All obstacles preventing the certification of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus by the World Health Organization (WHO) have been removed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said at a briefing in Geneva on Saturday.
Summarizing the results of his meeting with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus where, among others, the procedure of including Sputnik V in the list of vaccines recommended by the organization for the Emergency Use Listing for fighting the coronavirus infection was discussed, the Russian health minister said: "The position of the Russian Federation on promoting and registering the Russian Sputnik V vaccine was heard. we have completely resolved all issues to date."
'The applicant company involved in certifying the Sputnik V vaccine with the WHO has to sign a number of documents, submit some additional paperwork - this is an administrative procedure after all - and this will be reviewed," he explained. "As of today, all the barriers have been removed. So we do not see today any obstacles for further work. And this was confirmed to us by the WHO Director General," the Russian health minister concluded.
Ghebreyesus thanked the Russian health minister for the visit saying the meeting was constructive. In his Twitter he emphasized that the WHO Emergency Use Listing process for the vaccines against coronavirus was discussed, among others. He thanked Russian health minister for the "visit and constructive meeting," writing "thank you" in Russian.
To date, the WHO has recommended seven vaccines against coronavirus for the Emergency Use Listing. Additionally, 13 other applications are at the various stages of the review process, including the Russian Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines.
New AUKUS alliance between the US, the UK, and Australia as well as the four-sided dialogue on security between the US, Japan, India, and Australia (Quad) are directed at eroding the long-standing universal formats of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region existing under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Sergey Lavrov said at the 29th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy on Saturday.
The Russian top diplomat noted, "one of the most fashionable trends today is the so-called Indo-Pacific strategies that are invented by the United States," in particular, AUKUS and Quad.
"All of this follows the line of eroding the universal formats in the Asia-Pacific Region which existed for the past decades under the auspices of ASEAN," he noted.
The minister named "East Asian summits, the ASEAN security forum, meetings of ASEAN defense ministers and partners, the so-called ASEAN+, and a number of other formats based on the principle of consensus among such universal formats.
"All of them involved all key countries of this region without exception, including China, India, Japan, and the Russian Federation on the basis of equality and mutual consideration of interests," he continued.
Georgy Romanov, a descendant of the House of Romanovs, and his wife, Italian citizen Rebecca Bettarini, wed in St. Petersburg’s Saint Isaac’s Cathedral Friday.
According to the Russian Imperial House, this is the first wedding of a House representative to take place in Russia in over 100 years. Romanov and Bettarini — who converted to Orthodox Christianity and was christened Viktoria Romanovna in July 2020 — officially registered their marriage in a Moscow registry office in late September.
The ceremony was attended by several hundred guests from several countries, including Duke Michael of Wuerttemberg, Duke of Anjour Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, the last king of Bulgaria Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Joachim Louis Napoleon Murat, Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle of Lichtenstein, and others.
Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov is a son and an heir of the Russian Imperial House head Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, the only child of Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov and Duchess Leonida Georgiyevna Bagration of Mukhrani. The legitimacy of Maria Vladimirovna’s title of Grand Duchess is challenged by the other line of descendants of House Romanov, who trace their bloodline to Emperor Nicholas I’s grandson, Grand Duke Nikolay Nikolayevich.
Russia and Belarus, are smart enough to set up a union of two independent, sovereign states that will be even stronger than a single entity. this issue [of losing independence and joining Russia] is not on the agenda at all, Alexander Lukashchenko said in interview with CNN correspondent Matthew Chance on Thursday.
"It is an invention of the collective West as they say here,” the head of state said.
Aleksander Lukashenko stressed that in fact Belarus has long been an outpost of the Belarus-Russia Union State: “We have actually created a common army in the western direction. A joint armed force with the Belarusian army as its core. in the event of a conflict we will receive the support of all Russian military forces deployed in the western direction. we don’t hide it. I am not trying to scare you. I just remind you that this is what we talk about all the time.”
“Therefore, all these speculations that Belarus will be turned into an outpost are unfounded. if necessary, this outpost will be established within a month,” the head of state added.
The approach of the Ukrainian authorities to the settlement of the conflict in Donbass and the protection of human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities continues to be of serious concern to Russia, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday, at the briefing.
The most recent meeting of the Contact Group and its subgroups on the settlement of the crisis in eastern Ukraine took place online on September 28-29. the lack of specific agreements between the parties to the conflict – Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk – came as an unpleasant, but no longer surprising, outcome of these meetings. the Ukrainian negotiators have once again shown an unwillingness to fulfill their obligations under the Minsk agreements.
