🇷🇺🇪🇬 On June 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt Sameh Shoukry on the sidelines of the #BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod.

During their conversation, the Officials discussed various important aspects of the Middle East agenda, with a particular focus on the current escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They emphasised the urgent need to increase international efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and provide sustainable humanitarian access to the area, ensuring necessary assistance to the population of the Palestinian enclave.

The Ministers also explored ways to further strengthen the traditionally friendly Russian-Egyptian relations, including efforts to maintain political dialogue and advancing trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties.

#RussiaEgypt

🇷🇺🇸🇦 On June 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the #BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod.

The two countries’ Ministers focused on the prospects of further cooperation in various areas of bilateral relations.

They had an in-depth discussion on topical issues on the global and regional agendas and reaffirmed their shared position on the need to consolidate collective efforts to ensure political and diplomatic settlements of acute crises on the Middle East, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as quickly as possible.

#RussiaSaudiArabia

⚡️ Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on the outcomes of the election to the European Parliament

Elections to the European Parliament (EP) were held in 27 EU member states from June 6 to June 9, following which a new 720-seat EU representative body will be formed and remain operational during the next five years.

☝️ Notably, the European elections were held:
• amid stringent restrictions,
• lack of fair competition,
• the mopped-up information space that had no place for alternative sources of information,
• unbridled anti-Russian campaign.

The political forces opposing the mindless confrontation with Russia that is damaging to the EU itself were subjected to discrimination, and frequently to outright pressure and harassment.

This election campaign went beyond the pale in terms of absurdity and irresponsibility of the remarks made by EU politicians. Every time the EU bureaucrats spoke about the European elections, they mentioned the “Russian connection,” Russia’s “interference,” and the “hidden hand of the Kremlin,” as well as the importance of “Ukraine’s victory” in the “war against Russia.”

Moreover, under the banner of countering the alleged “Moscow’s interference” in the EU’s electoral processes, systematic efforts were undertaken to prevent the political parties that uphold the true interests of the EU member states and their people rather than those imposed by Washington from strengthening their positions in the EP. Any disagreement with the policy pursued by Brussels or its consequences for the socioeconomic situation in the EU was instantly equated with “working in the interests of the Kremlin.”

Observation of the EP elections, if any, was of a purely token nature. There were only 19 observers in the OSCE ODIHR special mission which recognised the European elections’ compliance with all standards.

❗️ However, even under these circumstances, many European voters clearly voted against the EU mainstream policy pursued over the past several years.

Voting in a significant number of the EU member states took on a distinctly protest nature which could be seen from the support for the opposition parties and a tellingly low turnout. A significant strengthening of the positions of the nationally-minded political forces that oppose the erosion of national sovereignty and identity and the replacement of traditional values with neoliberal approaches could be seen in the leading EU member states, including the ones that stood at the origin of European integration.

Disappointed with the EU policy, voters in the Baltic States have essentially disregarded the elections. In Latvia and Estonia, just over a third of registered voters showed up at the ballot boxes. In Lithuania, the turnout was under 30 percent. The situation was not much better in other countries with a particularly vocal anti-Russian stance, such as Poland, Finland, and the Czech Republic.

🔻 However, judging from the reaction of the EU mainstream forces which, by hook or by crook, managed to obtain a total majority of seats in the new EP, they are not going to draw the correct conclusions. As a matter of fact, no one was expecting it, because the EP has long ago turned into a body that serves the interests that have little to do with the aspirations of ordinary Europeans. They are more used to listening to the orders coming from overseas and the wishes of transnational companies, including the military-industrial complex.

Over the past several years, the EP’s confrontational stance towards our country has degenerated to an unprecedented level of hostility. This institution, which produces endless anti-Russian texts, has discredited itself and become an openly Russophobic entity that welcomes all sorts of sketchy characters on the fringes of society who refer to themselves as the “Russian opposition” and even extremists and terrorists.

The “ideological basis” for continued support of the EU’s self-destructive political course driven by Russophobia has been preserved following the elections to the European Parliament.

🇷🇺🇰🇿 On June 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a brief meeting with Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu on the sidelines of the #BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Nizhny Novgorod.

The Foreign Ministers discussed the development of the strategic partnership between Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as topical issues of regional and international security. They also compared the schedules for upcoming events at the high and highest levels.

The conversation was held in an amicable, friendly atmosphere, which is inherent to the Russian-Kazakhstani dialogue.

#RussiaKazakhstan

🇷🇺🇱🇰 On June 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry on the sidelines of the #BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod.

The discussion focused on topical issues related to the bilateral agenda. Both Parties expressed their interest in maintaining regular political dialogue and expanding cooperation in practical spheres.

They also discussed cooperation at various multilateral platforms including BRICS.

#RussiaSriLanka

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at an extended meeting with the participation of the Foreign Ministers from the Global South and the Global East (June 11, 2024, Nizhny Novgorod)

💬 Welcome to Russia and Nizhny Novgorod, a beautiful city, the beauty of which and the feelings of the residents of which you had the chance to enjoy yesterday.

Today’s meeting reflects the efforts of #BRICS members to develop ties with the stakeholder countries from the Global South and the Global East, the countries of the Global Majority,

in order to identify solutions to the most pressing global issues faced by all members of the international community without exception.

We are witnessing a profound transformation of international relations triggered by the formation of a fairer and polycentric system of international order, which would reflect the entire gamut of cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern-day world and ensure the right of every nation to determine its own future and its own path of development.

The stronger voice of the Global Majority, i.e. the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, which are not part of the collective West, is a major trend now.

Only by uniting our ranks can we truly effectively promote a vision of a just future shared by all of us. In this context, it is important to strengthen the role of the country-to-country groups that advocate balanced and equitable approaches to international development.

We are talking about the formats which reflect the principles of equitable cooperation in practice rather than in words. These include, along with BRICS, #SCO, #AfricanUnion, #EAEU, #CIS, #ASEAN, #LAS, #CELAC, #GCC, #IORA and many other organisations. The chairs of many of these organisations are here with us.

We believe it is important to establish contacts between all such integration entities which operate at regional levels, on the one hand, and our global association BRICS, on the other hand. This will promote gradual and mutually respectful harmonisation of approaches to the issues facing all associations.

The strengthening the international legal framework and collective decision-making on global issues is now at the forefront. Only in this case will those decisions be effective and legitimate.

This principle is laid down in the UN Charter. Unfortunately, the collective West’s decisions, especially in the economy, finance, trade and more, increasingly fail to comply with the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

Our countries have largely overlapping approaches to reforming the system of multilateral institutions, including the UN and the UN Security Council, as well as addressing the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN General Assembly.

🤝 We look forward to discussing all these issues today.