Russian Consulate in Cape Town

🎙️Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta (November 27, 2024) ❓Question: You represented Russia at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Shortly before that, a series of meetings with African foreign ministers took place in Sochi, a city that hosted the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. Combatting modern practices of neocolonialism is increasingly taking a centre stage internationally. Was this issue addressed during the above events? 💭Sergey Lavrov: Of course, it was. Increasing numbers of participants in the international dialogue are coming to the realisation that the exploitation of former colonies by the colonial powers has never stopped. All it did was merely adjust its form, but the goal has remained the same, and it is to pump out resources from the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America to sustain the West’s dominance and ensure a high standard of living for its people. The methods can vary from sanctions pressure to coercion into signing unequal predatory agreements. Clearly, this slows down the development of the Global South and the Global East, particularly the poorest and the least developed nations among them. The cynicism of the Western countries profiting from the hardships of the most vulnerable countries is particularly striking. For instance, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, of the $2.5 billion in recovery aid promised by the United States, merely 2.6 percent made it to Haitian companies and organisations. The rest of this amount stayed with the US contractors. There are more cases like that. Similarly unconscionable abuses took place with the Western aid for the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan that is the countries that the Americans and their NATO allies themselves first laid to waste. I’d be remiss not to mention the fact that the developing countries keep raising the issue of their rightful spot in the global division of labour, which, in its current form, is a stark manifestation of modern neocolonialism in and of itself. I noted on earlier occasions that African countries receive less than 10 percent of the revenue from global coffee sales, and the rest is pocketed by transnational corporations. ❌We have no illusions and we are clear-eyed about the fact that Western neocolonialists will never give up their privileges of their own accord. Everyone can see that the West is shamelessly leveraging international financial institutions to promote its self-serving interests. The IMF and the WTO have been politicised, and “undesirable” members of these organisations are being openly discriminated against. 👉🏻This is why, alongside our like-minded partners from the World Majority, we believe that bringing principles and governance system established by the Bretton Woods institutions in line with the realities of the global economy is a long time coming. In fact, the G7 economies account for less than a third of global GDP, whereas BRICS nations make up 36 percent. The West ostensibly agrees with this view, but is unwilling to take action. 🔗Read in full

Уважаемые соотечественники! ⚡️Генеральное консульство России в Кейптауне предупреждает об участившихся на территории ЮАР случаях кражи личных вещей и документов, в том числе паспортов и водительских прав, из автомобилей. Злоумышленники разбивают стёкла и вскрывают багажники припаркованных автомобилей, жертвами становятся целые туристические группы. ⚠️ Будьте бдительны и не оставляйте в машине ценные вещи и документы, а также любые предметы, которые могут привлечь внимание.

⚡️Statement by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin Watch herein in full (dubbed in English) Transcript to be added

🌍 On November 20, the we, the world and, in particular, the Global Majority, mark Africa Industrialisation Day. In 1989, the UN General Assembly, which sees industrialisation as a way of eradicating poverty and improving African people’s well-being, instituted this memorable date. Our country made a massive and selfless contribution to developing Africa’s industrial capacity. The Soviet Union decisively influenced, promoted and assisted the decolonisation process on the continent and provided large-scale economic and technological assistance to African countries as they built multi-sectoral national economies. 🏭 Acting in accordance with bilateral agreements on economic and technological cooperation, the Soviet Union helped stand up 37 national African economies. Soviet specialists helped build about 600 enterprises on the continent, including the famous Aswan Hydropower Plant in Egypt, a bauxite mining facility in Guinea, an ore mining and processing works in the Republic of the Congo and the Capanda Hydropower Plant in Angola. While providing assistance, the Soviet Union always prioritised the sovereignty of African countries over their natural resources and ending the discrimination they faced in the international division of labour. Former colonial empires dismantled raw materials processing enterprises on the way out, whereas the Soviet Union established new production facilities and trained specialists. About 480,000 Africans received such training during these years of cooperation. 🇷🇺 Today, Russia continues to provide all manner of assistance to support the independent development of many African countries and to share its unique expertise in the power industry, transportation, healthcare and other areas. The 2nd Russia-Africa Summit, held in July 2023 in St Petersburg, provided additional impetus for advancing our industrial cooperation with African countries.