Kiev’s policy of sabotaging the Minsk Package of Measures is reflected in their legislative activities. earlier, we discussed the draft law On the Principles of State Policy during the Transition Period, which was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in August and which directly contradicts the Minsk agreements. this draft law was not discussed with Donetsk or Lugansk. there was no mention of the region’s special status or fundamental rights, nor amnesty for its residents. notably, the most recent report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on September 23, 2021 said that “the bill does not meet international standards, does not provide a ... focus on the protection of victims.”
Kiev’s contemptuous disregard for Donbass residents is further illustrated by the situation on the line of contact. the data provided by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission testify to new military preparations by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. the engineering work they carried out this summer is categorised as an offensive action under the Ceasefire Reinforcement Measures adopted in July 2020. recently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said that the Ukrainian military could open return fire without the approval of the country’s leadership. he reiterated that Ukrainian sniper groups had arrived at the line of contact. this contradicts the above document’s provisions. as a result, the number of shelling attacks has been up and the number of victims, including civilians, has increased as well. the UN OHCHR report explicitly states that areas outside the Kiev regime’s control account for 77 percent of the fatalities.
Ukraine residing abroad also have to deal with this. Ukrainian consular offices refuse to provide consular services to their citizens from eastern Ukraine and direct them to Russian consulates which is egregious practice for a consular office.
"Of course, Russian diplomats are trying to help them to the best of their ability and legal capacity, since Ukrainians are not strangers to us," Diplomat added.
Kiev’s hostility towards its own citizens can be seen throughout Ukraine where discrimination against the Russian-speaking and ethnic Russian population continues unabated. people are deprived of the opportunity to live in their native linguistic and cultural environment. UN experts point out that despite the presence in the Constitution of Ukraine of guarantees of free development, use and protection of the Russian and other languages of ethnic minorities, the use of the Russian language is practically outlawed in the country, and “internet bullying and calls for violence, as well as threats and intimidation are used against those who express positive opinions about the Russian language or otherwise express views regarded as pro-Russian.”
Residents of Ukraine are increasingly faced with mockery over the memory of their ancestors on the part of neo-Nazis and nationalists, and the distortion of history of the lands that are part of Ukraine today.
'We have repeatedly expressed all the above and other concerns on earlier occasions. however, Kiev ignores us and the recommendations issued by international agencies. we call on Ukraine’s Western curators, primarily the United States and the EU, to pay close attention to the years-long humiliation and destruction of its own population by the Kiev regime and to persuade the Ukrainian authorities to end the fratricidal war in Donbass and the massive human rights violations, including discrimination against ethnic minorities," Zaytsev noted.
Russia are observing with concern the growing tension in Tajik-Afghan ties amid the tough rhetoric of the two countries’ leaders. there have been reports of both sides pulling armed forces towards the common border. according to the information from the Taliban, in Afghanistan’s border province of Takhar alone there are tens of thousands of special forces fighters. Russia calls on Dushanbe and Kabul to search for mutually acceptable options to resolve the situation, Russian diplomat Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday.
Afghanistan is also facing socioeconomic challenges. A decrease in cash turnover has been noted, and the country’s banking sector is paralysed. an overwhelming majority of public sector employees, including the Taliban military personnel, do not receive their salaries. the deplorable state of the national economy has resulted in a sharp rise in prices, while industrial production has declined. "In these conditions, we have taken note of the decision by the US Treasury Department to allow state institutions, international and nongovernmental organisations to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
We view this as a positive signal, especially since the United States bears the bulk of the responsibility for the developments taking place in Afghanistan today. a positive response from the Taliban has already followed," Zaytsev added.
Moscow also note another statement made by Taliban official spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid about the intention to stop drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Russia hopes the Kabul leadership will take active efforts to counter the Afghan drug threat.
Russia noted a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which he blamed Russia for obstructing the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday, at the briefing.
Moscow consider his statement as yet another attempt to distort reality. since the beginning of this year, when the participants began consultations on coordinating the agenda and modalities of the Warsaw meeting, Russia has clearly outlined its priorities and consistently pursued them during the talks.
Russia insisted on including an item on the need to counter neo-Nazism and the glorification of Nazism on the agenda because of the aggravation of these problems in the OSCE space. in addition, we wanted the meeting in Warsaw to be organised in line with established practice. the equal and non-discriminatory access of all participants, including NGOs, is an indispensable condition for this.
