🎙 Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question regarding Zelensky’s statements

❓ Question: Yesterday, Zelensky whose presidential term expired on May 20, held a news conference with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during which he stressed the need to strengthen Ukraine as far as possible so that the second “peace summit” could be held already in 2024. According to Zelensky, it could take place as early as November 2024 with Russian representatives present. How would you comment on this statement?

💬 Maria Zakharova: Statements by the “expired” Zelensky reflect nothing more than wishful thinking.

Russian representatives did not take part in any meetings during the “Burgenstock process,” nor do they intend to in the future.

This process has nothing to do with a peace settlement and represents yet another instance of deceit by the Westerners (Anglo-Saxons) and their Ukrainian puppets. The so-called second summit pursues the same goal: to enforce the completely unviable “Zelensky formula” as the sole basis (which apparently has no alternative) for resolving the conflict, persuading the Global Majority to support this formula while presenting Russia with an ultimatum demanding its surrender.

❗️ We will not take part in these “summits”.

However, we do not reject the resolution of the crisis through political and diplomatic means. We are open to discussing serious proposals that take into account the situation on the ground and emerging geopolitical realities, as well as the relevant initiative put forth by President of Russia Vladimir Putin on June 14.

☝️ Achieving a fair and stable peace settlement is impossible without Russia and consideration of its interests.

However, Kiev and the West are not thinking about peace. They need war. This is confirmed by the gangster-style incursion into the Kursk Region by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as by Zelensky’s persistent pleas for permission to carry out strike deep inside Russian territory using NATO’s long-range weapons. This constitutes a continuation of terrorist attacks against our country.

❌ We will not engage in dialogue with terrorists.

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a question from the Kommersant newspaper about the Summit of the Future scheduled to be held in New York

The comment was issued on September 21, 2024

❓ Question: Next week, the UN Headquarters in New York will host the Summit of the Future, which is due to adopt a Pact for the Future, a Global Digital Compact, and a Declaration on Future Generations. What is Russia’s assessment of this event and the documents to be approved?

💬 Maria Zakharova: The Summit of the Future will be held in New York on September 22−23 ahead of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.

It will focus on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ proposals on strengthening the system of multilateral cooperation and on the UN reform, among other things. The plan for the first day is to adopt the document entitled the Pact for the Future along with two addenda: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.

☝️ Russia consistently proceeds from the premise that it is necessary to adapt the UN to modern realities, whose main characteristic is the emergence of a multipolar international order.

At the same time, it is fundamentally important that these changes are directed towards enhancing the UN’s efficacy and prestige. There is a need to restore its central coordinating role, which has been undermined by the collective West’s attempts to force the UN to dance to its tune.

The work on the main part of the draft Pact is progressing slowly. The co-coordinators of the talks largely take their lead from the West and are reluctant to addres the concerns expressed by the Global Majority countries. Consequently, the current version contains many ambiguities.

I am referring to the tendency to erode the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations by equating the rights of member states and non-state actors, being selective about listing the norms of international law, overemphasising the human rights dimension of UN activities, establishing a universal link between climate and security issues, and insisting on speedy advances on the nuclear disarmament track, among other points.

Talks on the draft Global Digital Compact are also challenging. The West is seeking to monopolise internet regulation and place states and non-state actors on the same footing in terms of decision-making on the international technological agenda.

To counter this, Russia and its like-minded partners emphasise the importance of taking specific steps to bridge the digital gap as soon as possible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Only this approach will enable the Global South states to produce the required goods and services rather than relying on ready-made solutions from Western corporations, which are notorious for their predatory practices.

Given all this, it is impossible to predict the outcomes of the talks on the Summit’s final documents.

❗️ As a founding state of the United Nations and a responsible member of the international community, Russia, along with its Global Majority partners, will continue its efforts to defend the multipolar international order.

🎙 Ambassador of Russia to South Africa Ilya Rogachev’s interview with Sophie Mokoena of SABC (22 Sept 2024)

WATCH IN FULL
READ IN FULL

➡ Key talking points:

Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship

✅ Russia is prepared for the XVI BRICS Summit that will take place in Kazan on 22-24 Oct 2024.

The talks will encompass all fields of BRICS cooperation – in particular in 3 pillar areas (policy and security, economy and finance, culture and humanitarian exchanges). A number of issues related to the BRICS expansion are viewed as essential.