✍️ Russia's President Vladimir Putin approved the new Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence, signing the attendant Executive Order on November 19, 2024. Key items: • State policy on Nuclear Deterrence is defensive by nature, it is aimed at maintaining the nuclear forces potential at the level sufficient for nuclear deterrence, and guarantees protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State, and deterrence of a potential adversary from aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies. • The Russian Federation considers nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, their use being an extreme and compelled measure, and takes all necessary efforts to reduce nuclear threat and prevent aggravation of interstate relations, that could trigger military conflicts, including nuclear ones. • The Russian Federation ensures nuclear deterrence toward a potential adversary, which is understood to mean any individual states or military coalitions (blocs, alliances) which see the Russian Federation as a potential adversary and possess nuclear arms and/or other weapons of mass destruction or conventional forces with a significant combat capability. • Nuclear deterrence is also ensured toward any states which provide the territory, airspace, and/or maritime space under their control as well as resources for preparing and conducting an aggression against the Russian Federation. • An aggression of any single state from a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and/or its allies will be regarded as an aggression of the coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole. • An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies of any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be regarded as their joint attack. • The decision to use nuclear weapons is taken by the President of the Russian Federation.

⚡️Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in the G20 Summit On November 18-19, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the #G20 Leaders’ Summit. The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the instruction of the head of state. A majority of the G20 member states’ leaders are expected to take part. Brasilia regards the G20 as a core element of the polycentric system of international economic relations, distinguished by an effective decision-making mechanism due to its optimal number of members as well as the principle of consensus. The theme of Brazil’s first ever presidency of the forum is “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet.” At the summit, the partners expect to reach consensus agreements, with the process viewed through the prism of the country’s international prestige. A leadership declaration (a non-signature document approved in the absence of objections from the parties) is expected to be the summit’s major practical outcome. <...> Russia has been actively engaged in developing and coordinating the organisational and substantive aspects of the Brazilian project, having already added advanced domestic solutions on food security and poverty eradication into the database. The summit in Rio de Janeiro will open with the launch ceremony of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. Russia’s planned official connection to this platform will give it another opportunity to raise issues relevant to the global majority at the international level, in particular, counteracting illegal unilateral sanctions and promoting domestic experience. <...> Russia plays a prominent role in the G20, efficiently influencing the course and direction of negotiations, as well as the content of agreements. Moscow views the platform as an essential forum for global economic governance. The G20 is extensively used to promote Russia’s ideas on the importance of building an open and non-discriminatory global economy, and abandoning unilateral restrictive measures, trade wars and protectionism. Efforts are taken to draw attention to the long-overdue reform of the global governance architecture to benefit emerging markets, with the focus on ending the dominance of Western powers in international financial, economic and trade institutions, de-dollarisation, and increasing the share of settlements in national currencies. <...> Russia has consistently advocated theessential need to depoliticise the G20, which should focus on its direct responsibilities to encourage economic growth and sustainable development. The opponents’ attempts to bring peace and security issues beyond the group’s authority to the G20 agenda are counterproductive; this destructive policy hinders progress in core areas and causes increased division between the members. ❗️Russia views its priority in the G20 as achieving constructive agreements in the forum that consider all member nations’ interests based on consensus. Moscow seeks a proper and balanced understanding of sustainable development goals with due account of the states’ national interests, takes efforts to effectively use the G20 to promote the democratisation of international financial and economic structures, particularly, the #IMF, #WorldBank and #WTO, and makes steps to diversify mutual settlement mechanisms and build independent trans-border supply chains. Read in full

