#UNCharterIsOurRules

🇷🇺🇨🇭 On July 16, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Head of the Federal Department (Minister) of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis on the sidelines of the UN Security Council open debates on multilateral cooperation in the interests of creating a more just, democratic and sustainable world order in New York.

A number of practical issues were discussed considering Switzerland’s being a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2023−2024.

❗️ Sergey Lavrov presented his principled assessments of the developments in Ukraine starting from the coup d’etat in 2014 and stressed that the collective West’s attempts to present various kinds of ultimatums to Russia were doomed to fail.

The Russian Side has noted the Confederation’s progressive deviation from the principles of neutrality in the context of its joining the anti-Russia actions of Western capitals that have bet on recklessly supporting the Kiev regime.

☝️ It was emphasised that these actions of official Bern cannot but be recorded and taken into account when building the Russian policy towards Switzerland.

#RussiaSwitzerland

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to questions from Channel One television channel (New York City, July 16, 2024)

❓ Question: I understand that this was a difficult day. Multiple talks have been held. What did you discuss? Did you manage to agree on some issues and to reach understanding, including with the Swiss representative?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Talks with each minister focused on bilateral affairs.

While reviewing international issues with Ignazio Cassis, Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, we focused on the Ukraine peace settlement. He explained that the Burgenstock conference was not directed against Russia, but, rather, aimed to pave the way for real talks heeding the interests of all parties.

We politely explained to him that the Burgenstock conference became an intermediate culmination of a process in support of the “Zelensky formula.” I believe that he understood our arguments.

❓ Question: While meeting with Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait Abdullah Ali al-Yahya, you noted that it was interesting to hear the position of Western colleagues following your remarks at the UN Security Council. What did you mean?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: They showed once again that they do not respect the main principle of the UN Charter stating expressly that the UN is based on the sovereign equality of states. Their efforts solely aim to subjugate everything, including the UN, to their selfish interests.

🇷🇺🇮🇷 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during the meeting with Acting Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani (New York, July 16, 2024)

💬 The inauguration [of newly-elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian] will take place on July 30. The Russian Federation will be represented by the State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. I hope we can continue without interruption after this.

Please do not forget about my invitation to you to come to Russia. Choose a city: Moscow, Astrakhan?

Question: Which has cooler weather?

Sergey Lavrov: Which city has cooler weather? Murmansk.

#RussiaIran

🇷🇺🇱🇧 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon Abdallah Bou Habib held talks

📍 New York, July 17, 2024

#RussiaLebanon

🎙 Statement by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the UN Security Council meeting on multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order (New York, July 16, 2024)

💬 The actions of the US and its allies are hindering international cooperation and the creation of a more just world. They have taken countries and regions hostage, prevent nations from realising their sovereign rights declared in the UN Charter

<...>

I am confident that this situation can be changed if there is good will, of course. To stop the implementation of a negative scenario, we would like to propose to discuss a number of steps towards restoring trust and stabilising the international situation.

1. The root causes of the ongoing crisis in Europe should be eliminated once and for all. The conditions for restoring stable peace in Ukraine have been put forth by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

A political and diplomatic settlement should be complemented with practical steps, to be taken in the West and the Euro-Atlantic community, to remove threats to the Russian Federation. The coordination of mutual guarantees and agreements should be based on the recognition of the new geostrategic realities on the Eurasian continent, where a continental architecture of really equal and indivisible security is taking shape. Europe risks lagging behind this objective historical process. We are ready to discuss a balance of interests.

2. The restoration of the regional and global balance of forces should be accompanied with active efforts to eliminate injustices in the global economy. There must be no monopoly in monetary and financial regulation, trade and technologies, by definition. <...>

3. Major fundamental changes are necessary in other institutes of global governance if we want them to work to the benefit of all. This primarily concerns the United Nations Organisation, which remains the embodiment of multilateralism against all the odds, with unique and universal legitimacy and universally recognised broad competencies.

An important step towards the restoration of the UN’s effectiveness would be the reconfirmation by all Member States of their commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, not selectively but in their entirety and as a whole. <...>

4. Regional associations have practical significance for the development of multipolarity, including the #CIS, the #CSTO, the #EAEU, #ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council (#GCC), the Arab League, the African Union and #CELAC. <...>.

***

❗️It depends on member countries alone whether our world will be diverse and equitable. The Charter of our Organisation is our foothold.

👉 Read in full

📺 Interview by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Russian Mission to the EU Kirill Logvinov for RTVI, 17 July 2024

Key points:

🔹Today, we have essentially no relations with the EU, a bloc of states that has been waging a hybrid war against our country for years. Dialogue with Brussels will have to be built anew, I would even say from square one. This process will be long and challenging.

