🇷🇺🇮🇷 Russia's President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone with Acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber.

Both sides expressed their interest in further development of #RussiaIran cooperation, including by implementing promising joint projects in energy and transportation sectors.

Certain issues related to cooperation on the international stage were touched upon, including in relation to Russia’s presidency in #BRICS, which the Islamic Republic of Iran joined on January 1, 2024.

Mohammad Mokhber congratulated the President and the people of Russia on the country’s national holiday, celebrated on June 12, and expressed his gratitude for the support offered by the President in the midst of the difficult period that Iran was going through after the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi.

In his turn, Vladimir Putin congratulated all the Muslims of Iran on the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, wished Mr Mokhber success in the ongoing presidential campaign, and asked him to convey his best wishes to Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

✍️ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s greetings to organisers of and participants of the 5th Kazan International Congress of Eurasian Integration

💬 I would like to warmly greet the organisers of and participants of the 5th Kazan International Congress of Eurasian Integration.

Your platform brings together a wide range of state officials and civil society activists, experts on international affairs, economists and representatives of academic circles; all of them are interested in strengthening multifaceted cooperation across the Eurasian region we share.

In today’s challenging global environment, created by the destructive policies of the collective West, your work to forge a constructive international agenda seems to be in high demand.

Several promising integration formats, including the #UnionState, the #EAEU, the #SCO, as well as the #CIS, chaired by Russia in 2024, function in Eurasia. The initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on establishing a Greater Eurasian Partnership aims to synchronise collaboration between them.

☝️ You will review a wide range of issues regarding expanded practical cooperation in Eurasia. Certainly, we welcome your interest in such a new multilateral entity as #BRICS, also chaired by Russia this year.

I am confident that the congress will contribute to strengthening friendship and trust between nations, and that it will help draft useful recommendations.

🤝 I wish you successful work and all the best.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla (Moscow, June 12, 2024)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: We are delighted to have you here in Moscow. I recall our meeting in Havana back in February of this year, when you warmly welcomed our delegation.

Today, our talks in Moscow coincide with a national holiday, Russia Day. As per our tradition, there is no better way to celebrate holidays than with long-time friends.

🇷🇺🇨🇺 We have a concrete agenda. Just one month ago, the presidents of Russia and Cuba met in Moscow and took part in the Victory Parade on May 9. Interestingly, it was snowing in Moscow at that time, but today we have aimed to make up for that chilly day with warm weather.

Our presidents consistently set objectives. Today, we need to assess how we will enhance and specify activities across all areas of our cooperation.

🤝 Thank you for joining us in the #BRICS Foreign Ministers meetings with our partners over the past two days. We recognise the significant advantages of such events, which engage countries from the Global Majority, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

#RussiaCuba

🇷🇺🇨🇺 On June 13, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas, who recently took part in St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

During their traditionally friendly conversation, the Officials discussed high-priority issues of bilateral collaboration and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership between Russia and Cuba.

They had a substantive exchange of views on key international issues and reaffirmed the firm stance of both countries against unilateral sanctions introduced in violation of the UN Charter.

The Officials noted their mutual striving to jointly forge a multipolar world order based on genuine equality of states, the recognition of the need to respect mutual interests, and adherence to the principles and norms of international law.

#RussiaCuba

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the meeting of Foreign Ministers from BRICS and Global South and Global East countries (Nizhny Novgorod, June 11, 2024)

💬 We have just completed our two-day programme. Yesterday, we worked with the #BRICS countries, and continued our discussions today with the invited countries which have yet to join BRICS. They expressed their firm commitment to forging closer ties with this association. Apart from the ten BRICS countries, another 12 nations of the Global Majority representing Asia, Africa and Latin America joined us today.

We discussed the most pressing and relevant international issues and challenges which all countries face today, as well as the present-day international environment and the role the Global Majority plays in shaping the global agenda.

During the BRICS segment of our meeting and today, in the presence of the invited countries, all delegations spoke out in favour of reforming the existing global governance framework by focusing on enabling the Global South to play a bigger role in it. We noted the need to undertake collective efforts in order to achieve the sustainable development goals, ensure security and foster economic growth.

Most of the delegations emphasised the destructive nature of protectionism in trade. The US and its allies have been sticking to this destructive policy.