The refusal of Sweden, as the current OSCE Chair, and Western partners to consider Russia’s proposals is perplexing, particularly when they ignore the increase in neo-Nazi activity and the glorification of Nazis and their accomplices. we believe that without a discussion on this important subject the meeting would block monitoring of the deteriorating human rights situation, something Mr Blinken accuses Russia of. 'We would like to emphasise that Russia has done all it can to resolve any problems with regard to holding the Warsaw meeting. In this context, we believe that attempts to cast our position as obstructive are dishonest and harmful to the spirit of partnership and cooperation in the OSCE," Zaytsev stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko has refuted statements by Poland’s leadership that the Belarusian side is facilitating the increased flow of refugees to the West in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
The Belarusian leader also sharply reacted to CNN correspondent Matthew Chance’s remark that, according to the Polish authorities, the refugees are drugged and delivered to the border by force.
"This is madness. Everything that the Polish government does is insanity. You are saying that we are feeding drugs to people? Present the facts! If there are such facts, I will bear the responsibility," the Belarusian president said. "One has to sort things out. Why don’t you want to sort out what is happening on the border? We are ready for it," he noted.
Lukashenko reiterated that the migrants are heading to Europe not only via Belarus but following other routes as well. "So many people are dying there in the hundreds. By crossing the Mediterranean Sea thousands of people get into the EU. In exactly the same way they went through Belarus. They are not coming to us - they are coming to you. Because you invited them there. Why did you invite them there?" the head of state inquired. "Why now you are not admitting people who are fleeing war in those countries you devastated? Had they been coming to Belarus and wanted to remain while we expelled them to Poland or Lithuania, you would have objected. Yet now there are no such people who want to stay in Belarus and I am throwing them out," the Belarusian leader said.
Since August, almost 10,000 migrants have attempted to illegally cross the Belarusian-Polish border. Some 1,200 illegal migrants have been detained and housed at guarded centers in Poland. The Polish authorities pin the blame on the Belarusian leadership which, according to Warsaw, allegedly transports the migrants to Belarus and then ships them to the border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in order to provoke the migration crisis in Europe.
At the end of May, Lukashenko stated that his country served as a barrier on the path of human trafficking to neighboring countries, however, considering the West’s political pressure, Minsk may think twice about continuing to block the flow.
Russia is willing to help Kazakhstan restore its population of Turanian tigers, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a plenary session of the 17th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.
"We will be glad to support [this project] both at the government and expert levels. Our specialists, who have accumulated very good experience in recent years, will definitely be interested in it," Putin noted.
During the forum, the Russian leader showed interest in the report on plans to restore the population of tigers delivered by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources Serikkali Brekeshev. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev explained that the last time Turanian tigers were seen in modern Kazakhstan was in the 1930s, then the animals disappeared. "Currently, we are developing a global project to restore the population of the tigers. We invite Russian specialists to take part in this exciting project," the Kazakh president stated.
Commenting on how the population can be repopulated, Tokayev suggested that biologists would take Russian tigers as the basis for further research. In response, Putin recalled Russia’s experience in restoring the populations of some animals such as the Caucasian leopard and the Siberian snow leopard.
"It’s certainly a challenging task. The specialists from other countries are helping us, we also have the status of UNESCO and other international organizations. And, of course, Russia’s support will be essential here," the Kazakh president concluded.
Group-IB founder Ilya Sachkov, arrested over charges of treason, worked for foreign intelligence and handed them classified information on cybersecurity, according to the investigation.
According to the source, Sachkov could have been "employed" by intelligence agencies of several countries, but they will not be named in the interest of the investigation.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) military counter-intelligence has joined the investigation.
Earlier, the media reported that searches happened in Group-IB offices. The company’s press service said it is unaware of the reasons for the investigative measures.
A court arrested Sachkov until November 27. he denies the charges of high treason inflicting reputational and national damage to Russia’s interests. He also denies that he collaborated with foreign intelligence services, source said.
The case materials are classified and no further details are available.
In 2016, Sachkov was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. he is an associate professor of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University IT Security Department, and a member of Russian State Duma and Foreign Ministry expert committee.
Saying goodbye to Recep Tayyip Erdogan after three hours of talks on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin advised he should use Russia's Sputnik for his next booster jab and boasted of high antibody levels.
Vladimir Putin delivers remarks on unique technologies for nuclear space energy, ground infrastructure, rocket launches, as well as on the creation of a Russian service orbital station at a meeting on development of the space industry, on Wednesday.
In the past few years, Russia have made considerable progress in developing unique technology for the nuclear space power industry. By expert estimates, Russia is six to seven years ahead of its rivals, ahead of the rest of the world.