🔹We do not aim to return to the previous level of relations. All the more so because the world has changed and the EU is no longer the same as it used to be. We are ready to talk to the EU, but first of all they should demonstrate their ability to listen to us and take Russian interests into account.

🔹The EU takes an opportunistic, purely ideological approach to many, if not all, topical issues. In practice, this means that EU officials often cannot see beyond their own noses, are unable to think ahead, and make decisions that defy logical explanation.

🔹Pressure and blackmail have basically become Brussels' favourite tools on the international stage. This is of course relevant to trade. The latest “packages” place a very strong emphasis on combating the circumvention of sanctions. Moreover, these EU restrictions are becoming extraterritorial. Not so long ago, Brussels argued that the use of extraterritorial sanctions was illegal and illegitimate, but now it is actively using them.

🔹If they crack down on our journalists, if they block the broadcasting of major Russian media, we will of course react in the same way - we will apply the same restrictions to Western media, which is what we have done. All the actions that Russia takes are reciprocal, mirror measures, sometimes they are symmetrical, sometimes they are not. But we cannot just accept what is happening now. We are in a confrontation with the EU, in an antagonism that has been imposed on us.

🔹The "freezing" of our country's assets was an illegal measure and remains so. And all the pseudo-legal mechanisms being developed to use the assets of the Russian Central Bank are purely fraudulent schemes. According to international law, the property of a foreign state enjoys jurisdictional immunity. Therefore, the European Union has no and cannot have any legal basis for transferring confiscated Russian assets or their proceeds to Ukraine. This theft has now become a tool of Brussels' foreign policy.

🔹Russia was not invited to the so-called "peace summit", nor did anyone initially plan to invite us. First of all, this "get-together" was mainly aimed at demonstrating support for Ukraine - or rather, for Zelensky. Support for Ukraine and Zelensky means one thing - and this is officially stated in Brussels - continuing the military conflict to a victorious end, to the last Ukrainian. That is why the Swiss Bürgenstock did not envisage, from the outset, a discussion on the ways of a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

🔹The EU continues, albeit in vain, its attempts to isolate Russia on the international arena and to create the appearance of putting pressure on us. This is an attempt to form an international anti-Russian coalition. Russia therefore has no intention of taking part in any further “Bürgenstocks”.

🔹At this stage, the course for a long-term confrontation with Russia set by Brussels and fuelled by the Eurobureaucracy cannot be changed by one, two or several countries, even if they want to. And the crisis around Ukraine is one of the elements of this long-term confrontation.

🇷🇺🇸🇦📞 Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud had a telephone conversation on July 17, 2024.

The Leaders highly appraised the current level of friendly relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia based on the principles of mutual respect and a balance of each other’s interests.

Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud discussed a number of bilateral political, trade, economic and energy cooperation issues and pointed out the importance of continued close coordination within OPEC Plus for maintaining stability on the energy market.

The Leaders agreed to maintain contacts at various levels.

🇷🇺🇱🇧 On July 17, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the Lebanese Republic Abdallah Bou Habib in New York on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.

During their conversation, the Ministers exchanged opinions on the military-political situation in the Middle East and focused on tragic developments in the Gaza Strip and their impact on the situation in southern Lebanon. Sergey Lavrov emphasised the unacceptability of escalating the Palestinian-Israeli armed confrontation still further and its regional expansion.

The Russian Side reaffirmed its unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Lebanese Republic and underscored the need for reaching consensual solutions of complicated issues on the national agenda by the people of Lebanon themselves as soon as possible and without foreign interference.

The Ministers also discussed topical issues of the traditionally friendly Russian-Lebanese relations, including events to mark the 80th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Beirut.

#RussiaLebanon

🎙 Statement by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (New York, July 17, 2024)

💬 The Middle East is facing unprecedented risks for the security, well-being and peaceful life of its peoples. The waves of violence surge far beyond the area of the Arab-Israeli conflict destabilising the situation in the Persian Gulf, Red and Mediterranean Seas, and in North Africa.

We need a frank and honest conversation about how to stop the bloodshed and sufferings of the civilians without delay and move towards a long-term solution to both long-standing and relatively new conflicts.

Our country has been historically maintaining good relations with all the countries in the region. The USSR was the first state to recognise Israel de facto and de jure, having established diplomatic relations shortly after it declared independence in May 1948. Meanwhile, Moscow invariably advocated the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state and the realisation of the Palestinians’ legitimate and fundamental right to self-determination. In 1949, we supported Israel's application for UN membership, subject (I emphasise this) to the implementation of General Assembly Resolutions 181 and 194 on the Palestine Partition Plan and the right of return of Palestinian refugees. This was clearly stated when we voted in favour of Israel's admission to the United Nations. Likewise, today we support Palestine's admission to our Organisation. Its sovereignty as a state has already been recognised by nearly 150 countries that are UN members. <...>

Key talking points:

• Russia has consistently denounced all manifestations of terrorism. We implicitly condemned the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, we regard the current developments in Gaza as unacceptable collective punishment of the civilian population.