🌍 Десятый юбилейный «Географический диктант» сегодня в самой южной точке Африки, в месте, являющимся символом целой эпохи Великих географических открытий. ✍️ 16 ноября проживающие в Кейптауне соотечественники, сотрудники Генерального консульств и члены их семей приняли участие в уже ставшей традиционной проверке знаний о нашей стране. ✊Географический диктант – одно из значимых событий, объединяющих под эгидой патриотизма наших соотечественников по всему миру. Акция проводится с 2015 года по инициативе Президента Российской Федерации, Председателя попечительского Совета Русского географического общества Владимира Владимировича Путина с целью популяризации географических знаний и повышения интереса к географии России. Главная задача Диктанта - вдохновлять людей на изучение нашей удивительной и необъятной страны. 📚Диктант представляет собой увлекательный и познавательный тест из 40 вопросов различной степени сложности по географии, истории и культуре России. 🌐 Для желающих попробовать свои силы и написать «Географический диктант» - его онлайн-версия доступна до 1 декабря 2024 г. Регистрации на портале РГО не требуется, а результат выдаётся сразу по завершении теста. 🤔Проверите свои знания? #Географическийдиктант#МИДРоссии#РоссияЮАР

Делегация Законодательного Собрания Санкт-Петербурга во главе с Председателем А.Н.Бельским посетила Кейптаун, ЮАР. В фокусе внимания депутатов находились вопросы развития народной и парламентской дипломатии, укрепления сотрудничества между Россией и ЮАР, а также расширения двусторонних контактов. 🤝 В ходе визита российские законодатели встретились с руководителем фракции АНК в парламенте провинции Западный Кейп Х.Сайедом. Политики отметили поступательное развитие межпартийного диалога «Единой России» и Африканского национального конгресса, подтвердили настрой на совместную работу по выстраиванию более справедливого, многополярного миропорядка. Была подчеркнута необходимость интенсификации контактов между законодателями региональных представительных органов, в том числе путем обмена делегациями. 🖼️Активную работу делегация провела в сфере развития культурно-гуманитарного сотрудничества. Парламентарии посетили местный объект культурного наследия - Замок Доброй надежды, обсудили с представителями исторического комплекса перспективы налаживания сотрудничества с музеями Санкт-Петербурга. 🏫 Делегация также посетила Русский детский центр, открытый в апреле с.г. благодаря усилиям активистов кейптаунского отделения КСОРС при поддержке соотечественников и отечественных экономоператоров. А.Бельский отметил, что это учебное заведение является «значимым местом для обучения и культурного развития детей». #РоссияАфрика#РоссияЮАР

Уважаемые соотечественники! ⚡️Генеральное консульство России в Кейптауне информирует об участившихся случаях мошенничества на дорогах. Как сообщает Департамент экономического развития и туризма правительства Западного Кейпа, широкое распространение получила следующая схема. ⚠️Преступники, часто одетые в униформу охранных предприятий, останавливают пешеходов и автомобилистов и вежливо, но настойчиво просят будущих жертв оплатить банковской картой некое "разрешение" на проход/проезд по выбранной дороге. В целях оплаты предлагают воспользоваться находящимся неподалеку терминалом, внешне похожим на банковский. После введения ПИН-кода мошенники получают доступ к средствам на карте и в короткий срок снимают их/переводят третьим лицам. Если Вы заподозрили, что в отношении Вас пытаются реализовать данную схему – вежливо отказывайтесь от оплаты и постарайтесь переместиться в безопасное место. 👮 В случае возникновения конфликтной ситуации – незамедлительно обращайтесь в южноафриканские правоохранительные органы и объявите о Ваших намерениях злоумышленникам. Будьте бдительны, чтобы не омрачить свое пребывание в ЮАР. 🤝Не забывайте, что гулять по улицам всё еще бесплатно.