A significant administrative effort is needed to ensure smooth integration of the new members into BRICS. Apart from that, 30+ states made known their will to cooperate with BRICS in one way or the other.

One of the crucial points for the upcoming BRICS talks is the finances. We need to switch more to national currencies in economic exchanges. The West has weaponised dollar and euro, so the non-Western world is compelled to move away from these currencies in their trade.

Russia and Ukraine

It was the collective West which disrupted peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, despite the treaty was prepared for signing and even initialed by the Ukrainian side. Later, President Zelensky signed an executive order banning talks with the Russian side.

☝🏻The issues that are supposed to be discussed and that haven’t been on the table so far - the situation with rights of Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine, whether Russia’s strategic security interests will be taken into consideration by the West, beginning from NATO expansion.

Russia’s presence in Africa

🌍 If Russia cannot be trusted on the continent, then who can? In many areas, African leaders and peoples appreciate Russia’s participation in continental affairs, where we often play a stabilizing and balancing role in terms of security, military support, counter-terrorism, and food security.

Russia and the West

⚔The current situation between Russia and the West can be understood as a result of the West's desire for global dominance. Many people worldwide now recognize that the conflict in Ukraine is not merely between Russians and Ukrainians; it is framed from a geopolitical perspective. It represents a struggle for a multipolar world on our side, while the other side strives to preserve the current unipolar world. This is what is at stake in Ukraine.

🇷🇺 Comment by Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna Roman Ustinov to TASS news agency

❓The IAEA General Conference adopted a resolution proposed by the West criticizing Russia's actions at the Zaporozhskaya NPP. How would you assess the results of the vote? Can we say that Russia's position is gaining more supporters?

💬 The results of the vote at the completed 68th session of the IAEA General Conference on the draft resolution on nuclear safety, nuclear security and safeguards in Ukraine, promoted by Canada, can safely be called unconvincing, if not a failure. Despite the fact that the resolution was adopted by a simple majority, the number of those who voted «for» compared to last year decreased from 69 to 65. The number of those who voted «against», on the contrary, increased from 6 to 8, and those who abstained by 10 countries at once - from 33 to 43. At the same time, all those who spoke against and abstained, in fact, simply refused to support this politicized anti-Russian resolution

💬 First of all, this really shows that Russia's consistent explanatory work is bearing fruit. More and more countries are listening to our arguments and understand that the authors of such initiatives are guided exclusively by political principles of fighting Russia, which have nothing to do with real concern for nuclear safety, in particular at the Zaporozhskaya NPP, located on the line of combat actions. The 51 countries that refused to support the resolution essentially said that there should be no place at the General Conference for politicization and showdowns on issues unrelated to the IAEA mandate, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity

💬 It is important that the co-sponsors of the resolution take this signal seriously and stop complicating the Agency's work

❓What measures can the IAEA take to strengthen the nuclear and physical safety of the Kurskaya NPP? Is it possible to establish a permanent presence of experts similar to the Zaporozhskaya NPP?

💬 The main thing that the IAEA can do to help ensure nuclear safety and security at the Kurskaya NPP is to honestly and openly state where the main threats to the plant are coming from and to insistently demand that any provocative actions be stopped. We have been consistently working with the IAEA leadership, including the Director General of the Agency, on this issue with regard to the Zaporozhskaya and Kurskaya NPPs. We consider it important that Rafael Grossi, including from the rostrum of the recent 68th session of the IAEA General Conference, clearly stated that attacks on nuclear power plants are unacceptable under any circumstances

Hunka is a Nazi war criminal. SS is a criminal organization - Nuremberg Tribunal verdict. Hunka is wanted by Interpol.

Trudeau's cabinet is fully aware of what Hunka did. But neither extradites nor prosecutes.

☝Failure to comply equals justification.

⚡️ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview for a documentary titled "The UN from the 20th to the 21st Century" (Moscow, September 25, 2024)

Key points:

• Less than a year after the victorious powers established the UN based on the noble principles formulated in its charter, it became clear that the West, acting contrary to these principles, intended to launch a war against the Soviet Union, and not merely a cold war but an all-out war. These plans hatched by the then "Anglo-Saxons" [nations of the Anglosphere led by the US & UK] have long become public knowledge.

• Once NATO was created, the Soviet Union circulated a large document which demonstrated the detrimental effect of that and the danger of building walls between the East and the West, especially in Europe, and called for respecting the #UNCharter and for working towards this. Our call was not heeded.

