Russian Consulate in Cape Town

🎙 Excerpt from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sinterview with US bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry C. Johnson and Andrew Napolitano (Moscow, March 12, 2025) ❓ Question: What about President Putin's statement in June 2024 regarding the conditions for a settlement or even to start negotiations with Ukraine. And my reading of it has been President Putin's position has been the same. Your position has been the same as the President's. It's been also by the Vice Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said it. And yet I think there are some in the West that perceive that you don't really mean what you say. 💬Sergey Lavrov: Let them be misguided. You know, our conscience is very clear and clean. <...> We know what must be done and that we would not compromise the fate of the people. It's not about the territories, it's about the people who were deprived of their history by law. When Zelensky was asked in September 2021, long before the operation, in an interview when the war was still going on in violation of the Minsk agreements, by an interviewer what he thought about the people on the other side of the line of contact. And he said you know, there are people and there are species. And if anybody living in Ukraine feels that he or she is a part of Russian culture my advice to you, for the sake of your children, for the future of your grandkids go to Russia, get out of Ukraine. <...> The sequence of events which made us absolutely concentrated on achieving the results which would be in favour of the people, which would be saving the people. [There are] those who speak, well, we have to bring Ukraine back into 1991 territory [and that] Russia must get out. Territories are important only because people live on these territories. And the people who live on the territories which he wants back are descendants of those who for hundreds of years were building Odessa and other cities on those very lands who were building ports, roads, who were founding those lands and who associated with the history of this land. <...> Just a brief sequence of events: • In the 2004 elections, the two candidates - one is considered pro-Russian, another is considered pro-American. The pro-Western candidate Mr. Viktor Yushchenko wins. • At the next presidential elections the candidate who was considered pro-Russian, Mr. Viktor Yanukovych, is winning in a very clean way. • Then, Mr. Yanukovych in 2013 (maybe even earlier, but in 2013 it culminated) started negotiations with the European Union on getting an association agreement. <...> Our experts started explaining to Ukrainian colleagues that if you go to the association status with the European Union you get zero tariffs on many items. <...> There is no customs border between Ukraine and Russia. So we would have to close this border. • Then President Viktor Yanukovych asked for postponement of the signature of this association agreement. He said, I want to understand this better, how we can handle it.This was the trigger for that “maidan”. Well prepared, hundreds of tents of the same make, the same colour, the same everything and this maidan culminated in February 2014 when Germany, France, Poland negotiated between the legitimate president and the opposition. And that's how it started. • Then there were Minsk Agreements. Had they delivered on the Minsk Agreements, they [Ukraine] would still have been in 1991 borders, minus Crimea. • April 2022, Istanbul. Macron said that Putin tried to impose something on Zelensky. It's another lie by Macron. Because the paper which was initialed by us and Ukrainians, was prepared by Ukrainians. And we accepted this. It was very straightforward: no NATO, no military bases, no military manoeuvres. Instead of NATO, guarantees are provided by “Permanent Five” plus Germany, plus Türkiye, and the list is open. <...> Had they been cooperative and had they delivered on their own initiative, they [Ukraine] would still have 1991 borders, minus Crimea, minus some part of Donbass. ❗️Every time they cheat, they lose. Full answer to the question Read interview in full

🔴#LIVE: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at a meeting of the Business Council under the Russian MFA 🔴Russia's MFA Website 🔴Ruptly

