💬 Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova: For the past two days, Russian Telegram channels and foreign media have been commenting on US allegations about the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former American officials in April 2023.

Despite our refutation, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the US National Security Council John Kirby (read: the White House) said in an interview with CBS, that former top US national security officials held unofficial discussions with Moscow.

Once again:

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV DID NOT HOLD ANY UNOFFICIAL (or official) DISCUSSIONS WITH US “OFFICIALS” IN APRIL.

❗️ It is fake news, a lie and manipulation.

We have concluded from these media reports (and Kirby’s interview) that the American side has misrepresented an ordinary discussion with political analysts and public figures, which the head of the Russian delegation regularly holds on the sidelines of his international visits and UN events, as such a meeting.

We presume that they referred to the April 24 meeting with members of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) currently headed by Richard Haass. Neither Mr Haass nor Charles Kupchan or Thomas Graham mentioned by the US media hold government positions in the United States.

It is the same as presenting Sergey Lavrov’s meetings with members of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (CFDP, SVOP), American Jewish organisations and the Foreign Ministry’s Business Council or chief editors of media outlets as “secret talks.”

Such meetings are held to discuss current international relations and the global agenda.

NO PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE WAS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING IN QUESTION.

And now the tough part.

It is usually American experts and political analysts who ask us not to announce or make public the fact of such discussions. They are concerned, with good reason, about the highly toxic atmosphere in the American media and the possible reaction of the obscurantist US authorities. They also openly fear that they will be persecuted.

The current fake news about “secret talks” with Russian officials and “negotiations to end the war” is nothing other than the Biden administration’s wishful thinking ahead of the presidential race.

And once again (to re-iterate):

☝️ Reports about secret talks about Ukraine held by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian delegation to the UNSC meeting in New York, with American officials are not true.

It is fake news.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions during a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman Badr Albusaidi and GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi (Moscow, July 10, 2023)

💬 We noted a significant increase in bilateral trade and economic numbers over the 12 years the #RussiaGCC format has been in existence. The total trade exceeded $11 billion in 2022, up from $3.7 billion in 2011. Both sides emphasised their interest in expanding and diversifying economic ties.

We discussed the international agenda at length and emphasised the lack of alternative to respecting the key principles of country-to-country communication and law that are enshrined in the UN Charter. We see this as an essential basis for resolving crises throughout the Middle East, North Africa, or any other regions of the world.

We agreed that in order to maintain lasting and sustainable stability in the Gulf region, it is important to overcome differences through the efforts of the countries of the region themselves with the involvement of constructively minded external partners.

On the whole, we see strategic dialogue as a good option for providing an additional impetus to business-like cooperation between Russia and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as strengthening bilateral political coordination and our multilateral relations for the sake of establishing stability and neighbourliness in this region.

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Секрет с фирмой: Мария Захарова — о тихой коррупции в Еврокомиссии

Судя по всему, все попытки Европарламента пролить свет на коррупцию в Брюсселе и махинации Урсулы фон дер Ляйен с вакцинами провалились, считает Мария Захарова.

По ее словам, вопроса было два: Как так вышло, что абсолютно новая американская вакцина Pfizer против коронавируса была зарегистрирована и одобрена внутри ЕС в рекордно коротки сроки и о чем втайне ото всех договаривались глава Еврокомиссии Урсула фон дер Ляйен и глава Pfizer Альберт Бурла?

Сегодня эти две мутные реки сливаются в одно огромное и темное коррупционное море под названием Европейская Комиссия, замечает представитель МИД.

Читайте полную колонку Марии Захаровой на сайте "Известия".

Подписаться на IZ.RU

⚡️ The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation:

💬 In connection with the incident on the Crimean Bridge, a criminal case of a terrorist attack has been opened

Upon the fact of damage to the Crimean Bridge, the Main Investigative Directorate the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorist act).

According to the investigation, on the night of July 16-17, as a result of a terrorist act committed by the special services of Ukraine, one of the sections of the Crimean Bridge was damaged. Two civilians were killed (a man and a woman travelling in a car on the bridge), their minor daughter was injured.

As part of the criminal case, the necessary examinations have been appointed. The investigation is identifying persons from among the Ukrainian special services and armed formations involved in the organization and execution of this crime.