"This is a very good foundation, and we must use this advantage, support breakthrough scientific research in cosmonautics and expedite the practical introduction of advanced technological solutions. We will discuss specific steps for this today," Putin said.
Russia leads in space launches. Last year, 17 carrier rockets were successfully launched and 15 carrier rockets have followed suit recently, this year.
"To maintain the lead in this area we must focus on high reliability in our domestic hardware – in both launching manned flights and delivering payloads into orbit. Finally, we must master the next generation of carrier rockets that meet all the requirements of our customers both domestically and in the international market, President noted.
Russian specialists are working on the idea of creating a Russian service orbital station.
"Under the current agreements, the ISS will complete its flight in 2024. Although this term can be extended, we must look beyond the horizon of this decade, consider new challenges in the exploration of deep space and also our national plans for developing infrastructure and exploring our own vast territories, including the Arctic zone," Putin added.
The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have finished their talks in Sochi. The talks began at approximately 13:30 Moscow time and lasted about three hours.
The two leaders discussed the agenda in the economic sector and in international relations. In particular, Putin pointed to the successful cooperation of the two countries on the situation in Syria and Libya. He also focused on the work of the center to control the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the Russian leader, this cooperation "is a strong guarantee" of stability in the region.
Also, energy was on the agenda. Putin thanked Erdogan for his stance on the construction of TurkStream, owing to which Ankara feels safe amid the difficulties on the European gas market. The Turkish leader, for his part, touched upon the issue of a joint project - the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the country, whose first power unit may be unveiled already next year.
This face-to-face meeting was the first for the two presidents in the past year-and-a-half. Their previous meeting was in March 2020, at the Kremlin, when Erdogan also paid a working visit to Russia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent talks were held either over the phone or via a video link, in bilateral or multilateral formats.
"In this video, fragments with translators have been cut out, so do not pay attention to the sudden movements of the leaders," TKS warned.
The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have finished their talks in Sochi.
The two leaders discussed the agenda in the economic sector and in international relations. In particular, Putin pointed to the successful cooperation of the two countries on the situation in Syria and Libya. He also focused on the work of the center to control the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the Russian leader, this cooperation "is a strong guarantee" of stability in the region.
Also, energy was on the agenda. Putin thanked Erdogan for his stance on the construction of TurkStream, owing to which Ankara feels safe amid the difficulties on the European gas market. The Turkish leader, for his part, touched upon the issue of a joint project - the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the country, whose first power unit may be unveiled already next year.
This face-to-face meeting was the first for the two presidents in the past year-and-a-half. Their previous meeting was in March 2020, at the Kremlin, when Erdogan also paid a working visit to Russia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent talks were held either over the phone or via a video link, in bilateral or multilateral formats.
The Kremlin called Ukraine's hysterical reaction to the deal, which was concluded by Hungary and the Russian Gazprom.
As the press secretary of the president Dmitry Peskov noted, firstly, we are talking about long-term agreements guaranteeing Hungary and its consumers reliable supplies of blue fuel. Moreover, in accordance with the norms of international trade. And, secondly, this issue concerns bilateral relations between Moscow and Budapest. So to say that the deal is allegedly directed against Kiev, Peskov noted, is at least inappropriate. The discontent of the Kiev authorities, in fact, was caused by the fact that Russian blue fuel will be supplied to Hungary bypassing Ukraine - through the Turkish Stream and gas pipelines of South-Eastern Europe, in total up to 4.5 billion cubic meters per year. Kiev considers this a blow to bilateral relations and threatens Budapest with retaliation. The Ambassador of Ukraine was summoned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry after such statements. Later, by the way, according to media reports, a similar invitation - only in Kiev - was received by the head of the Hungarian diplomatic mission. However, in Budapest they say openly: the main thing that guided the deal with Gazprom was national interests. And Ukraine's reaction is, in fact, a violation of Hungary's sovereignty.
Support for families with children remains the focus of the Russian government, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at the meeting on economic issues.
"Of course, we remain focused – as we have repeatedly said, I would like to emphasise this once again – on supporting families with children. This year, I have suggested several new measures on this score, including an allowance for expectant mothers in need, childcare sick leave payments for children of up to eight years equal to an average wage, as well as an allowance for a child aged between 8 and 17, who is brought up by a single parent, or if a low-income family is entitled to alimony by a court decision. The allocations for these payments have also been included in the new budget," Putin said.
Putin stressed that the Russian government should create an integrated support system for families with children over the next few years.
