Russian Consulate in Cape Town

⚡️ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sstatement and answers to questions at the Government Hour hearings during a plenary session of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (February 11, 2026): Key takeaways: • The world is undergoing a long-term transition to a multipolar order, marked by growing competition between the Western minority and the World Majority. • Western countries continue to pursue neo-colonial policies, double standards, and attempts to preserve dominance, including through pressure, destabilisation, and military actions. • Russia views current global upheavals as part of a profound and lasting shift in international relations, not a temporary phase. • Strategic stability is deteriorating due to Western actions, while Russia maintains responsible conduct and observes arms control limits as long as the US does the same. • The Arctic should remain a zone of peace and cooperation; Russia will respond if military threats against it emerge there. • Russia rejects Western double standards on self-determination, defending the choices of #Crimea, #Donbass, and #Novorossiya. ❗️A sustainable settlement in Ukraine is impossible without addressing root causes; understandings reached with the US in 2025 remain valid. • Russia continues negotiations to ensure its security, protect Russian-speaking populations, and eliminate threats from the Kiev regime and its external sponsors. • The comprehensive strategic partnership with #China is a stabilising factor in global affairs and a cornerstone of regional security. • Strategic partnerships with #Belarus, the #DPRK, #Iran, the #CIS and the #CSTO members strengthen regional stability and Russia’s security. • Russia is deepening ties across #Eurasia, including with India, Türkiye, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, and regional organisations such as the #EAEU, #SCO, and #ASEAN. • The #Russia-#Africa partnership is expanding, with preparations underway for the Third Russia-Africa Summit. • #BRICS is emerging as a key platform for the World Majority, promoting cooperation free from sanctions and Western restrictions. • Russia supports #GlobalSouth efforts against modern forms of colonialism and unilateral coercive measures, including through new UN international days. READ IN FULL

#Announcement On December 19–20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the #Russia–#Africa Partnership Forum will be held in Cairo, Egypt. This dialogue format, established by the decision of the Second Russia–Africa Summit (St. Petersburg, July 27–28, 2023), is intended to ensure coordination in implementing the tasks set by heads of state, governments, and organizations in order to achieve practical results in Russia–Africa cooperation. 🤝 Trade, economic cooperation, and investment issues will take center stageon the agenda of the Second Ministerial Conference. Participants of the event will also discuss the progress in implementing the Action Plan and develop concrete steps to ensure its full implementation. The Conference will bethe first event of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum to be held on African soil and a key stage in preparations for the Third Russia–Africa Summit, scheduled for 2026. #RussiaAfrica

💛 8 July — Day of Family, Love and Fidelity 🕊 Today, Russia celebrates a heartfelt and meaningful holiday — the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which is observed in honour of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, revered as the patron saints of marriage and family happiness in the Orthodox tradition. This day serves as a reminder of the timeless values that form the foundation of any society: love, fidelity, mutual understanding, and care for one another. It unites generations, strengthens family ties, and inspires the preservation of traditions and their transmission to future generations. 🌿 The symbol of the holiday is the daisy, representing purity, sincerity, and faithful love. On this day, it is customary to give daisies, hold family gatherings, and congratulate couples — especially those who have shared many years together in harmony. The Consulate General of Russia in Cape Town extends its warmest congratulations to Russian compatriots and friends of Russia on this special occasion and wishes every family peace, happiness, and enduring love! #Russia#DayOfFamilyLoveAndFidelity#RussianTraditions