🎙 Выступление С.В.Лаврова на церемонии открытия Генерального консульства Российской Федерации в Пхукете (15 июля 2023 года)

💬 Сегодняшнее событие добавляет яркую страницу к истории дипломатических отношений между нашими странами, которая насчитывает 126 лет.

Отрадно, что к настоящему моменту совместными усилиями удалось создать прочный фундамент российско-таиландских связей, позволяющий выстраивать наше сотрудничество надёжно, во взаимоуважительном ключе, без оглядки на колебания геополитической конъюнктуры.

✈️ После возобновления прямого авиасообщения наметилась отчётливая тенденция к росту туристического потока из России в Таиланд. С октября 2022 года страну посетили более миллиона российских граждан, причём половина из них провели свои каникулы именно в Пхукете.

Пхукет – знаменитый курорт, но российским дипломатам здесь предстоит напряжённая работа. У них будут непосредственные консульские функции, связанные с обеспечением интересов находящихся в Пхукете российских граждан, а также будут задачи по налаживанию контактов по линии деловых кругов, продвижению сотрудничества между Таиландом и российскими регионами. Одна из ближайших задач – установление побратимских связей Пхукета с Камчатским краем.

Сегодняшняя церемония открытия постоянного офиса Генконсульства России в Пхукете – важный, но не последний шаг в расширении российского дипломатического присутствия в Юго-Восточной Азии. Есть планы по открытию дополнительных дипломатических представительств в других дружественных нам государствах региона.

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🇷🇺🤝🇹🇭
#РоссияТаиланд

⚡️ On the UN chief’s comments on the Istanbul agreements

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💬 On the day when the Black Sea Grain Initiative on the export of Ukrainian grain expired, the UN Secretary-General issued a large press release. Apart from twisting the facts about the implementation of the Istanbul agreements again, Antonio Guterres acted in violation of all the laws of diplomatic correspondence by making public his personal letter to President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

In this connection, we deem it necessary to make the facts of the matter available to the public.

The UN Secretary-General obviously prefers to focus on the Ukrainian part of the two agreements signed in Istanbul a year ago, the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Russia-UN Memorandum of Understanding on facilitating Russia’s agricultural exports. According to him, the world has been saved from hunger thanks to the shipping of 32 million tonnes of grain from Ukrainian ports (where corn fodder constituted over 70 percent and was delivered to “well-fed” countries).

❗️ The UN Secretariat obviously does not care for the export of Russian grain, most of it wheat, delivered to countries in Asia (60 percent) and Africa (30 percent), or fertilisers.

<...> The explosion of the pipeline, which delivered around 2 million tonnes of raw materials annually for the production of fertilisers enough to feed 45 million people, has shown clearly the “efficiency” of the UN Secretariat’s efforts to reduce the threat of hunger and the Kiev regime’s attitude to its efforts.

<...> In conclusion, we would like to point out that the UN Secretary-General and his staff have remained blind to Kiev’s terrorist attacks and subversive activities.

The latest terrorist attack, during which two people died and an underage girl was injured, targeted the Crimean Bridge on July 17.

☝️ However, the UN Secretariat did not even deem it necessary to express condolences.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a meeting with Russian non-profit organisation leaders

📍 Moscow, July 19, 2023

👉 Read in full

Key talking points:

• We are aware that it’s about the struggle between the worlds and attempts by the Western world, which Washington has brought to its heel and turned into an “obedient team” that is unable to have alternative viewpoints, to force the rest of the world into agreeing that the hegemony of the West, which has lasted for a long 500 years, should be perpetuated.

• In fact, the West does not let sovereign states decide who to build relations with.

• At the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, they announced once again who can have relations with whom. Along with reiterating what was said at last year's NATO summit in Madrid about NATO’s global responsibility, including in the Asia-Pacific region, what went on record this time in Vilnius was that the deepening Russia-China partnership and their complementary attempts to undermine the “rules-based order” contradicts the alliance’s values and interests.

• We cannot and will never give up the stated goals of the special military operation.

