ukrainian but preserving Ukraine as a state is not part of its plan.
Read in full
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇻🇪📞 President of Russia Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro.
Nicolas Maduro resolutely condemned the Kiev regime’s attempt to attack the Kremlin with drones, and expressed solidarity and support for Russia on behalf of the people of Venezuela.
During the telephone conversation, the presidents also discussed important issues of further promoting bilateral strategic partnership, including the implementation of joint trade, economic, energy and humanitarian projects.
#RussiaVenezuela
Nicolas Maduro resolutely condemned the Kiev regime’s attempt to attack the Kremlin with drones, and expressed solidarity and support for Russia on behalf of the people of Venezuela.
During the telephone conversation, the presidents also discussed important issues of further promoting bilateral strategic partnership, including the implementation of joint trade, economic, energy and humanitarian projects.
#RussiaVenezuela
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#FamilyPhoto
📸 Heads of delegations take part in the traditional Family Photo ceremony ahead of the #SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting.
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 5, 2023
📸 Heads of delegations take part in the traditional Family Photo ceremony ahead of the #SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting.
📍 Panaji (Goa), May 5, 2023
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
📰 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s article for Russia in Global Affairs magazine (May 5, 2023)
Read in full
Key talking points:
• The UN-centric system is undergoing a deep crisis, the root cause of which was brought on by the decision of certain UN members to replace international law and the UN Charter with some “rules-based international order”. <...> Its masterminds haughtily reject the key principle underlying the UN Charter, which is the sovereign equality of states.
• Since World War II, Washington has pulled off dozens of reckless criminal military operations without even trying to secure multilateral legitimacy. Why bother when your “rules” are unbeknownst to everyone.
• Everyone is aware of it, even though not everyone is talking about it openly: the real issue is not about Ukraine, but rather about the future of international relations. Will they be forged on a sustainable consensus, one based on the balance of interests? Or will they be reduced to an aggressive and explosive advancement of hegemony? The Ukraine issue cannot be considered outside its geopolitical context.
• There should be no double standards. Multilateralism and democracy should enjoy respect both within the member countries and in their relations with one another.
• At this juncture, genuine multilateralism requires that the UN adapt to objective developments in the process of forming a multipolar architecture of international relations. It is imperative to expedite Security Council reform by expanding the representation of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• It is our common duty to preserve the United Nations as the hard-won epitome of multilateralism and coordination of international politics. The key to success lies in working together, renouncing claims on exceptionalism and – I reiterate – showing respect for the sovereign equality of states. This is what we all signed up for when we ratified the UN Charter.
#UNCharterIsOurRules
Read in full
Key talking points:
• The UN-centric system is undergoing a deep crisis, the root cause of which was brought on by the decision of certain UN members to replace international law and the UN Charter with some “rules-based international order”. <...> Its masterminds haughtily reject the key principle underlying the UN Charter, which is the sovereign equality of states.
• Since World War II, Washington has pulled off dozens of reckless criminal military operations without even trying to secure multilateral legitimacy. Why bother when your “rules” are unbeknownst to everyone.
• Everyone is aware of it, even though not everyone is talking about it openly: the real issue is not about Ukraine, but rather about the future of international relations. Will they be forged on a sustainable consensus, one based on the balance of interests? Or will they be reduced to an aggressive and explosive advancement of hegemony? The Ukraine issue cannot be considered outside its geopolitical context.
• There should be no double standards. Multilateralism and democracy should enjoy respect both within the member countries and in their relations with one another.
• At this juncture, genuine multilateralism requires that the UN adapt to objective developments in the process of forming a multipolar architecture of international relations. It is imperative to expedite Security Council reform by expanding the representation of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• It is our common duty to preserve the United Nations as the hard-won epitome of multilateralism and coordination of international politics. The key to success lies in working together, renouncing claims on exceptionalism and – I reiterate – showing respect for the sovereign equality of states. This is what we all signed up for when we ratified the UN Charter.
#UNCharterIsOurRules
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Eurasia4You
🗓 On May 24-25 in Moscow the 2nd Eurasian Economic Forum will be held.
The Forum is held within the Russian Federation's 🇷🇺 chairmanship in the Eurasian Economic Union’s governing bodies in 2023.
The goal of the Forum is to improve cooperation on the Eurasian continent. The key areas of discussion on the business programme will be issues concerning integration processes in the Eurasian Economic Union that are of most relevance to business, including those of particular interest to the Russian Federation.
❗️ The 2023 edition of the Eurasian Economic Forum will take place under the theme of ‘Eurasian Integration in a Multipolar World’. The plenary session will be the Forum's key event. A total of about 35 business sessions will take place within the EEF-2023, which will be divided into seven thematic tracks.
The Eurasian Economic Forum will host on its sidelines the Green Eurasia International Climate Competition, the Business Breakfast of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to discuss new opportunities for international cooperation in Eurasia, and the Business Breakfast of the EAEU-Indonesia Business Dialogue.
👨💼👩💼 Furthermore, the EAEU Business Council block program is planned to include two events: a session dedicated to business activities as a driver of the Eurasian economic integration, as well as a meeting of the Presidium of the Eurasian Economic Union's Business Council.
👉 Apply for participation
🗓 On May 24-25 in Moscow the 2nd Eurasian Economic Forum will be held.
The Forum is held within the Russian Federation's 🇷🇺 chairmanship in the Eurasian Economic Union’s governing bodies in 2023.