<...>

❗️ All meeting participants without exception paid special attention to the developments in the Gaza Strip where the death toll stands at 37,000, while about 100,000 people were wounded. The military operation continues there, resulting in more and more casualties among innocent people.

We emphasised that there is no alternative to undertaking consistent efforts designed to support the emergence of a multipolar world order based on the sovereign equality of states as set forth in the UN Charter, as well as an equitable interstate dialogue free from any hidden agendas and aimed at coming up with collective solutions for addressing the objectives and issues the world faces today.

<...>

Following the BRICS meeting held yesterday, we have adopted an in-depth and explicit Joint Statement, which reflects the group countries’ stands on current international issues in the spirit of the assessments I have mentioned here.

🤝 It is highly satisfying that our work in the expanded format went smoothly. All participants tried to reach consensus even on the most complicated issues reflected in the text.

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🎙️Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s comment on the “Swiss Peace Summit”

▪︎The upcoming event in Switzerland masquerades as a platform for promoting the Kiev regime’s “peace formula”. The lofty wording is deceptive.

▪︎What an unbiased observer may find surreal, if not schizophrenic, is that the very same Western countries, including the United Kingdom, that are inflaming and prolonging the bloodshed in Ukraine are also patronizing the so-called “Swiss Peace Summit”.

▪︎Rather than seeking to bring about genuine peace on the basis of a durable balance of interests, the Kiev regime’s “formula” conceals a hodgepodge of ultimatums detached from reality on the ground and conflict dynamics. Collectively, these categorical demands encapsulate the preferred parameters of the “strategic defeat” NATO countries would like to see inflicted on Russia. Its bonus objective is to help resuscitate Vladimir Zelensky’s legitimacy.

▪︎Tellingly, those praising the “formula” have done their best to turn a blind eye to reasonable peaceful initiatives put forward by China and Brazil, as well as by African and Arab states.

▪︎The organizers have been at pains to lure attendants to the Swiss event. For this purpose the agenda has been deliberately scaled down to a small number of general topics. This is an obvious ruse, for any interest in taking part in the gathering will subsequently be presented by Kiev and its backers as display of support for the entire sham “formula”.

❗The West appears to lack the will to soberly analyze, let alone reconsider its ill-fated strategy. The lavishly funded proxy-warfare campaign against Russia has proven disastrous for Ukraine and its residents. And doubling down on it would be even fraught with more hazards.

☝️Russia continues to keep the door open for a negotiatied outcome. But, if it comes to talks, they need to be based on realities on the ground and focus on durable peace addressing Russia’s legitimate security interests.

ℹ️Find out more

🖋 Article «The humanity should get rid of the colonial system heritage. Colonial powers’ time is up» by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russian Federation, Chairman of the United Russia Party

Key points:

• There is brazen interference in the affairs of independent states, which, unfortunately, still continues in various forms. Despite humanity’s persistent efforts to eradicate neocolonialism, the Western world vehemently resists it.

• The former colonial powers persist in exploiting dependent countries, enhancing their own comfort through the humiliation and oppression of others – albeit employing more sophisticated tools and methods.

• According to experts (American experts, for all their bias), between 1946 and 2000, the United States interfered in elections in other countries more than 80 times. Since 1945, there have been more than 50 attempted coups and military interventions. Of the 174 cases of restrictive measures applied in the 20th century, the United States was responsible for 109. <…> In fact, America has become a global sanctions neo-metropolis.

• In order to preserve its geopolitical presence in various parts of the world, the West relies on the so-called debt neo-colonialism . <…> The neo-colonial powers are using financial institutions under their control and extensively exploiting the difficult socioeconomic situation in many countries of the Global South to induce them to borrow at interest rates that are higher than those offered to the so-called golden billion countries.

• Neo-metropolitan powers have also been targeting certain countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa with their disruptive efforts in order to control their natural wealth, including critical minerals. They focus on gaining unrestricted access to lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt and rear earth deposits they need for transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

❗️ The fight against neocolonialism is not an eternal confrontation for the sake of confrontation itself. It is primarily a progressive movement of states towards civilisational sovereignty, which is crucial in avoiding degradation and devastation in the 21st century. <…> Only fully sovereign countries that have independence in domestic and foreign affairs will be able to effectively counteract the deliberate efforts of the former metropolises to impose unequal economic and political deals on them.