"I would like to stress it once again: we have repeatedly discussed this. Generally, the rate of what should be done is quite clear and, of course, we will have to do this starting from the moment a mother-to-be is expecting her baby right up to after her child graduates from school," Putin added.
The behavior of Russia’s macroeconomic indicators will always be in the Kremlin’s spotlight given the instability shaking up the global economy, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday when opening a meeting on economic issues.
"The situation in the global economy, as we are well aware, still remains unstable, turbulent, and we therefore agreed that the movement of macroeconomic indicators will permanently be the focus of our attention - our special attention," the head of state pledged.
Putin clarified that this was vital both during the adoption of the budget law and during its implementation, "to make timely, prompt adjustments and refinements to economic, infrastructural and social development programs, and launch extra measures to support the population if possible," the president said.
The current meeting is the final one on the topic of reviewing the federal budget draft for 2022 and the planned period of 2023-2024, Putin noted. The government "accomplished a lot" when preparing this document, the leader noted.
"We have already considered the projection of Russia’s socio-economic development for the near future. Based on this forecast, plans are made for the income and expenditure part of the budget and the key parameters of the country’s main financial document are determined," Putin added.
Russia and Vietnam have expressed the mutual intention to enhance strategic partnership, Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son on Tuesday.
"We confirmed the mutual intention to systematically strengthen comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries, based on years-long traditions of friendship, solidarity and mutual support," he said. "We hailed the regular, meaningful political dialogue at the summit and high levels, which is continuing in defiance of the coronavirus pandemic."
In discussing trading and economic ties the sides expressed the unanimity that the EAEU's free trade agreement with Vietnam considerably promoted an increase in bilateral trade turnover.
"Last year it was up 15% and in January-July this year, by another 24%. Alongside this we considered the opportunities for correcting the imbalance in mutual trade by various ways, including greater presence of Russian exporters on the Vietnamese market," Lavrov said.
He stressed that high on the list of Russia's and Vietnam's priorities was the implementation of large-scale initiatives in the field of industrial production, infrastructures and transport.
"We considered the outlook for pooling efforts in such fields as information security, creation of an electronic government and smart cities, banking, agri-industrial sphere and communications," Lavrov said.
He stressed that at the negotiations a high assessment was made of the state of affairs in the oil and gas sector.
"It was decided to create favorable conditions for the effective operation of Gazprom, Zarubezhneft and Novatek in Vietnam and PetroVietnam in Russia," Lavrov added.
The agreements ending military activities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which were reached by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan last year, helped establish stability in the conflict zone, Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"The main thing that was achieved in nearly a year since November 9, 2020, is that stability was established and has been maintained, the presence of Russia's peacekeeping forces helps prevent violent acts, which is what we see now. The minor incidents that occurred at first were promptly resolved. I would like to reiterate that the situation is stable there though there are a lot of issues," Lavrov noted.
According to him, a mine clearance operation has yet to be completed in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as an operation to return detained persons. "The main goal currently is to build a calm, peaceful and stable life, encourage the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities to reach the mutual trust that the region lacked for decades and make sure that issues related to the return of refugees and other everyday issues are resolved," the Russian top diplomat emphasized.
On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held, several districts were handed over to Baku and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the line of contact and the Lachin Corridor.
Russia has efficiently modified its long-term plans due to the coronavirus pandemic, but a contingency plan must be available to respond to similar risks in the future, instead of making decisions as the situation unfolds, Vladimir Putin said at a video conference meeting of the Security Council on Monday.
President Putin noted that new risks were emerging throughout the world, which sometimes alter the situation drastically, making a dent in previous plans, pointing to the coronavirus pandemic as an example. As a result of COVID-19, serious restrictions were imposed on public life globally such as, ''the sealing of state borders, and a forced decline in business activity,'' the leader noted. The Russian government ''implemented brand-new, wide-ranging measures to support the economy and its citizens,'' Putin specified.
''But under these conditions, this certainly requires mechanisms for making rapid changes and further adjustments to the plans and programs that have been adopted. On the whole, we have managed to introduce these quick changes, which worked efficiently. But it's necessary that we don't play these things by ear in the future, if such situations arise, but use the best achievements that we’ve accomplished to develop an algorithm of actions that would actually happen automatically,'' Putin said.
Russia have not yet defeated the enemy "And who is our enemy? The poverty of a considerable part of our population, as well as the current problems in the healthcare system, education and infrastructure development. we have many problems we need to tackle. They are our number one enemy. In the meantime, our main goal is to improve the living standards of the people in our country," Vladimir Putin said at the fist Cabinet meeting following the elections to the Duma of the eighth convocation, on Monday.