✊ However, we kept fighting for justice and the implementation of the principle of sovereign equality of nations. Decolonisation was a bright stage and a major embodiment of that principle. The Soviet Union was the main initiator of the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Following its adoption, the number of UN states increased by 80-90 members.

• They tell us that the main goal today is to ensure the territorial integrity of Ukraine. It is a misleading interpretation of the UN Charter, where the right of nations to self-determination is put before territorial integrity.

• Even before demanding respect for territorial integrity, the UN Charter demands respect for human rights without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion <…> Now that Zelensky’s Nazi regime, which the West nurtured, has banned both the language and religious rights of a large number of its own population, the West has put away the banners it was waving for decades.

❗️The top priority now is to ensure the achievement of the initial goals and principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and as a whole, rather than selectively or occasionally.

• The reform of the UN Security Council is not a one-off event. It’s a process which has been ongoing since the time the United Nations came into being <...> Nevertheless, it relies on principles that must be preserved at all costs. The main principle is that the Security Council reform should be based on a broad-based agreement among states. It does not say “consensus,” but it does state “broad-based agreement among states.”

🌍 🇮🇳🇧🇷 We have invariably supported the legitimate aspirations of India and Brazil to secure permanent seats in the Security Council. However, African aspirations must be met as well. Africa has common collective positions, which we respect. And we would have like that.

• Our position implies providing additional seats for Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We are open to some of these seats being permanent, but we need to achieve general agreement before we can move forward. It is a complicated process. I don’t see any chance for bringing this process to a swift and expedited completion any time soon.

• Since the UN was created, there has never been a time, a region, or a situation that involved the United States in one way or another, where the country would actually respect that principle. Every time, everywhere they acted as a hegemon, or like a "bull in a china shop".

• When they wanted to punish Russia, the West abandoned all the principles which it was feeding to us and which it declared sacred. The same is happening to the principles of the UN Charter. The West is trampling and destroying them without a moment’s hesitation.

➡️ Read in full

#UNGA79 #UNCharterIsOurRules

⚡️Meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter in Brussels

🗓On 24 September 2024, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Russian Mission to the EU Kirill Logvinov participated at a regular meeting of the Heads of Missions of the Member States of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter accredited in Brussels. The event, organised at the initiative of the Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the EU, was timed to coincide with the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

🌐The discussion covered various pressing issues of the international agenda, including the Middle East crisis, the conflict in Ukraine and the situation around Venezuela.

The participants emphasised the priority of reaffirming the central and coordinating role of the UN and commitment to its Charter. They stressed that the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States should remain fundamental. The Group pointed out the inadmissibility of attempts by the West to subordinate international relations to a so-called “rules-based world order”.

The diplomats also addressed EU practices that contradict the principles of multipolarity, such as unilateral coercive measures and manifestations of neocolonialism.

🤝The regular exchange of views between the Heads of Missions of the Member States of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter accredited in Brussels (the first meeting in this format was initiated by the Russian Mission in April 2023) aims to contribute to the achievement of the Group's goals and objectives within UN platforms.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi hold talks on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly

#RussiaChina #UNGA79

🗓 On September 25, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a brief meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta, Ian Borg, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, at the latter’s initiative.

The counterparts discussed topical issues on the organisation’s agenda. The Russian side stressed the importance of the OSCE’s work in the interests of all member states, rather than individual groups of countries. Ways to overcome the crisis in the OSCE and normalise its activities were outlined, including in light of the upcoming OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting to take place in Valletta on December 5 and 6.

During the meeting, Sergey Lavrov and Ian Borg also touched upon some aspects of Russia-Malta relations.

#UNGA79

🇷🇺🇮🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold talks on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly

#RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti #UNGA79

🇷🇺🇻🇨 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Everard Gonsalves hold talks on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly

#UNGA79

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit hold a meeting on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly

#UNGA79

#RussiaChina

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly

📍 New York, September 25, 2024

💬 Dear friend,

It is always a pleasure to meet with you. It is not only a pleasant but also a mutually beneficial camaraderie.

My congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. This date is marked just ahead of the next major one – namely, 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the USSR. No doubt that we will mark these anniversaries in a worthy manner.

Over the past three quarters of a century, Russia-China relations have reached the level of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, becoming a major stabilising aspect of international life. This is recognised by the countries of the Global South. At the same time, Russia-China relations serve as an important factor of our countries’ internal development.

#UNGA79