• We are seeing a growing self-awareness, a feeling of one’s own identity and a striving to uphold it in the countries of Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It is impossible to stop the formation of a multipolar world. This must be admitted. I understand that the West finds it difficult to do this.

• We are developing associations of a new type. They differ from the European Union that is trying to adopt the unanimity rule and force dissenters to obey it.

• Naturally, there is a demand for efforts to disseminate objective information about the situation in our country and to promote the Russian language, culture and domestic education abroad. Complicated processes are taking place now, in part, in the CIS space.

«Мы вас любим! - Это взаимно». Путин взволновал Кронштадт. Вся буря эмоций - в материале РИА Новости.

📰 Статья В.В.Путина «Россия и Африка: объединяя усилия
для мира, прогресса и успешного будущего» (24 июля 2023 года)

Читать полностью

Основные тезисы:

💬 Партнёрские связи нашей страны с Африкой имеют прочные, глубокие корни и во все времена отличались стабильностью, доверием и доброжелательностью.

• Мы последовательно поддерживали африканские народы в их борьбе за освобождение от колониального гнёта, оказывали содействие в становлении государственности, в укреплении суверенитета и обороноспособности.

• Мы искренне дорожим честно накопленным капиталом дружбы и сотрудничества, традициями доверия и взаимной поддержки, сложившимися у России со странами Африки. Нас сближает общее стремление к формированию системы отношений, основанной на приоритете международного права, учёте национальных интересов, неделимости безопасности, признании центральной координирующей роли Организации Объединённых Наций.

• Россия с удовлетворением воспринимает повышающийся международный авторитет как отдельных государств, так и Африки в целом.

📈 Товарооборот России со странами Африки в 2022 году увеличился и достиг почти 18 миллиардов долларов США. Однако все мы хорошо понимаем, что потенциал нашего торгово-экономического партнёрства гораздо выше.

🇷🇺🌍 Россия будет и дальше энергично работать над организацией поставок в Африку зерна, продовольствия, удобрений и не только: мы высоко ценим и продолжим динамично развивать всю палитру экономических связей с Африкой.

• В наших общих интересах вывести на новый, более высокий уровень сотрудничество в гуманитарной сфере, в области культуры, спорта, средств массовой информации.

🤝 Придаём большое значение предстоящему второму Саммиту #РоссияАфрика. По его итогам планируется принять комплексную декларацию, ряд совместных заявлений, утвердить план действий Форума партнёрства Россия–Африка на период до 2026 года.

📰 Article by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin «Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future» (July 24, 2023)

Read in full (PDF)

Key points:

• The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots being distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill at all times.

• We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance in the formation of statehood, strengthening of sovereignty and defence capabilities.

• We highly value the honestly gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share.

🌍 Russia welcomes the rising international authority of individual states as well as Africa as a whole. Their desire to make their voices strongly heard and to take the continent's problems into their own hands. We have always supported the constructive initiatives of our partners. We stand for granting African countries their rightful place in the structures that determine the fate of the world, including the UN Security Council and the G20, as well as reforming the global financial and trade institutions in a way that meets their interests.

• Africa feels the burden of global challenges like no other part of the world. In such a challenging environment, we look forward to working with our African partners to shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation.

• We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African States. <...> Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilizers, and other goods to Africa.

🤝 We attach great importance to the upcoming Second #RussiaAfrica Summit. <...> I am looking forward to welcoming the African leaders in St. Petersburg and stand committed to a fruitful constructive dialogue.

Russia–Africa Summit to expand international cooperation in sport

📌 On 27 July, top Russian and African sport officials will take part in the Sport: A Bridge of Friendship between Russia and Africa session.

📌 A new flagship sport project World Friendship Games will be presented at the pavilion of the Ministry of Sport’s 100th anniversary. Russia will host the Games in September 2024.

📌 The Russian Olympic Committee will sign agreements on cooperation with colleagues from the national Olympic committees of Mali, Namibia, and Eswatini.

📌 On 27 July at 6.30 a.m., three-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Svetlana Kolesnichenko will hold a warm-up for participants of the We Are Starting Race.

📌 Famous football players, diplomats, students, and the forum's participants from Russia and Africa will play several football matches.

@RoscongressDirect

#RussiaAfrica2023