• Investigation of colonial crimes that do not have a statute of limitations should be placed at the forefront of this activity. It is necessary to consider the creation of a single public database (register) of crimes of the colonial period, as well as modern neocolonial practices, at the UN, and work out a scale to evaluate the damage caused by war crimes committed on their territory.

• Neo-metropoles should be hit where it hurts the most, in their wallets, which they are filling largely by exploiting the rest of the world. We believe that the payment of compensations to the victims of neocolonial practices should be based on clear, legally considered and substantiated evidence. Political and diplomatic assessments must be complemented with a legal evaluation of their actions.

• We wish the best of luck to our African and Latin American colleagues. Their success, including in establishing an anticolonial tribunal (akin to the Nuremberg Trials), will be a major step towards depriving the Global North of its domination and towards building a fair multipolar world order.

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🎙 On June 14, President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the senior officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: Mr President! <...> Let me welcome you to this meeting on behalf of the entire staff. <...> I am confident that today’s meeting will enable us to specify all the areas of our practical work on the international stage.

💬 President Vladimir Putin: <...> I think it is important to assess the current situation in global and regional affairs, as well as set the appropriate tasks for the Foreign Ministry. Learn more

***

⚡️ Today, we are presenting another concrete and genuine peace proposal.

If Kiev and Western capitals reject it again, as they have done before, then ultimately, it becomes their responsibility, both political and moral, for the ongoing bloodshed. <...>

❗️I repeat our firm stance: Ukraine should adopt a neutral, non-aligned status, be nuclear-free, and undergo demilitarisation and denazification <...>.

Certainly, the rights, freedoms, and interests of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine must be fully protected. The new territorial realities, including the status of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions as parts of the Russian Federation, should be acknowledged.

These foundational principles need to be formalised through fundamental international agreements in the future. Naturally, this entails the removal of all Western sanctions against Russia as well.

***

💬 In May 2014, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine ruled that, quote – “The president is elected for a term of five years, no matter whether the election is regular or early.” Furthermore, the Constitutional Court noted that “the president’s constitutional status implies no norms setting any other office term than that of five years” – end of quote, period.

What does this mean in relation to today’s situation? The presidential term of the previously elected head of Ukraine has expired along with his legitimacy, which cannot be reinstated by any tricks.

Read in full: 1, 2, 3

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials (Moscow, June 14, 2024)

Key points

• Europe lost its independence. In this sense, the idea of achieving security within the Euro-Atlantic context is no longer relevant for us. Just as President Vladimir Putin has said, our goal is to ensure Eurasian security. This makes sense. After all, we share the same continent and there are no oceans or English channels, or what have you, separating us.

• In order to achieve these objectives, we must start by specifying what the Greater Eurasian Partnership concept and Eurasian security in all its dimensions stand for, including in military and political terms, economic and humanitarian affairs.

• As for Ukraine, I have nothing to add on this topic. President of Russia Vladimir Putin listed the gestures of good will (to an extent they can be viewed as partial concessions) we undertook after the Maidan uprisings and the February 2014 government coup. Russia took so many steps in its constructive approach and demonstrated its commitment to preserving the Ukrainian state and remaining on friendly terms with it, only to be rejected in a consistent, firm and categorical manner.

• President Vladimir Putin covered the legitimacy issue in all its aspects. This was not the first time he mentioned this topic. Everything is abundantly clear in this regard. In his previous statements on this topic, the President said that Ukraine’s political and legal framework must define the final decisions. Any legal experts will come to the same conclusion after reading the Ukrainian constitution. If everyone once again turnes a blind eye to this signal, this would be yet another disappointing experience for us regarding our Western partners.

• As for expectations, as far as I am concerned, for a long time already I do not expect anything from any place, especially from the leading European countries. I am sorry for them – that is what I can say, because they, as President of Russia Vladimir Putin confirmed today in his speech, are not independent.

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🎙️Комментарий Посольства в связи с нелегитимными антироссийскими санкциями Британии

▪︎Приуроченный к саммиту «семерки» в Италии очередной пакет нелегитимных ограничительных мер Лондона ярко демонстрирует оппортунизм, присущий антироссийскому курсу англосаксов. Используя успешный ход СВО лишь как повод, они нацеливаются на отечественных операторов в финансовом и энергетическом секторах.