🇿🇦 This year’s opening meeting of the #G20 Foreign Ministers as part of the debut presidency of South Africa – a friendly country whose stance is in accord with #Russia’s – will take place in Johannesburg on February 20-21, a landmark event not only for Pretoria, but also for the entire African continent, which will host G20 events for the first time. 🇷🇺 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to lead the Russian delegation. It is expected that most of the members of this major economic forum, as well as a wide range of invited states and international organisations, will be represented at a similar level. ☝️ The meeting will open with an address by President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, which will set the general tone for discussing global challenges and threats. The discussion will particularly focus on the international situation, which is alarmingly deteriorating under the impact of the confrontational policy by the neoliberal Western elites. The participants will consider the current integrity and effective functioning of the global economic system. The priorities stated by the South African presidency are designed to encourage economic growth, reduce inequality and imbalances, and ensure equitable access to financing for countries in the Global South. 🤝 The South African presidency theme highlighting “solidarity, equality and sustainability” will provide solid framework for the consultations, essentially continuing in the same vein as its predecessors in 2022-2024 – Indonesia, India and Brazil, all of them Global Majority countries. In particular, this refers to the G20’s significant contribution during this period to strengthening the foundations of the multipolar world and making global economic institutions more democratic in the interests of new non-Western centres of influence, primarily the expanded #BRICS group. ❗️The upcoming anniversaries, such as the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II and the foundation of the #UN, as well as the 65th anniversary of the Russia-sponsored Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted by the UN General Assembly to ensure Africa’s independence, should be seen as key benchmarks for the exchange of views. 👉 In his remarks, the Minister will provide a detailed analysis of the international situation underscoring the root causes of the current crisis, and outline specific steps to overcome the destructive phenomena. The Russian side will reaffirm its stance in favour of preserving the United Nations’ central role in global affairs. We will speak in support of strict compliance with the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection. We will insist that there is no alternative to respectful interstate cooperation and ensuring equal and indivisible security for all. We will call for keeping the global economy open, rejecting trade wars, illegitimate sanctions and other unfair competition practices. We will cite examples of supranational associations that practice honest and productive cooperation without diktat or blackmail, such as the #EAEU, the #SCO and #BRICS. We will share the details of implementing the Russia-sponsored Greater Eurasian Partnership initiative. The Minister is expected to meet with several counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting. #G20SouthAfrica#BetterAfricaBetterWorld#solidarity#equality#sustainability

Today is Diplomatic Workers' Day aka Diplomats' Day in 🇷🇺#Russia! This date goes back to the earliest documented mention (February 10, 1549) of the Ambassadorial Prikaz —the first state body in our country’s history that oversaw foreign affairs. #DiplomatsDay#DWR2025

❄️New Year’s Moscow: An Atmosphere of Celebration and Unity 🎄On the eve of the New Year, Moscow transforms into a symbol of winter festivities and togetherness. The city’s central streets adorned with dazzling lights, shimmering garlands, and majestic snow-covered Christmas trees create an unparalleled atmosphere of holiday magic. 🤍Moscow welcomes guests from around the world to experience its festive splendor and become part of the spirit of goodwill and unity that defines New Year celebrations in Russia. 🇷🇺#Moscow#Russia#NewYear#RussianMFA

🎙🇷🇺 Key takeaways from Russian President Vladimir #Putin’s interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin: 🔹 Russia and the United States can normalize relations upon the presence of wish, which Moscow has never abandoned; 🔹Russia is ready to build relations, but not to the detriment of its interests; 🔹The West escalates the situation, and Russia will always respond to any challenge; 🔹Putin does not believe that a third world war is ongoing: “You don’t have to frighten anyone”; By @tassagency_en #Putin#Russia#UnitedStates#topical

