Russian Mission to ASEAN

📺 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sgreetings and video message on Diplomats’ Day (February 10, 2026) 💬 Friends, Today marks Diplomats’ Day, our professional holiday. I would like to use this occasion to wish a happy holiday to all Russian diplomats who are working at the Central Office and territorial offices, and diplomats fulfilling their duty abroad. The history of Russian diplomacy spans many centuries and follows every stage of Russia becoming stronger as a state. Times change, but our spiritual and moral values — sincere, dedicated, and selfless devotion to the Fatherland, and firm commitment to the ideals of truth and justice — remain unshakeable. We are rightfully proud of the achievements of our outstanding predecessors. We honour the courage of the staff of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs who, during the tumultuous years of the Great Patriotic War, took arms to defend the Motherland. Their immortal feat stands as a benchmark for Foreign Ministry personnel and staff of subordinate institutions participating in the special military operation. Other ministerial staff members are also involved and are helping the front line soldiers and their families, and supporting those affected by crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis. Today, as we are witnessing another turning point in history, Russian diplomacy continues to do everything within its power to ensure safe and favourable external conditions for Russia’s steady domestic development and for improving the quality of life of its people. In many ways, our consistent and balanced foreign policy course sets the trajectory of global transformations, thus facilitating the emergence of a new multipolar world order. We seek to further develop honest and equitable international cooperation based on mutual understanding, trust, and neighbourliness. Following President Putin’s initiative, we are working to establish, across the Eurasian region, architecture of equal and indivisible security and extensive practical cooperation. In this context, we attach particular importance to the conclusion and implementation of bilateral agreements, including our treaties on security guarantees with Belarus and on comprehensive strategic partnership with the DPRK and Iran. We continue to expand relations across multiple areas with the World Majority, among them countries such as China, India, and other like-minded countries, our strategic partners and allies, primarily within the #CSTO, the #EAEU, and the #CIS, as well as the #SCO and #BRICS. Countering neo-colonial practices of all kinds ranging from unilateral coercive measures to military interventions remains firmly in our focus. In this context, we reaffirm our solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba. We are convinced that only they can determine their own future. ☝️ The country’s leadership and Russian society hold our work to high standards. We are required to demonstrate discipline and dedication, as well as a passionate and creative approach to our duties. I trust that you will continue to work honourably for the good of the Fatherland and to contribute your share to addressing large-scale foreign policy goals set by the President. On this day, we express special gratitude to former ministerial employees, who taught us the fundamentals of diplomacy by their example. Many of them, to the extent of their abilities, remain active in the close-knit diplomatic ranks. By all means, I would like to separately thank all the relatives and loved ones of our employees. Your unconditional support gives us strength and keeps us focused. It is especially important for those who carry out their diplomatic service far from the Motherland. Once again, happy Diplomats’ Day to all. I wish you excellent health, well-being, and new accomplishments for the benefit of the Fatherland. #DiplomatsDay