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to the US bloggers Mario Naufal, Larri Johnson and Andrew Napolitano (Moscow, March 12, 2025) Key talking points: • I think what is going on in the United States is a return to normalcy. <...> The fact is that a normal administration without any, you know, unchristian ideas came to power and the reaction was such an explosion in the media, in the politics all over the world is very interesting and very telling. • When we met in Riyadh with Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff they suggested the meeting and they said, look, we want normal relations in the sense that the foundation of the American foreign policy under the Donald Trump administration is the national interest of the United States. But at the same time, we understand that other countries also have their national interest. • It is very well understood that countries like the United States and Russia would never have their national interest the same. They would not coincide maybe even 50 or less percent. But when they do coincide this situation must be used to develop this simultaneous and similar interest. But when the interests do not coincide and contradict each other then the responsible countries must do everything not to allow this contradiction to degenerate into confrontation, especially military confrontation which would be disastrous for many other countries. • The beginning of the special military operation was a decision because all other attempts, all other alternatives to bring things into some positive dimension failed for ten years after the illegal coup in Kiev, in violation of the deal signed the night before and guaranteed by the Germans, French and Poles. • I don't think the Americans would drop from NATO. At least President Trump never hinted that this might be the case. But what he did bluntly say was that if you want us to protect you, to give you security guarantees, you pay what is necessary. • But President Trump doesn't want to provide these security guarantees to Ukraine under Zelensky. He has his own view of the situation which he bluntly presents every now and then, that this war should never have started – that pulling Ukraine into NATO in violation of its Constitution, in violation of the Declaration of Independence of 1991, on the basis of which we recognized Ukraine as a sovereign state. For several reasons including that this Declaration was saying no NATO, no blocs, neutral status. Another thing which this Declaration also confirmed and solidified - all rights of Russian and all other national minorities are to be respected. • Europe and the UK they certainly want this to continue. The way they received Zelensky in London after the scandal in Washington, it's an indication that they want to raise the stakes and they are preparing something to pressure the Donald Trump administration back into some aggressive action against Russia. • It's not about the territories, it's about the people who were deprived of their history by law. Territories are important only because people live on these territories. The people who live on the territories are descendants of those who for hundreds of years were building Odessa & other cities on those very lands who were building ports, roads, who were founding those lands and who associated with the history of this land. ❗️The Americans know that we would not betray our commitments, legal commitments, the political commitments which we develop with China. Read in full

Andrei Stenin Press Photo Contest international roadshow has kicked off with an exhibition in the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town. 📸Guests of the function organized by 'Rossiya Segodnya' news agency with the support of the Consulate General of Russia in Cape Town, African News Agency and Independent Media could familiarize themselves with the best out of around 2 000 entries submitted from almost 50 countries across the globe. “Every year the geography of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest keeps growing. Once again, Cape Town joins the list of cities that host the best works of the Contest. The exhibition evokes a great interest among South Africans and especially Capetonians, a number of local photojournalists submitted their entries and won in its various nominations. The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest plays an important role in promoting cultural collaboration as well as offers young people an opportunity to present their view of the world and demonstrate their talent. Photography is a universal language understandable across borders in different nations,” - emphasised Russia’s Consul General in Cape Town Mr. Aleksei Malenko 🎞 Andrei Stenin, whose name the competition bears, was killed in 2014 in a shelling while on a media assignment in Ukraine. Submission of works for the contest opens annually on 22 Dec, Andrei Stenin’s birthday. The works were already exhibited in the capital cities of South Africa, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mauritius and Serbia. #andreistenin#stenincontest#stenincontest2024#sputniknews#RussianMFA#RussiaSouthAfrica

⚡Foreign Ministry Statement on Kiev regime’s latest barbaric attack on Russian civilians In the early hours of March 11, the neo-Nazi Kiev junta once again made its cowardly terrorist nature clear to everyone by attacking Russian regions, including Moscow and the Moscow Region, with a barrage of UAVs carrying projectiles. According to the Defence Ministry, duty air defence facilities downed 337 drones, including 126 over the Kursk Region, 91 over the Moscow Region, and 38 over the Bryansk Region, as well as 25 over the Belgorod Region, and 22 over the Ryazan Region. Unfortunately, multiple casualties, including children, were reported. The Investigative Committee of Russia has swiftly launched an investigation into this crime. The circumstances of the attack are being established. All those involved and responsible for this and other terrorist attacks on our land will be held accountable. The shelling of population centres in many Russian regions, as well as ruthless and indiscriminate killings of civilians, are indicative of the agony of the neo-Nazi Zelensky-led regime, which has bogged down in terrorism, lawlessness, corruption, and cynicism. Overcome by impotent rage, and in an effort to please its Western handlers, the regime strives to kill and maim as many innocent people as it can. Without a doubt, this drone attack was planned in advance and timed to coincide with today’ s US-Ukraine contacts on conflict resolution held in Saudi Arabia. It was also a message to new OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu, now in Moscow on a working visit. Using these barbaric methods, the Kiev clique, which is suffering daily defeats on the battlefield, is trying to prove its ability to negotiate “from a position of strength.” The Zelensky regime, which has lost its grip on reality, has clearly showed a glaring lack of political will for achieving peace and negotiated settlement of the conflict. It remains obsessed with the idea to defeat Russia, widely using cynical methods of terror and seeking to draw its allies into its aggressive actions. ❗️ Clearly, the blame for this attack lies with the countries that continue to stubbornly and irresponsibly flood Ukraine’ s ruling clique with lethal weapons, thereby enabling its bloody acts. The anti-humane Kiev regime has made clear as day its neo-Nazi and terrorist nature, impotence, and inability to achieve and honour agreements. It has long deserved to be unambiguously and resolutely denounced by all conscientious governments and international entities. Further supporting it is tantamount to being complicit in crimes committed by the Zelensky-led junta.