Putin asked to motivate all government teams in all sectors to quickly, professionally and effectively carry out the tasks facing the government.
On Monday, Vladimir Putin had a meeting, via videoconference, with the leaders of the United Russia party pre-election list: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova, Head Physician of City Clinical Hospital No. 40 of the Moscow Healthcare Department Denis Protsenko, Head of the Sirius Educational Centre and the Talent and Success foundation, member of the Presidential Council for Science and Education Yelena Shmeleva.
Russia want the United States to make the next step and move beyond the commitment not to use force for reshaping other countries by actually refraining from doing this altogether. they must recognise that we are all different. we have different cultural, civilisational roots, but we share the same planet and must respect each other, Sergey Lavrov side at the press conference to sum up the high-level meetings week at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, on Saturday.
President Biden said that the United States will no longer use force to change regimes abroad. “Never say never” as the saying goes. "we have seen how the Donald Trump administration pulled out of the Iranian nuclear deal that was concluded by the Barack Obama administration. now that talks on fully restoring the JCPOA to settle the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme are underway, one of the questions the Iranians are asking the Americans is whether the agreement to restore this plan can include a clause binding future administrations to respect it? the Americans say that they cannot do this, since this is how their system works. international law is one thing, but their law is a nose of wax, and can be twisted about any way they so desire," Lavrov said.
United States President Biden said that an era of “relentless diplomacy” has been ushered in. "This means that the Americans will seek to impose on other countries what they deem right for them by other means. this could include colour revolutions. they do not require any use of force, but are equally destructive. just look at Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, our neighbour," Minister added.
The West’s statements on non-recognition of the State Duma elections in Crimea is an attempt to distract attention from Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday at a press conference devoted to the outcome of his visit to New York for the 76th session of the UNGA.
"The fact that [the West] has grasped this Crimean issue, including the feverish holding of the so-called Crimea Platform in Kiev and an uproar over the vote, I think it is an attempt to divert attention from the fact that President Zelensky-led Kiev has shamefully failed its commitments under the Minsk agreements to overcome the intra-Ukrainian conflict in the east of that country," Lavrov said.
"The second reason why they are acting so is probably simply diplomatic unprofessionalism, a lack of foreign policy professionalism, since professionals are perfectly aware that the Crimea case is closed once and forever," Lavrov added.
On September 16, at a plenary session in Strasbourg the European Parliament approved a report of Lithuanian lawmaker Andrius Kubilius, which called on the EU authorities to revise relations with Russia. The report says that the EU countries should be prepared to refuse to recognize the results of the forthcoming State Duma elections, if violations of democratic procedures and international law were exposed.
At the beginning of September, we already announced that Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu arranged a short vacation in the taiga, at the end of the Russian president's visit to the Far East. Now, here's some footage from this impromptu two-day vacation. There are wonderful views of the endless taiga and photo hunting, fishing ... in general, enjoy your viewing!
The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that the UN Charter is violated and comes under attacks by the states, which are promoting the concept of "a rules-based international order," Sergey Lavrov stressed at the 76th session of the UNGA on Saturday.
Such attempts are clearly manifested in the concept of the so-called "rules-based order", which the West is persistently introducing into political circulation in opposition to international law.
"The upcoming Summit of Democracies, initiated by Washington, will mark a step towards dividing the international community into "us" and "them," Russian Foreign Minister said.
"President Biden has recently announced the end of 'an era of major military operations to remake other countries.' We expect that the US will take another step, abandoning not only the use of force but also all other methods of imposing its development models [on others]," he pointed out.
In a video meeting with the newly elected governors, Vladimir Putin stressed that they must always remember the most important thing - that they are in the public service and must serve the people who entrusted them with such a high position and who expect them to work effectively.
"You all have experience of such work and you know how complicated and intense it is. you realise that a colossal responsibility to the people is bestowed upon you. you must assert their trust daily, work for them and for their sake, as we say, roll up your sleeves, with your heart and with your soul, proving that you are in the right place and deserve such a high position, and proving the viability of election programmes and promises with concrete deeds. you should target your management teams towards unquestionable resolution of urgent social and economic problems in the regions, and of course, sustaining their effective and dynamic progress," Putin said.