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the meeting with delegation of the Permanent Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (Perm, May 29, 2025) 💬 Sergey Lavrov: Dear colleagues, dear friends, This is the year when the International Conference of Asian Political Parties commemorates its 25th anniversary. And because of their reputation and their authority, they are a platform for exchanging views and experience in the context of party-to-party cooperation. Cooperation at this level is one of our priorities. It's a very useful addition to the so-called classical diplomacy and that contributes a lot to promoting mutual trust, mutual understanding between peoples. The creation of the conference is a signal, a very clear signal to the entire world. And very timely response to reconsider the place of the Asian countries in international and global developments. We assess very positively the increase of the political work of your conference. And we see with pleasure the sustainable process of expanding your influence in the continental architecture, in the architecture of regional organizations, some of which are experiencing erosion of their influence, if not degradation, since they abandoned practically all of the key principles of the UN Charter. I have in mind such organizations on our Eurasian continent as the European Union, which became more Euro-Atlantic than Eurasian following NATO. <...> In the last 10-15 years, all these principles including equal and indivisible security, including the statement that no one, be it the country or organization, should prepare to dominate in Europe, all this was abandoned, violated. 🌐 We need Eurasia of course. And by the way, Eurasia is the biggest, the richest continent. The continent which, unlike Africa and Latin America, is home of several world civilizations with thousands and thousands of years of history. <...> #Eurasia is the only continent which doesn't have any universal continental structure, like African Union in Africa, like CELAC in Latin America. We have quite a lot, many integrational movements, organizations which address security issues, like Shanghai Cooperation Organization, #ASEAN, Collective Security Treaty Organization (#CSTO), Commonwealth of Independent States (#CIS) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (#GCC), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (#SAARC) and there is no umbrella. We are very much in favor of promoting party-to-party dialogue. Our ruling party, United Russia, in cooperation with other parliamentary parties and their fractions is promoting very actively this kind of cooperation. And I will highlight the initiative of United Russia of last year, when they convened a meeting of various parties to consider methods of fighting the new forms of colonialism and neo-colonialism. <...> A movement created on the basis of the conference, which is called "Freedom of Nations". ☝️ The inadmissibility of neo-colonial forms of exploitation is one of the agenda items of the Group of Friends of the UN Charter. Last year, we initiated, through this group, the resolution of the UN Committee on Decolonization. The draft resolution supported by this committee was accepted by the UN General Assembly. <..> A clear majority supported it. The idea is to announce the 14th of December, the day of the adoption of The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of 1960, as a date of fighting the new forms of neo-colonialism. Сolonial exploitation was very blunt. Slaves, you know, digging the resources and leaving the countries in very poor condition. If you take the economic system in the world, countries, especially in Africa, mostly produce, they provide natural resources to the western countries We would like to promote the movement to resolve this injustice. Without fighting any country, we never want to isolate any country from cooperation, but cooperation must be based on equal footing, just principles. 🤝 We express our readiness to cooperate with your conference.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues(Moscow, May 28, 2025) Key talking points: 💬 Global South and East countries are becoming increasingly vocal when discussing and addressing the most urgent and key challenges the world is facing today. This reflects a tectonic shift in international politics, which took place over the past years and continues to this day. It primarily consists of an accelerated emergence of a multipolar world order, as well as new centres of development across the Eurasian continent, Africa and Latin America taking on a bigger role in the global distribution of power. • #BRICS exemplifies constructive multilateral cooperation among major international actors and their partners representing various continents, cultures and religions. It has firmly established itself as one of the pillars of a multipolar world order and a champion of the Global Majority on the international stage. • Upholding international law and seeking guidance from the principles of equality and neighbourly relations, as well as mutual respect and taking into account each other’s interests guarantees peace and stability. • The conflict in Ukraine (and more fundamentally, the profound security crisis across Europe) was triggered precisely by NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion over decades that was in direct contravention of the solemn assurances by American and European leaders to both Soviet and Russian leadership regarding the alliance’s non-expansion. • The alliance [NATO] is now taking steps to operate outside its area of responsibility, seeking to move into the Asia-Pacific region — the Indo-Pacific, as they call it — threatening to undermine the #ASEAN-centric security architecture that has developed there over decades and allowed the countries in the region and their partners in different parts of the world to successfully cooperate. This causes deep concern for the future of ASEAN and the future well-being of its member states. • We advocate for the creation, under current conditions, of a global security architecture rooted in the objective trends of multipolarity, the emergence of new growth centres, and one that guarantees equal conditions for the peaceful development of all states without exception. <...> The foundation for this already exists – the UN Charter. What is required is for all to adhere to it in good faith. • A crucial step towards the goal of global security is the formation of an architecture of equal and indivisible security on the Eurasian continent — the most expansive and resource-rich region, the stability of which underpins the resilience of a multipolar world. • Russia does not seek to impose anything on anyone and is ready to engage in mutually respectful dialogue with everyone. We will keep perfecting the existing security mechanisms and put them to use as part of our engagement with the #CSTO, #CIS, and the #SCO. • As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia is aware of the responsibility it has for international relations in all their aspects on the international stage, including in terms of promoting peace, strategic stability, conflict settlement and a unifying agenda. Read in full

#Announcement 🗓 On May 27-29, 2025, in Moscow, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoigu will chair the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. Invitations to participate in this forum have been extended to more than 150 states of the Global South and East, the #ASEAN, #CIS, #CSTO, #EAEU, and #SCO countries, as well as to the leaders of more than 20 international organisations. The agenda of the 13th forum focuses on international security cooperation 🗓 The 5th ASEAN-Russia Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues will be traditionally held on the sidelines of the event. 🚩 The Security Council of the Russian Federation has been holding the annual international meetings of high representatives in charge of security issues since 2010. It is an important international platform for exchange of views on all global security-related issues and mechanisms to strengthen cooperation between partner countries to combat international terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, as well as new challenges and threats.