🎙 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to questions during a closing ceremony of the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (Sochi, November 10, 2024) 💬 We have accomplished quite a lot. We have adopted documents - a Joint Statement, which includes a general overview of the international situation and the state of affairs in our partnership in areas such as the economy, social matters, investment, security, counterterrorism, and other newly arisen challenges, as well as cultural, educational, and humanitarian areas. These are supported byspecific agreements in each of these areas, which create a series of roadmaps that will be advanced in the near future, including as part of preparations for the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. <…> ❗️ One of the objectives that we outlined which was brought up during all bilateral meetings with my African friends concerns the importance of moving away from reliance on global mechanisms that are controlled by our “colleagues” from the West. We all had the chance to clearly see (and to discuss extensively) that the “globalisation” that the West has long touted as a perfect model for the global economy is now being dismantled by the West itself. The ongoing economic fragmentation is driven by sanctions and over-reliance on the US dollar. <…> We’re witnessing a new wave of resistance to neocolonialism which is using trade, economic, and financial practices that prevent African countries from fully controlling their abundant natural resources. <…> We used the past two decades to steadily build up our partnerships with Africa based on traditions laid down in the post-colonial period. We hope they contributed to building an independent economy and industry in many African countries *** Today, we not only exchanged praise, but also came up with a number of suggestions. However, this was done without any attempt to impose our own terms or to resort to blackmail. Such tactics are often observed in the actions of the West, which is desperately attempting to decelerate the powerful and objective trend towards establishing a multipolar world order, or ideally, to halt it. <…> Intimidation and coercion remain prevalent tactics employed by the West, including efforts to turn the Global Majority against the Russian Federation and China. ☝️In contrast, we employ different methods. <…> 🤝 We remain committed to working in the spirit that guided the first and second #RussiaAfrica Summits. Read in full #RussiaAfrica

📚Приглашаем принять участие в курсе повышения квалификации для преподавателей Южно-Африканской Республики от Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета, который пройдет с 18 по 22 ноября 2024 года. 🇷🇺 Курс будет посвящен методике преподавания русского как иностранного (РКИ) и предназначен для начинающих преподавателей. - Даты: 18-22 ноября 2024 года - Время занятий: с 10:00 до 12:30 (МСК) - Платформа: Zoom 👨🏻‍🎓По итогам курса всем участникам будут выданы сертификаты, а для самых активных предусмотрен приятный сюрприз! Не упустите возможность расширить свои профессиональные горизонты вместе со старейшим университетом России. Ждем вас! ✅Регистрация открыта до 14.11.2024 (форма)

⚡️Joint Statementof the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (Sirius Federal Territory, Russian Federation, November 10, 2024) ✍️ We, the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations (UN), Leadership of the African Union Commission and of executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, gathered on 10 November 2024 in the Russian Federation, Sirius Federal Territory, to participate in the First Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum. We are pleased to note the strategic level of Russia-Africa cooperation, and positively assess the pace of the implementation of the agreements reached during the first (Sochi, 23-24 October 2019) and second (Saint Petersburg, 27-28 July 2023) Russia-Africa Summits and articulated in the final documents thereof, including the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2023-2026. We reconfirm our intention to continue strategic-level engagement in order to achieve a world order that would ensure international peace and security for all, equal opportunities for the development of all States, preservation of their cultural and civilizational uniqueness regardless of differences in political, economic and social structures, geographical location, demographic, resource and military potentials. We welcome the adoption by heads of delegations participating in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership of joint statements on: • measures to create a fair, transparent and equitable system of International Information Security; • strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism; • current issues of exploration and use of Outer Space for peaceful purposes. We reconfirm the shared responsibility of the Russian Federation and African States for supporting the creation of a just and stable world order based on the principles of sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of all peoples to self-determination as provided for, inter alia, by UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, as well as the need to preserve national identity and national resources, cultural and civilizational diversity and to protect traditional values. 👉 Political Cooperation We consider the development of constructive partnership with the African Union and the leading African integration organisations as a foreign policy priority of the Russian Federation and African States. 👉 Security Cooperation We confirm the importance of the principle of "African Solutions to African Problems" in conflict resolution. 👉 Trade and Economic Cooperation We express our readiness to continue joint efforts to strengthen the voice and representation of the African continent in the global economic governance architecture. 👉 Education, Health, Culture, Sports, Youth Policy and Media Cooperation We welcome the dynamic cooperation between the Russian Federation and African States in the field of culture. 👉 Environmental and Climate Cooperation We advocate for stepping up efforts to consolidate approaches to international environmental and climate issues within the specialised UN fora to prevent the politicisation of work in these areas. *** The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and African States recognised by the United Nations, Leadership of the African Union Commission and the executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, who participated in the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia‑Africa Partnership Forum express their commitment to further working together in order to expand cooperation and ensure the success of the third Russia-Africa Summit to be held in 2026. Read in full