• Gaza is in ruins today. Residential buildings, schools and hospitals have been turned into rubble, and the critical civilian infrastructure facilities have been knocked out of service. There is an epidemic of infectious diseases and mass hunger there. It is a real humanitarian disaster.

• The history of the colonial and mandated territories of the Middle East and North Africa has been and remains a heavy burden for the regional countries. The Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration and the White Paper have planted the time bombs that have been exploding since then. The situation has been further complicated by new Western geopolitical experiments.

• It is the fourth time in the past 10 months that the UN Security Council is holding a ministerial meeting. It has adopted four resolutions, but the continuing bloodshed in the occupied Palestinian territories shows that all these decisions remained on paper.

• The situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is also dramatic, with military raids by the Israeli military and the settlers’ aggression, which leads to casualties on both sides. Contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, Israel has not slowed but is accelerating the construction of illegal settlements.

• Our proposal regarding a meeting of all external players who have influence on various groups in Gaza and the West Bank, and who can help overcome the split in the Palestinian ranks provided they speak with one voice, remains on the table.

• Progress on the Palestinian track in full compliance with the UN resolutions, in the normalisation of relations between the Gulf countries, could be an important contribution to the ongoing process of forming a common Eurasian architecture based on the principles of indivisible security, equal collective responsibility, mutual respect and a balance of interests.

❗️ We advocate a permanent and all-encompassing ceasefire. This will make it possible to release 120 Israeli hostages and about 9,500 Palestinians who were arbitrarily arrested since October 7, 2023. We call for providing safe and adequate humanitarian access to all affected and needy people.

Read in full

🎙 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's interview to the German media outlet Compact aka Kompakt (published in German on July 12, 2024)

⚡️ NOTE: This 80-minute interview lead to the German government outright... banning the entire publication and harassing the media's associates only 2 days after the video was published.

Among the many topics touched upon in the interview were facts about the origin of the crisis in Europe and developments in the Kiev regime-controlled Ukraine since 2014, its war on the people of Donbass that lasted for nearly 8 years as well as the topic of NATO non-enlargement promises given in the early 1990s and the terrorist attack on the Nordstream pipelines and the hard fact that should the German authorities wished it, the remaining line could go operational in a matter of a month, thus alleviating Germany's dire need for energy.

💬 Maria Zakharova on the outlet's ban in Germany: "Apparently, people in the German Interior Ministry watched the interview on Monday. And on Tuesday the newsroom was raided, and the publication was banned".

WATCH IT IN FULL AND UNABRIDGED HERE OR ON YOUTUBE

Additional platforms:
RT.com
Rumble
Odyssey

▪️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin extended his condolences to President of Vietnam To Lam on the passing of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong.

The message reads, in part:

🖊 “Nguyen Phu Trong devoted his whole life to serving his homeland. Over the years of serving in high-responsibility state and party posts, he has earned deep respect from his compatriots and significant weight in international affairs. In Russia, he will always be remembered as a true friend of our country, who made a great personal contribution to the establishment and development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Hanoi.

I had a chance to spend time with this wonderful person many times, and I will forever cherish the memory of him. I ask you to convey my words of sincere sympathy and support to the family and friends of the deceased, as well as to all the friendly people of Vietnam.”

▪️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin extended his condolences to President of Vietnam To Lam on the passing of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong.

The message reads, in part:

🖊 “Nguyen Phu Trong devoted his whole life to serving his homeland. Over the years of serving in high-responsibility state and party posts, he has earned deep respect from his compatriots and significant weight in international affairs. In Russia, he will always be remembered as a true friend of our country, who made a great personal contribution to the establishment and development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Hanoi.

I had a chance to spend time with this wonderful person many times, and I will forever cherish the memory of him. I ask you to convey my words of sincere sympathy and support to the family and friends of the deceased, as well as to all the friendly people of Vietnam.”

19-20 июля в рамках региональной поездки специальный представитель Министра иностранных дел Российской Федерации по ближневосточному урегулированию В.К.Сафронков посетил Бейрут.

В сопровождении Временного поверенного в делах России в Ливане М.Г.Романова дипломат был принят и.о. Председателя Совета министров Ливана Н.Микати, Председателем Палаты депутатов Н.Берри, Командующим Армией Дж.Ауном и Директором Главного управления общей безопасности МВД Ливана И.Байсари. Состоялись его консультации в МИД Ливана, а также встреча с главой парламентской фракции «Верность сопротивлению» М.Раадом.