The goal of the Forum is to improve cooperation on the Eurasian continent. The key areas of discussion on the business programme will be issues concerning integration processes in the Eurasian Economic Union that are of most relevance to business, including those of particular interest to the Russian Federation.
❗️ The 2023 edition of the Eurasian Economic Forum will take place under the theme of ‘Eurasian Integration in a Multipolar World’. The plenary session will be the Forum's key event. A total of about 35 business sessions will take place within the EEF-2023, which will be divided into seven thematic tracks.
The Eurasian Economic Forum will host on its sidelines the Green Eurasia International Climate Competition, the Business Breakfast of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to discuss new opportunities for international cooperation in Eurasia, and the Business Breakfast of the EAEU-Indonesia Business Dialogue.
👨💼👩💼 Furthermore, the EAEU Business Council block program is planned to include two events: a session dedicated to business activities as a driver of the Eurasian economic integration, as well as a meeting of the Presidium of the Eurasian Economic Union's Business Council.
👉 Apply for participation
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Foreign Ministers Council, held in Panaji, state of Goa, India, on May 4 and 5.
The Foreign Ministers discussed the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the #SCO Heads of State Council (HSC), which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 3 and 4. Among other things, they reviewed draft documents to be submitted to the heads of state.
🌐 The Ministers paid special attention to expanding the organisation’s membership, with Iran expected to be granted full SCO membership at the upcoming summit. Procedures to accept Belarus into the organisation have been launched and are well underway. Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives and the UAE are about to join SCO-led cooperation efforts as new dialogue partners.
The meeting included a detailed exchange of views on key regional and international matters, during which the participants were unanimous in stating the importance of deeper foreign policy coordination among SCO countries, primarily at the UN.
In the context of the combined efforts by SCO member states to counter terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and cross-border organised crime, the foreign ministers paid special attention to the situation in Afghanistan, considering the urgency of preventing the instability there from spilling over into the SCO space.
Read in full
The Foreign Ministers discussed the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the #SCO Heads of State Council (HSC), which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 3 and 4. Among other things, they reviewed draft documents to be submitted to the heads of state.
🌐 The Ministers paid special attention to expanding the organisation’s membership, with Iran expected to be granted full SCO membership at the upcoming summit. Procedures to accept Belarus into the organisation have been launched and are well underway. Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives and the UAE are about to join SCO-led cooperation efforts as new dialogue partners.
The meeting included a detailed exchange of views on key regional and international matters, during which the participants were unanimous in stating the importance of deeper foreign policy coordination among SCO countries, primarily at the UN.
In the context of the combined efforts by SCO member states to counter terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and cross-border organised crime, the foreign ministers paid special attention to the situation in Afghanistan, considering the urgency of preventing the instability there from spilling over into the SCO space.
Read in full
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Comment by Special Representative of the Foreign Minister for cooperation in ensuring freedom of religion, Ambassador-at-Large Gennady Askaldovich on the annual report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (April 2023)
💬 The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a prominent institution, has released its annual report. <...> Of course, the commission placed on the top of its list countries, including Russia, where the Americans saw “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”
It must be pointed out that we have not found anything new in the accusations levelled at Russia.
☝️ Only the Russian authorities have the right to determine the extent of liability for persons who committed criminal offences and are now serving their sentences in Russian prisons. Let me reiterate that all persons mentioned in the report are serving prison time for committing specific criminal offences.
<...>
👉 Russia does not interfere in the legislative process in the United States, even if there is no shortage of observations and reproaches that can be made in this regard.
Russians know all too well about the comfort of staying in US prisons from the accounts shared by prominent political prisoners Maria Butina and Viktor Bout after Russia succeeded in freeing them from US prisons.
Therefore, we advise the United States to start by putting things in order at home before making reproaches against the Russian penitentiary system.
<...>
The paragraph the commission devoted to Ukraine contains hardly any criticism and is denoscriptive in its wording.
While the effort to seize the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra resonated around the world, this report does not even mention it, once again demonstrating the biased nature of this document and its propensity to criticise countries the United States views as undesirable.
<...>
❗️ We firmly reject the conclusions of this American commission and its assessments regarding our country for being biased and partisan.
Read in full
💬 The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a prominent institution, has released its annual report. <...> Of course, the commission placed on the top of its list countries, including Russia, where the Americans saw “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”
It must be pointed out that we have not found anything new in the accusations levelled at Russia.
☝️ Only the Russian authorities have the right to determine the extent of liability for persons who committed criminal offences and are now serving their sentences in Russian prisons. Let me reiterate that all persons mentioned in the report are serving prison time for committing specific criminal offences.
<...>
👉 Russia does not interfere in the legislative process in the United States, even if there is no shortage of observations and reproaches that can be made in this regard.
Russians know all too well about the comfort of staying in US prisons from the accounts shared by prominent political prisoners Maria Butina and Viktor Bout after Russia succeeded in freeing them from US prisons.
Therefore, we advise the United States to start by putting things in order at home before making reproaches against the Russian penitentiary system.
<...>
The paragraph the commission devoted to Ukraine contains hardly any criticism and is denoscriptive in its wording.
While the effort to seize the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra resonated around the world, this report does not even mention it, once again demonstrating the biased nature of this document and its propensity to criticise countries the United States views as undesirable.
<...>
❗️ We firmly reject the conclusions of this American commission and its assessments regarding our country for being biased and partisan.
Read in full