The President asked the governors to personally monitor the implementation of national projects and monitor how the measures taken on the ground are being implemented to support families with children and other categories of citizens, small and medium-sized businesses, to conduct comprehensive medical examinations. and medical rehabilitation of people who have had COVID-19. "We are launching a big programme now. a special emphasis should be laid on the issues of employment, including and maybe primarily on the employment of young specialists and those in the pre-retirement group. you know that occasionally some issues arise here," Putin added.
In his address to the 76th session of the UNGA on Saturday, Sergey Lavrov offered a hashtag for social networks in support of the UN Charter - #UNCharterIsOurRules.
The hashtag will be launched in six official languages of the UN - Russian, English, French, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish. This initiative is aimed at supporting the UN Charter, which is a basic source of international law. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that the UN Charter is violated and comes under attacks by the states, which are promoting the concept of "a rules-based international order."
"Russia calls for adapting the UN Security Council to the realities of a polycentric world order, enlarging it with Asian and Latin American countries," Sergey Lavrov said.
According to Lavrov, Russia is convinced that it is time to learn lessons from the dangerous reverberations of the policy to undermine the UN-centered architecture, which was shaped after World War II and has more than once served as a reliable insurance against catastrophic scenarios.
Vladimir Putin again thanked the citizens of Russia for their active participation in the elections to the State Duma, despite all the difficulties associated with the pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis.
There was a high turnout: over half of the country’s voters took part in the elections. "I would like to once again thank Russia’s citizens for coming to the polling stations or voting from home, or – wherever it was available – voting online, but in any case, they fulfilled their civic duty and made their responsible choice, which is critical," Putin said.
The elections were held against the backdrop of the pandemic, decreasing real incomes and instability in the global markets. Russia's major economic indicators have rebounded to the pre-crisis level only recently "but, regrettably, few of our citizens can sense this positive trend right away; they cannot feel it yet, so to say," President stressed.
The updated Russian Constitution has significantly increased the role of the State Duma. In this context, the responsibility of the deputies has also significantly increased, primarily for the fulfillment of their obligations during the election campaign, Vladimir Putin said on Saturday in a video conference with leaders of the parties that have won seats in the lower house of Russia’s parliament.
"Such a totally intensive, public and open style of work must become standard throughout your tenure in parliament," Putin added.
"Elections are obviously a crucial and symbolic stage in the life of each party and the entire nation, but it is just one more stage. Intensive daily work lies ahead for the benefit of Russia and its citizens," President stressed.
The overall distribution of the 450 State Duma mandates goes as follows: United Russia got 324 seats, the Communist Party gained 57 seats, A Just Russia — For Truth gains 27 seats, LDPR took 21 seats, while the New People got 13 seats," Pamfilova said. "The Homeland, the Civic Platform, and the Party of Growth gain one seat each. Five mandates were gained by self-nominated candidates.
Vladimir Putin has urged to bring poverty to a minimum in the country and lift "a considerable amount of people" out of it.
"We all have numerous common challenges and common tasks. It is necessary to bring the poverty level in the country down to a minimum and to help a considerable amount of people out of it. It is necessary to improve the conditions of life, development and education, and simply the nutrition of children in low-income families, to raise for everyone the level and accessibility of quality modern education, healthcare and to continue transformations in the structure of the economy for cutting-edge high-tech industries," Putin said on Saturday in a video conference with leaders of the parties that have won seats in the lower house of Russia’s parliament (State Duma).
The adoption of new US sanctions against Russia would be the worst possible scenario for relations between the two countries. Moreover, it would wipe out "the spirit of Geneva," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, commenting on the House of Representatives' move to pass a defense policy bill that includes new restrictions against Moscow.
When asked whether the new sanctions would actually be introduced, Peskov noted that predicting Washington's steps was not the Kremlin's job. "Perhaps, it's not up to us to make forecasts. Clearly, US congressmen are still thirsting to impose various sanctions," he added.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a defense policy bill for the next financial year, as well as a legislative initiative that suggests the Biden administration consider the possibility of sanctioning 35 Russian nationals, including members of the government, major entrepreneurs, public figures and journalists. Another initiative bans Americans from purchasing Russia's newly issued government bonds not only on primary markets but on secondary markets as well in response to Russia's alleged interference in US elections. The Senate has yet to pass its own version of the bill, varying from the one adopted by the House. After that, a commission will meet to agree on the details of the two documents and then they will be put to a vote in both chambers. The process can take several months.
The United Russia political party gained 324 seats in the new State Duma, Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova announced Friday, adding that a total of five parties and five self-nominees passed to the lower chamber.