В.К.Сафронков подробно обсудил с ливанскими официальными лицами развитие ситуации вокруг сектора Газа и обстановку в районе «голубой линии», вопросы внутриливанской повестки с упором на задачу избрания нового президента страны и преодоление кризиса сирийских беженцев. В контексте двустороннего сотрудничества особое внимание было уделено реализации мероприятий, приуроченных к 80-й годовщине установления дипломатических отношений между Москвой и Бейрутом.

В ходе отдельной встречи В.К.Сафронкова со Специальным координатором ООН по Ливану Ж.Хеннис-Плассхарт проведен обстоятельный обмен мнениями по складывающейся военно-политической ситуации на Ближнем Востоке с акцентом на угрозу дальнейшей эскалации на юге Ливана.

Состоялась также неформальная встреча росделегации
с аккредитованными в Бейруте послами стран БРИКС.

سافرونكوف اختتم زيارته الى بيروت: تركيز على منع التصعيد وتعزيز العلاقات الثنائية - EastNews.net

اختتم الممثل الخاص لوزير خارجية الاتحاد الروسي لتسوية الشرق الأوسط، فلاديمير كاربوفيتش سافرونكوف، زيارته الرسمية الى لبنان والتي استمرت  يومي 19 و20 تموز/يوليو، والتي جاءت في إطار جولة إقليمية قادته الى عدد من دول المنطقة.
وعقد سافرونكوف والوفد المرافق سلسلة لقاءات مع القيادات اللبنانية، وفي مقدمها رئيس مجلس النواب نبيه بري، رئيس حكومة تصريف الاعمال نجيب ميقاتي، رئيس كتلة الوفاء للمقاومة النائب محمد رعد، قائد الجيش العماد جوزاف عون، المدير العام للأمن العام بالإنابة اللواء الياس البيسري, كما اجرى محادثات في وزارة الخارجية اللبنانية، وحضر اللقاءات القائم بأعمال سفارة روسيا في لبنان ماكسيم رومانوف.
وبحث سافرونكوف بالتفصيل مع المسؤولين اللبنانيين تطورات الوضع في قطاع غزة والوضع في جنوب لبنان وعلى طول الخط الأزرق، والقضايا المطروحة على الأجندة اللبنانية الداخلية، مع التركيز على اهمية انتخاب رئيس جديد للبلاد والتغلب على الأزمة الرئاسية القائمة، كما تم البحث في أزمة النازحين السوريين. وتناول البحث العلاقات الثنائية بين الاتحاد الروسي ولبنان، مع إيلاء اهتمام خاص لاحياء الفعاليات المخصصة للذكرى الثمانين للعلاقات الدبلوماسية بين موسكو وبيروت.
وفي خلال اجتماع منفصل بين سافرونكوف والمنسقة الخاصة للأمم المتحدة في لبنان، جانين هينيس-بلاسخارت، جرى تبادل مفصل لوجهات النظر حول الوضع العسكري والسياسي الناشئ في الشرق الأوسط، مع التركيز على سبل تجنب التصعيد العسكري، في ظل التهديدات بمزيد من التصعيد في جنوب لبنان.
كما عُقد اجتماع غير رسمي للوفد الروسي  مع سفراء دول البريكس المعتمدين في بيروت.
وتندرج زيارة سافرونكوف في اطار الاهتمام الروسي المتواصل بمنطقة الشرق الاوسط وقضاياها الساخنة، كجزء اساسي من قضايا العالم الجديد الذي لا مكان فيه للقطب الاوحد، وايضا من ضمن الجهود الروسية الحثيثة لتصفير النزاعات في المنطقة، من ضمن مبادرات مستمرة للانفتاح بين الدول، لا سيما بين سوريا ودول الخليج وبين سوريا وتركيا، وفقا لمسار أستانة القائم على صيغة رابح – رابح، وليس كما كان يُعمل عليه وفق مسار جنيف القائم على الغالب والمغلوب.
كما ان هذه الجولة للموفد الروسي، تؤكد مدى الاهتمام الذي توليه القيادة الروسية لاحلال السلام في منطقة الشرق الاوسط، وتخصيص لبنان من ضمن الجولة، هو تأكيد على الاحتضان الروسي للقضايا اللبنانية المتعددة، بحيث تستمر روسيا في الدفاع عن حقوق لبنان في المحافل الدولية لا سيما في الامم المتحدة ومجلس الامن الدولي، مع لحظ اهمية تعزيز العلاقات الثنائية في مختلف المجالات بما يعود بالفائدة على البلدين لا سيما على لبنان.