Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to questions from the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" TV programme (November 12, 2023)
❓ Question: Regarding the acceleration [of Ukraine's progress towards EU membership], our source has told us that Kiev will be required to eliminate discrimination of minorities, but that the EU did not care about the Russian language.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: When Ukraine adopted its “anti-minorities” legislation, it caused an uproar in the European Union. Ukraine amended it and said this would not affect EU languages. Judge for yourself.
At that time, we talked with Hungary and other EU members who had compatriots living in Ukraine and said we hoped they would not just fight for exemptions for their own cultures, but will defend all the principles of international law concerning national minorities. So far, we have not seen that happening.
❓ Question: European leaders have stepped up their rhetoric insisting Ukraine should be admitted to the European Union as a matter of urgency. What does this indicate?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I have no clue. Most of these statements have been made by Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. They are preparing some recommendations, but they also admit that Ukraine has not fulfilled a significant part of the criteria. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba says the EU should forget all about those criteria and admit Ukraine without conditions.
I have difficulty wrapping my head around this. It looks like some game, or an extension of the EU’s old policy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, they suddenly dropped all criteria and took the decisions to admit the Baltic States into the European Union for purely political reasons. They never fully met the conditions, but political expediency prevailed.
Read in full
❓ Question: Regarding the acceleration [of Ukraine's progress towards EU membership], our source has told us that Kiev will be required to eliminate discrimination of minorities, but that the EU did not care about the Russian language.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: When Ukraine adopted its “anti-minorities” legislation, it caused an uproar in the European Union. Ukraine amended it and said this would not affect EU languages. Judge for yourself.
At that time, we talked with Hungary and other EU members who had compatriots living in Ukraine and said we hoped they would not just fight for exemptions for their own cultures, but will defend all the principles of international law concerning national minorities. So far, we have not seen that happening.
❓ Question: European leaders have stepped up their rhetoric insisting Ukraine should be admitted to the European Union as a matter of urgency. What does this indicate?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I have no clue. Most of these statements have been made by Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. They are preparing some recommendations, but they also admit that Ukraine has not fulfilled a significant part of the criteria. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba says the EU should forget all about those criteria and admit Ukraine without conditions.
I have difficulty wrapping my head around this. It looks like some game, or an extension of the EU’s old policy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, they suddenly dropped all criteria and took the decisions to admit the Baltic States into the European Union for purely political reasons. They never fully met the conditions, but political expediency prevailed.
Read in full
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🔴 #LIVE: Briefing by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on topical foreign policy issues
🔗 https://twitter.com/MID_RF/status/1724770725322441180
🔗 https://www.ruptly.video/ru/events/202311151200-LIVE16224-pryamaya-translyatsiya-ofitsialnii-predstavitel-mid-rossii-zakharova-provodit-yezhenedelnii-brifing
🔗 https://mid.ru/en/press_service/video
🔗 https://www.facebook.com/MIDRussia/videos/880136567065025
🔗 https://twitter.com/MID_RF/status/1724770725322441180
🔗 https://www.ruptly.video/ru/events/202311151200-LIVE16224-pryamaya-translyatsiya-ofitsialnii-predstavitel-mid-rossii-zakharova-provodit-yezhenedelnii-brifing
🔗 https://mid.ru/en/press_service/video
🔗 https://www.facebook.com/MIDRussia/videos/880136567065025
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Excerpts from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview for the RT channel (Moscow, November 15, 2023)
READ IN FULL
💬 We have never, during the last 30 years, tried to underestimate the importance of good relations with Israel and the importance of good relations with Israel’s Arab neighbors. And we played a role promoting peace on the basis of the final solution of this Middle East issue in accordance with the United Nations’ resolutions and decisions.
We have been a member of the Quartet of International Mediators from the very beginning of the functioning of this structure. The only structure recognized officially by the Security Council as having the mandate to mediate.
There were so many opportunities missed. There were so many attempts when a deal seemed to be close, so many attempts to replay the game.
☝️ But we keep our relations with both parties. <...> And we will continue to push for the immediate goal – the cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes.