🇷🇺🤝🇿🇦 Ambassador-designate of Russia to South Africa Roman Ambarov took part in the event to commemorate the Day of Reconciliation in Vredendal, Western Cape. The celebration was arranged by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa with Minister Gayton McKenzie acting as the program moderator. 🎙 President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address pointing out that this Day of Reconciliation’s theme is “Healing historical wounds and forging new futures.” It is an occasion where South Africans remember and celebrate their journey as a country towards nation-building, healing, social justice and forgiveness, he emphasized. We are all bound together by the spirit of Ubuntu. The word “Ubuntu” has its roots in the IsiZulu phrase “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” – “A person is a person through other people,” “I am because we are” - Cyril Ramaphosa noted. “This day is of great historical significance. It is a reminder that the country went through centuries of divisions and conflicts. But instead of hatred and revenge, South Africans chose reconciliation and nation-building, as Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected President of South Africa once said. On this day, #Russia sincerely wishes the friendly South African people peace, harmony and unity!” Ambassador-designate Roman Ambarov said on the sidelines of the event. #ReconciliationDay2024#UniteAgainstAllIntolerances#Ambarov#EmbassyofRussia#SouthAfrica#CyrilRamaphosa#GaytonMcKenzie

🇷🇺 Today #Russia and its people celebrate national #UnityDay! The day symbolizes the unity of our multiethnic peoples, celebrates our diversity in unity and our unerring devotion to the Motherland. ❗️ Happy #UnityDay! #UnityDay2024#TogetherForever

🗓 On Nov 9-10, Sochi will host the 1st Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership at Sirius University, in accordance with the decisions of the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit. The foreign ministers of the Russian Federation and African states, as well as the leadership of the African Union Commission and major continental integration associations, will take part in the event. 🤝The business programme on the sidelines of the conference will feature roundtable discussions and panel sessions on key items on the Russian-African agenda, including security, trade and investment, industrialisation, technology transfers, agriculture, the development of the mining sector, education, healthcare and epidemiological safety. ✅ Representatives of Russian and foreign media are invited to cover the event. We are expecting African media outlets to take an active part. Media representatives can obtain accreditation on the Russia-Africa Summit’s official website until Oct 25, 2024. 🔗APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION #russia#africa#russiaafrica#sochi

LESSONS OF HISTORY REPEATED ✍️Article by Ambassador of Russia to South Africa Ilya Rogachev (31 July 2024) READ IN FULL Key points: 🔹 Obsessed with the idea to inflict a military defeat upon Russia and split it into several smaller states with limited sovereignty, the collective West is heading towards a war against Russia, and decisions of the latest NATO summit in Washington D.C. corroborate that. "Europe is preparing for war. The pro-war train has no brakes, and the driver has gone mad” - Hungary’s Premier V.Orban". 🔹There is a very common opinion in Russia that approximately once in a centenary, the West braces up and comes to the Russian soil with a sword, where it gets beaten up and retires with its nose bloodied to remain calm for another 100 years. 🔹The Time of Troubles in Russia (XVII century) was accompanied by foreign military interventions (Poland, Sweden) which endangered the very existence of Russia as a sovereign state. But in 1612 people’s militia ousted the invaders. 🔹The XVIII century saw yet another major clash with Europeans known as the Great Northern War. During Swedish King Charles XII’s Russian campaign, in 1709, the army of invaders was completely decimated by Russian troops under the command of Peter the Great. 🔹In about 100 years, a new attempt to clamp Russia was made as Napoleon Bonaparte of France in 1812 led his ‘Grand Army’ into the ill-fated invasion. 600,000 soldiers of his army came to Russia in June 1812, and in only 6 months their remnants were chased away by Field Marshal Kutuzov’s troops. In 1814, the Russian army entered Paris. 🔹The XX century saw another large-scale invasion of Russia from the West. Our country survived World War I accompanied by inner political turmoil with three revolutions, the Civil War and foreign military interventions involving UK, France, USA etc. ☝️ Only two decades later Nazi Germany attacked the USSR. Hitler intended to conquer the USSR by the end of 1941, but it didn’t turn out the way he expected. On 30 April 1945, as the Red Army was storming Berlin, he committed suicide in the basement of the Reich Chancellery. 👉 Russian historian V.Klyuchevsky once wrote that history does not teach any lessons but punishes one for not learning them. The West should stop rewriting history and start learning it, in order to prevent history from repeating itself every 100 years. #alternativeviewpoint#embassyofrussia#rogachev#russia#southafrica