▪︎Ценой искажения нормальных международных торгово-экономических отношений англосаксы пытаются дискриминационными мерами создать для себя временные конкурентные преимущества. К либерализму и рыночной экономике, в защиту которых вроде бы выступает коллективный Запад, это уже давно перестало иметь какое-либо отношение. Речь лишь о судорожных потугах Лондона и Вашингтона не дать окончательно опередить себя России и другим, более успешным и динамично развивающимся субъектам мировой экономики.

▪︎По иронии, конечным бенефициаром этой политики, даже если бы у нее были шансы на результат, стали бы не Великобритания, а США с их более развитой финансовой инфраструктурой и экспортным потенциалом в сфере СПГ. Сами же британцы, старательно обслуживая старших заокеанских партнеров, со времен «брекзита» так и не получили от них взамен ничего существенного, включая заветное соглашение о свободной торговле.

❗Методично ограничивая развитие страны собственными же санкционными мерами, в Лондоне, видимо, окончательно смирились со сверхнизкими - в пределах статистической погрешности - темпами роста легшей в дрейф британской экономики. Значительный подъем цен на энергию для потребителей, всплеск инфляции, усиление безработицы - все это во многом результат тщетных внешнеполитических авантюр досиживающего последние недели у власти правительства консерваторов.

☝️Не пора ли, наконец, Лондону, зафиксировав убытки от бесплодного курса на конфронтацию с Россией, начать выбираться из этой тупиковой санкционной колеи?

🎙️Embassy comment on London’s illegitimate anti-Russian sanctions

▪︎The most recent set of London’s illegitimate restrictive measures – this time to mark the G7 summit in Italy – is further proof of the inherently opportunistic nature of the Anglo-American course against Russia.

▪︎Using the progress of the Special Military Operation simply as a pretext, the UK and the USA are purposefully targeting the Russian financial and energy sectors. The discriminatory measures seek to ensure temporary competitive advantages for these countries at the price of distorting healthy international trade and economic relations.

▪︎The collective West supposedly stands for liberalism and market economy, yet its actions show that it has abandoned these concepts long ago. Instead, London and Washington seem to be frantically attempting to avoid being totally overtaken by Russia and other more productive and rapidly developing economic powers.

▪︎Ironically, the UK would hardly have benefited from this policy even if it had any chance of success. Instead, the USA with their more advanced financial infrastructure and LNG export capacity would have been the ultimate beneficiary. The British, while doing their utmost to cater for their senior partners across the pond, have since Brexit not received anything substantial in exchange, not even the coveted free trade agreement.

❗Apparently intent on impairing the UK’s development with sanctions of its making, London seems to have accepted the ultra-low (within the statistical margin of error) growth rates of the British economy that has run out of steam. The significant increase in energy prices for consumers, the surge in inflation and unemployment are all largely the result of the futile foreign policy gambles of the Conservative government now in its final weeks.

☝️Isn’t it time for London to cut the losses of its fruitless confrontation with Russia and begin extricating itself from the sanctions cul-de-sac?

🎙Exceprts from President of Russia Vladimir Putin's remarks at the meeting with the senior officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry (June 14, 2024)

💬 President Putin: This is the task <...>: to outline a vision for equal and indivisible security, mutually beneficial and equitable cooperation, and development on the Eurasian continent in the foreseeable future.

What needs to be done to achieve this and on what principles?

👉 First, it is important to establish dialogue with all potential participants in this future security system. <...>

👉 Second, it is crucial to recognise that the future security architecture should be open to all Eurasian countries that wish to participate in its creation.

The threat to Europe does not come from Russia.

The main threat to Europeans is their critical and ever-increasing dependence on the United States <...>.

If Europe wants to continue being an independent centre of global development and a cultural and civilisational pole on our planet, it should definitely maintain good and friendly relations with Russia. Most importantly, we are ready for this. <...>

👉 Third, it is necessary to significantly intensify the dialogue process between multilateral organisations already operating in Eurasia to promote the idea of a Eurasian security system <...>.

👉 Fourth, we believe that the time has come to start a broad discussion of a new system of bilateral and multilateral guarantees of collective security in Eurasia. At the same time, it is necessary, in the long term, to gradually phase out the military presence of external powers in the Eurasian region. <...>

👉 Fifth, an crucial part of the Eurasian security and development system should definitely be the issues of the economy, social well-being, integration, and mutually beneficial cooperation <...>.

Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I instruct you to assist as much as possible in developing international agreements in all these areas.

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