⚡️Last night, the AD units intercepted and downed 337 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles: ▫️91 UAVs over Moscow region, ▫️126 UAVs over Kursk region, ▫️38 UAVs over Bryansk region, ▫️25 UAVs over Belgorod region, ▫️22 UAVs over Ryazan region, ▫️ten UAVs over Kaluga region, ▫️eight UAVs over Lipetsk region, ▫️eight UAVs over Orel region, ▫️six UAVs over Voronezh region, ▫️three UAVs over Nizhniy Novgorod. 🔹Russian Defence Ministry

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to the 'New Regions of Russia' magazine (March 10, 2025) Read in full ❓ Question: Which general international and foreign political conclusions – both positive and negative – can Russia draw after three years of the special military operation? Did we get the very “experience, the son of difficult errors,” in the words of the classic? 💬Sergey Lavrov: The last three years became the “moment of truth” of a kind. Following the launch of the special military operation to protect the people of Donbass and Novorossiya, the collective West showed what it is worth. Both the infamous rule of law and basic rules of decency were cast aside. <...> A new global divide was formed de-facto with the western minority on one side, and the World majority on the other. These are all countries, as well as people of goodwill in the West, who stand for the establishment of a multipolar world supported by a balance of interests. I believe the main lesson is as follows: we must rely on ourselves in main issues of the functioning of the country and our trusted friends who stayed with us in difficult times. <...> ❓ Question: Do you support the opinion that US President Donald Trump must take an active participation in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and become a sort of a peacemaker? 💬Sergey Lavrov: I would not like to run too far ahead. As President of Russia Vladimir Putinsaid a number of times, we are always ready for talks. Yet, our national interests must be guaranteed. The root cause of the conflict in Ukraine must be eradicated – the President highlighted this aspect of the utmost importance in his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on February 12. I would like to remind you that, first and foremost, we speak about eradication of threats to security of Russia from the Ukrainian and the western direction, which emerged following the NATO expansion to the east and the necessity to cease the practice, which the Kiev regime adopted, to exterminate everything which is somewhat connected to Russia and the Russian world. <...> It is too early to make far-reaching conclusions from what we have just heard from Donald Trump’s administration, but it is encouraging. The President of the United States admitted himself that the NATO expansion and attempts to get Ukraine involved in it became one of the root causes of the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks about the multipolarity of the modern world and the need to respect the interests of all states, both large and small. For the first time in three years, US diplomats voted jointly with Russia and our associates in the UN against the odious resolution of the General Assembly promoted by Kiev and its patrons from the European Union. <...> ❓ Question: This year, Russia will celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. <...> Are we doing everything right to fully preserve the state’s historical memory of the past and the present? 💬Sergey Lavrov: The 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War is the pinnacle event of the year. The Foreign Ministry, as well as other government agencies, is preparing to celebrate it in the most fitting manner, paying tribute to the memory of the heroic deeds of our predecessors. <...> Despite the information war launched by the collective West, Russia’s voice is heard clearly on the international stage. The world understands that falsifying history and undermining spiritual and moral values will result in deteriorating statehood and the loss of sovereignty. Ukraine is a tragic example of this. <...> This is why the appeal of the CIS Heads of State to the peoples of the CIS and the international community on the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 was adopted on October 8, 2024 in Moscow. The year of 2025 in the CIS was declared the Year of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight against Nazism.