👉 After that we all must take a deep breath and think how we restore Gaza, how we make sure that no one is expelled from Gaza. That there is no movement into Egypt and into Jordan of all those who used to live in Gaza, because this is what worries our Egyptian and Jordanian friends. And this would of course ruin all the resolutions of the Security Council that Gaza is Palestine, together with the West Bank.
READ IN FULL
💬 We have never, during the last 30 years, tried to underestimate the importance of good relations with Israel and the importance of good relations with Israel’s Arab neighbors. And we played a role promoting peace on the basis of the final solution of this Middle East issue in accordance with the United Nations’ resolutions and decisions.
We have been a member of the Quartet of International Mediators from the very beginning of the functioning of this structure. The only structure recognized officially by the Security Council as having the mandate to mediate.
There were so many opportunities missed. There were so many attempts when a deal seemed to be close, so many attempts to replay the game.
☝️ But we keep our relations with both parties. <...> And we will continue to push for the immediate goal – the cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes.
👉 After that we all must take a deep breath and think how we restore Gaza, how we make sure that no one is expelled from Gaza. That there is no movement into Egypt and into Jordan of all those who used to live in Gaza, because this is what worries our Egyptian and Jordanian friends. And this would of course ruin all the resolutions of the Security Council that Gaza is Palestine, together with the West Bank.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺 Russia's Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief (EMERCOM):
Russia's EMERCOM delivered 21 tonnes of humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies as well as generators – to the people of Gaza via Egypt, assisted by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.
📸 Russian Embassy in Egypt / Russian MFA
#RussiaHelps
Russia's EMERCOM delivered 21 tonnes of humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies as well as generators – to the people of Gaza via Egypt, assisted by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.
📸 Russian Embassy in Egypt / Russian MFA
#RussiaHelps
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🛬 120 passengers, mostly Russian citizens and their family members, evacuated from the Gaza Strip arrived in Russia aboard the EMERCOM’s special flight.
Having completed all the necessary procedures, part of the evacuees is now heading to the town of Klin to the children's health camp “Horizon”.
Having completed all the necessary procedures, part of the evacuees is now heading to the town of Klin to the children's health camp “Horizon”.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🔴 #LIVE: The UN Security Council holds a meeting to discuss Kiev regime's persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
🔗 https://media.un.org/en/webtv
🔗 https://media.un.org/en/webtv
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ On the ongoing evacuation of Russian nationals from the Gaza Strip
🗓 On November 19, a special Emergencies Ministry flight arrived in Moscow from Cairo bringing the latest group of evacuees from the Gaza Strip, 120 Russian nationals and Palestinians (family members).
At Domodedovo Airport, a Foreign Ministry team provided them with the necessary assistance with paperwork and border and migration control.
In all, 558 out of around 900 Russian nationals and their family members who asked for assistance have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip; 408 of them have already been brought from Egypt to Russia aboard Emergencies Ministry aircraft.
The situation at the Rafah crossing remains complicated. The evacuation of foreign nationals is being conducted in stages, taking into account the ongoing hostilities and the limited capacity of the crossing.
The coordinated work of the Foreign Ministry and Emergencies Ministry crisis centres and other relevant agencies, as well as Russian diplomatic missions in Cairo, Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Doha continues. All the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the prompt and safe evacuation of our citizens from the Gaza Strip.
🗓 On November 19, a special Emergencies Ministry flight arrived in Moscow from Cairo bringing the latest group of evacuees from the Gaza Strip, 120 Russian nationals and Palestinians (family members).
At Domodedovo Airport, a Foreign Ministry team provided them with the necessary assistance with paperwork and border and migration control.
In all, 558 out of around 900 Russian nationals and their family members who asked for assistance have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip; 408 of them have already been brought from Egypt to Russia aboard Emergencies Ministry aircraft.
The situation at the Rafah crossing remains complicated. The evacuation of foreign nationals is being conducted in stages, taking into account the ongoing hostilities and the limited capacity of the crossing.
The coordinated work of the Foreign Ministry and Emergencies Ministry crisis centres and other relevant agencies, as well as Russian diplomatic missions in Cairo, Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Doha continues. All the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the prompt and safe evacuation of our citizens from the Gaza Strip.
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