🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's address to participants in 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues

💬 President Putin: Welcome to St Petersburg for the opening of the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues.

During the upcoming plenary sessions, discussions, and roundtables, you will analyse the global landscape, discuss key aspects of global and regional stability, and share perspectives on enhancing responses to the most urgent and perilous contemporary challenges.

Undoubtedly, international terrorism remains one of the gravest threats of the 21st century <…> At the same time, the tactics employed by these criminals are becoming increasingly complex and barbaric.

Once again, this was demonstrated by the bloody terrorist attack that took place on March 22 in the Moscow Region. Russia’s intelligence services and law enforcement agencies are investigating and scrutinising every detail of this despicable act, identifying all parties involved, including instigators, sponsors, and orchestrators. None of them should escape just punishment.

I know that your meeting will primarily focus on addressing the issue of safeguarding the information space from both external and internal threats. This topic holds importance for all nations, as it significantly contributes to ensuring national security, social stability, and economic development.

We strongly advocate for the systematic and concerted efforts of the global community in establishing unified, legally binding norms and principles governing state conduct in the information domain.

Undoubtedly, the key factor in strengthening the sovereignty and security of nations lies in safeguarding and protecting traditional spiritual and moral values <…>

Russia stands ready for close cooperation with all interested partners to uphold global and regional security and to establish a new multipolar international order that aligns with the interests of the majority of nations.

📄 Full text

⚡️ Talented individuals and socially responsible organizations from around the globe are invited to compete in the #WeAreTogether International Prize.

The Prize is a reward for selfless contribution to solving important humanitarian problems and strengthening international humanitarian cooperation.

The official theme of the 2024 Prize is Social partnership for Global development.

Laureates are selected from 6 regions of the world:
• the CIS,
• Europe,
• the Asia-Pacific region,
• the Middle East and North Africa,
• North and South America,
• Sub-Saharan Africa.

Timeline of the Prize:
🗓 until May 20, 2024 – application campaign conculdes
🗓 June 25 – October 20, 2024 – evaluation of applications
🗓 December 5-8, 2024 – award ceremony

The winners of the Prize will:
✔️ have a unique opportunity to tell the world about their activities;
✔️ receive financial and expert support from representatives of Russian and international organisations during the year following the announcement of the results.

🌐 Over the past years more than 1300 projects rendering selfless aid from 100 countries have participated in the International Prize.

👉 Learn more

🌐 April 24 marks the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. Established by the UN General Assembly resolution 73/127 of December 12, 2018, it seeks to promote the values of the United Nations and reaffirm the faith of our peoples in the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter.

🇺🇳 #UNCharterIsOurRules

From Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the UN Security Council’s open debates “Effective multilateralism through the Defence of the Principles of the UN Charter” (New York, April 24, 2023):

💬 For a little less than 80 years of its existence, the UN has been carrying out the important mission entrusted to it by its founders. For several decades, a basic understanding by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as regards the supremacy of the charter’s goals and principles guaranteed global security.

• Today, our UN-centric system is going through a deep crisis. The main reason is a striving by some UN members to replace international law and the UN Charter with a certain “rules-based” order.

• Our Western colleagues have been inconvenienced by holding talks based on universal formats, such as the UN, for a long time now. In order to provide an ideological substantiation for the course on undermining multilateralism, they initiated a concept of united “democracies” as opposed to “autocracies.”

• Summits for Democracy, the Alliance for Multilateralism <...> – all these and other non-inclusive projects were designed to thwart talks on the corresponding matters under the auspices of the UN.

❗️ Let's call it what it is: no one authorised the Western minority to speak on behalf of all humankind. Please act decently and respect all members of the international community.

👉 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 to anyone's exceptionalism and showing respect for the sovereign equality of states.