🎙 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putincongratulated the women of Russia on International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8. 💬Dear women of Russia! From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you on International Women’s Day! In our country, this wonderful holiday is traditionally filled with special warmth and sincerity. Today, words of love, gratitude and respect are heard everywhere. Our men express their appreciation to their mothers, wives, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, friends and colleagues, letting them know how much they are cherished and how deeply their contributions are valued, both at home and in the workplace, where they often take on complex professional challenges. You truly do it all: taking care of children and scoring outstanding achievements in various fields, embodying both strength and grace, courage and tenderness, and winning us over again and again with your beauty and charm. You inspire men to strive for greatness, encouraging them to do better, to take bold steps and to be the true defenders of their families and homes, and our Motherland. You hold within you life’s greatest miracle: the gift of bringing new life into the world. The tenderness and generosity of a mother’s heart and the warmth of a mother’s love transform the world and make it a better place. Motherhood is both an immense joy and a profound responsibility. We are fully aware of this and will continue to do our utmost so that mothers and families with children, especially large families, receive the support they need and see that their interests are always in the focus of the government’s attention. My warmest words go to the women who are in places where it is most difficult right now, the participants in the special military operation. You are working in different spheres, including in field hospitals and on the front lines, doing your combat duty with distinction. I would also like to say a few words for the women whose dear ones – husbands, fathers, brothers and loved ones – are defending the future of our country. Your heartfelt support and unfailing care, love and loyalty empower our men, strengthening their morale and the unwavering belief that the truth – and hence victory – is on our side. Dear women! We know that so much in life depends on you, on your talents, creative energy, love, and utmost responsibility with which you undertake any job. Once again, we are in awe of your beauty, kindness and grace. I would like to wish success, health, well-being, and all the best to you and your loved ones. May you always find happiness alongside those you hold dear. 💐 Happy International Women’s Day! #8March#InternationalWomensDay

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’sanswer to a media question about Russia’s stance with respect to the Organisation of American States ❓Question: How would you characterise the current stage of Russia’s relations with the OAS? 💬Maria Zakharova: As is well known, the Russian Federation obtained the status of Permanent Observer to the Organisation of American States in 1992 and has developed constructive relations with this association of Western Hemisphere states over three decades. Cooperation has been successfully advanced both with the #OAS itself and its specialised agencies, including the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), and others. We note that a number of leading Latin American countries did not support the OAS Permanent Council’s April 2022 decision to suspend Russia’s observer status. At the same time, practical collaboration with regional states has continued to develop dynamically at all levels. The Russian Side remains open to restoring full-fledged engagement with the OAS, as evidenced by the appointment of Russia’s new Ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, to concurrently serve as Permanent Observer to the OAS.

👩‍🚀 On March 6, 1937, world’s first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was born. To this day, she remains the youngest woman to travel into space, as well as the only woman who flew to the Earth’s orbit alone. She was only 26 years old back at the time of her historic flight. From a young age, Valentina was interested in aviation and parachuting, which helped her join the cosmonaut corps in 1962. She underwent difficult training, learning how to pilot a spaceship and passing endurance tests. After completing her training, she was selected for a flight under the Vostok programme. On June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova set off on her historic journey on board the Vostok-6 spacecraft. Her mission lasted just under three days, in which she orbited the Earth 48 times. 💬 Tereshkova recalled her impressions on board: Every 90 minutes I saw the dawn, the sun rising in a unique array of colours. Despite all the difficulties, including severe fatigue and waning health, Tereshkova successfully completed her mission and returned safely to Earth. Valentina even managed to take a series of photographs of the horizon, which were later used to identify aerosol layers within the atmosphere. Tereshkova’s space flight was a global sensation. Western media hailed it as another success of the Soviet space programme. For the United States, the USSR’s main rival in the space race, it was inconceivable. The American space agency did not take the idea of a woman flying into space seriously at the time. 🎖 Valentina Tereshkova boarded the spaceship as a lieutenant, and returned to Earth with the rank of captain. Three days after the landing, she was also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A Soviet woman’s flight to the orbit reaffirmed the Soviet Union’s leadership in space exploration and inspired millions of girls in our country and abroad. 🎊 We wish Valentina Tereshkova a very happy birthday. All the best to our iconic cosmonaut, and may you stay in good health and have strength for new achievements.

On March 6, Mr Aleksei Malenko, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Cape Town, visited Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape Province. He was invited as a guest of honour by the Legislature Speaker Hon Ms Newrene Klaaste for the State of Province (SOPA) address of Hon Dr. Zamani Saul, the Premier of the Northern Cape. On the sidelines of SOPA 2025 Consul General discussed with the Premier cooperation between one of the Russian concerned regions and the Northern Cape. Preliminary arrangements on forming a working group related to this issue have been made. The possibility of establishing partnership between the Sol-Plaatje University (Kimberley) and Russian Universities were considered as well. Moreover, Mr. Malenko held talks with Ms Newrene Klaaste regarding the prospective of cooperation between the Northern Cape Legislature and concerned legislative bodies of Russian regions. #RussiaSouthAfrica

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