"In the federal electoral district [the entire territory of Russia], a total of five parties passed the five-percent threshold to enter the Duma: United Russia gained 126 deputy mandates, the Communist Party gained 48, LDPR gained 19, A Just Russia - For Truth gained 19, and the New People gained 13. Representatives of seven parties won in 225 single-mandate districts: United Russia won in 198 districts, the Communist Party won in 9, A Just Russia won in 8, and LDPR won in 2. Representatives of the Homeland, the Civic Platform and the Party of Growth gained one mandate each," Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova announced Friday, adding that five self-appointed candidates entered the Duma as well.
Therefore, the overall distribution of the 450 State Duma mandates goes as follows: United Russia got 324 seats, the Communist Party gained 57 seats, A Just Russia — For Truth gains 27 seats, LDPR took 21 seats, while the New People got 13 seats," Pamfilova said. "The Homeland, the Civic Platform, and the Party of Growth gain one seat each. five mandates were gained by self-nominated candidates.
The five self-appointed candidates are Vladislav Reznik (Adygea), Leonid Babashov (Crimea), Dmitry Pevtsov, Anatoly Vasserman and Oleg Leonov (all from Moscow).
A rather serious period of negotiations with Belarusian friends about the parameters of the further construction of the Union State has ended. There are also issues related to ensuring the security of our countries in such a rapidly changing world, Vladimir Putin outlined the topic of discussion at a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council on Friday.
Russia has consistently advocated a solution to the problem of hunger and the eradication of all forms of malnutrition and considers it unacceptable that in the context of the rapid development of science and technology, millions of people around the world continue to suffer and die from hunger and disease, Sergey Lavrov said in a video address to the UN Food Systems Summit, on Friday.
This Food Systems Summit provides a unique opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing food systems and identify the key ways to change them to build a world without hunger. as a result of these changes, society should be able to produce a sufficient amount of high-quality food without causing further damage to the environment and biological diversity, as well as ensure food safety and availability for all groups of the population.
Russia supports the international community’s efforts when it comes to humanitarian response and promotion of international development. Russia consistently participates in the provision of food aid, both through bilateral channels and through the relevant UN agencies.
Lavrov noted that even the most ambitious recommendations of the Summit might remain on paper if no decisions are taken to coordinate the follow-up activities. "Russia believe that governments need to play the leading role in this process, supported by the international organisations in Rome – the FAO, WFP and IFAD – as well as in cooperation with other UN agencies. intergovernmental organisations have the appropriate mandate, the necessary expertise and tools to develop internationally consensual solutions, and the potential to provide the necessary assistance to countries in need," Minister concluded.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belize Eamon Courtenay sign an intergovernmental agreement on the conditions for waiving visa formalities for mutual trips of citizens, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, on Thursday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, on Thursday.
Lavrov congratulated his Japanese neighbors on the well-organized and successful hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "Our athletes, coaches, doctors and officials told me that our delegation felt at home there," Minister said.
He also conveyed best wishes and success to his former colleagues Fumio Kishida and Taro Kono, who are now running for the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
Sergey Lavrov and Josep Borrell focused on Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
They also touched upon the state of and prospects for Russia-EU relations.
Sergey Lavrov discussed with Bolivian President Luis Arce the strengthening of bilateral cooperation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
The sides "confirmed a policy towards a comprehensive strengthening of multi-faceted Russian-Bolivian ties. Special focus was placed on the key aspects of the development of bilateral political dialogue and cooperation in international affairs," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a report. The top Russian diplomat and the Bolivian president "emphasized the commitment of Russia and Bolivia to the central role of the United Nations, principles of international law, sovereignty of the states and non-interference in their domestic affairs," the ministry said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, they also looked into cooperation on the trade-economic front, including prospects for the implementation of major investment projects and the possibility of giving a boost to cultural-humanitarian exchanges. The sides also demonstrated "the mutual intention to expand joint efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic," it added.
The drills were part of the Black Sea Fleet’s combat training measures amid the naval maneuvers of its Crimean and Novorossiysk naval bases running in the Black Sea.
As a specific feature of the drills, the coastal defense troops employed unmanned aerial vehicles to track the hypothetical enemy’s naval taskforce with deck-based aircraft at distant approaches of their destruction range, the press office specified.
The Bastion coastal defense system with the standardized Yakhont (Oniks) supersonic homing anti-ship cruise missile is designated to strike various types of surface ships operating as part of amphibious assault formations, convoys, surface action and carrier strike groups, and also sole ships and radar-contrast land targets under intensive fire and electronic counter-measures.
The bastion covers the entire area of the Black Sea.