🎙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

🌐Today is International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. On December 12, 2018, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution A/RES/73/127 on marking this day. The document notes that the International Day aims to promote UN values and to reaffirm the trust of the world’s nations in the goals and principles of the UN Charter. 🇷🇺🇺🇳 Russia is invariably committed to the policy of upholding multilateralism and the UN’s leading role in global affairs and is actively involved in efforts to overhaul the UN and to adapt it to new international realities. This is particularly topical today when a narrow group of states advancing the rules-based order concept exerts unprecedented pressure on the UN and other multilateral institutions. ✍️ Under the Russian Foreign Policy Concept, approved on March 31, 2023, Russia intends to prioritise efforts to reinstate the UN’s role as a central coordination mechanism in coordinating the interests of UN member states. At the same time, one of the main aims of national foreign policy is to strengthen the potential of multilateral regional associations and integration organisations involving Russia. For example, this refers to measures to enhance the international role of #BRICS, the #SCO, the #CIS, the #EAEU, the #CSTO, #RIC and other interstate associations and international organisations, as well as mechanisms with significant Russian involvement. ⏰ Today, on April 24, FM Sergey Lavrov will take part in one of the key events of Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council, specifically, the open debate on "Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." The debate will be streamed live on all our feeds. #UNCharterIsOurRules#Multilateralism

🤝 On March 16-17, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Zhang Mingpaid a working visit to Moscow. The Secretary-General was received by Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation. He also held consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. During the exchange of views, they discussed key aspects of the organisation’s activities, including prospects for improvement in the context of current changes in global politics and the economy. 👆The Parties discussed the growing demand for creativity and the stabilising role of the SCO in today’s complex geopolitical situation and its notable contribution to shaping a multipolar architecture of international relations. They exchanged views on strengthening the international standing of the #SCO with a focus on the need to deepen the dialogue with international partner organisations and multilateral associations, primarily the United Nations, the #CSTO, the #CIS, the #EAEU and also #ASEAN. The Parties expressed the importance of enhancing the efficiency of the secretariat’s work with a view to further consolidating the SCO. Read in full

🎙Remarks by Head of the Russian delegation Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov at the 66th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs 📍 Vienna, March 13, 2023 💬 The world is going through dramatic transformations in many areas. It is clearer than ever now that the expansion of global drug trafficking is a common threat and fighting it is our joint responsibility. 🤝 We welcome the determination of individual groups of countries and associations such as Central Asia and #ASEAN to create drug-free regions. We note with satisfaction that in recent years the #SCO has significantly built up its drug-combating capacity and continues to build, in conjunction with the #CSTO, the #CIS and CARICC, a barrier on the northern route that is used for smuggling Afghan drugs to Europe. ⚠️ Unfortunately, not all states are willing to act responsibly when it comes to fighting drug abuse. For several years now, we have been witnessing a small group of Western countries acting as if they are entitled to not follow the corresponding conventions. Today, we are talking not only about legalising supposedly less harmful cannabis, but also about lifting bans on the use of dangerous substances such as methamphetamine and heroin. Everyone can see the results of this thoughtless policy of permissiveness. It is no coincidence that these countries are faced with an opioid crisis involving an unprecedented number of fatalities. Does this sound like concern for public health? Read in full

⚡️Main Foreign Policy Outcomes of 2022⚡️ The year 2022 saw history-making events, such as the emergence of a new international reality, and became a turning point for Russia’s foreign policy. 👉 The recognition of the Donetsk & Lugansk People’s Republics, the start of the Special Military Operation in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, the referendums held in the DPR & LPR and the liberated territories of the Zaporozhye & Kherson regions and their subsequent integration into Russia – these events will forever go down in the history of Russia. They put an end to 30 years of Russia’s honest attempts to develop equitable relations with the collective West. ✍️ Russia & other like-minded countries adopted a political declaration in support of the inviolability of the UN Charter. ✍️ An overwhelming majority of states members of the UN GA approved the annual Russia-initiated resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism. ✍️ At Russia’s initiative, the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the 5 Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War & Avoiding Arms Races was adopted in January 2022. ✅ International cooperation within the framework of the #EAEU, #SCO & #BRICS made rapid headway. ✅ Allied relations with Belarus continued to grow stronger. ✅ Several major initiatives have been implemented within the framework of the #CIS aimed at strengthening integration ties in all spheres of the organisation’s activities. ✅ The mechanisms of the #CSTO operated efficiently. Russian diplomats have significantly stepped up efforts to achieve the peaceful settlement of international conflicts. Russia extensively supported stabilising the situation in Afghanistan. Russia has promoted a complex approach to the Syrian dossier, including within the Astana format. We have promoted comprehensive normalisation of the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have successfully developed ties with our many international partners who are interested in maintaining a constructive dialogue with Russia. Read in full