Russian Embassy in Asmara

🎙Opening remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his talks with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev(April 3, 2026, Moscow) 💬Sergey Lavrov:In 2026,the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) marks its 25th anniversary. It is important to organise the SCO’s work in a way that duly reflects this milestone. More importantly, however, we must implement the key agreements already approved by the Heads of State and ensure they are incorporated into the Organisation’s Charter and other documents. As always, we will reaffirm our support for the Secretariat’s efforts to implement the agreements reached by the Heads of State. *** You have raised an important point about the impact of the broader international situation on the SCO’s work. Indeed, it is not only individual states and regions that are being put to a serious test, but also international organisations as mechanisms for advancing collective foreign policy approaches. It seems to me that, amid this turbulent environment, the SCO is acquitting itself with dignity. We will do everything possible to ensure that attempts to weaken our Organisation and diminish its significance and role in Eurasian affairs do not succeed. ☝️We can see such attempts quite clearly. Extra-regional countries are becoming increasingly active in Central Asia and in other parts of our shared Eurasian continent. We also see signs of crisis within both the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU. Our Western colleagues seem to believe that, if they are in crisis, they should impose it on non-Western groupings as well, following the logic of: “If I can’t have it, no one will” – applied to multilateral diplomacy and the building of a new world order. I am confident that the SCO member states are a group of mature and responsible nations. We clearly see the great potential of the Organisation in addressing Eurasia’s challenges through positive action, dialogue, and constructive projects in the practical sphere, in logistics, in what we call the Greater Eurasian Partnership, and in strengthening the collective security of all countries in the region. The SCO holds a unique position, because security, trade, economic, social and transport projects all fall fully within the mandate of our Organisation. 🤝 We will be pleased to hear your specific assessments reflecting the Secretariat’s vision for the way forward. #RussiaSCO

🎙Excerpts from President of Russia Vladimir Putin's remarks at the Plenary Session of the AI Journey international conference 💬Vladimir Putin: Russia’s experience in the practical implementation of artificial intelligence is needed in various countries. Today, nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, as well as our partners from the #CIS, the Eurasian Economic Union, the #SCO, #BRICS, and other associations are forming promising economic sectors and introducing innovations. Russia unquestionably shares and supports their commitment to developing, and also supports domestic companies in creating AI-based products and services both for themselves and for the whole world. We will provide the countries of the Global South and East with consultative and technical assistance in the domain of artificial intelligence. Of course, we hope that we will also borrow our partners’ achievements and implement joint projects based on equal access to knowledge, technology, and scientific achievements. This priority is enshrined in the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. We are ready to help create and apply generative models not only in Russian, but also in other languages. As I have said, these systems’ algorithms must be trusted, that is, clear, open, and unbiased. They must also be developed considering cultural and national peculiarities of each civilisation with its history, identity and traditions, which we, in Russia, deeply respect. ❗️I am confident that an international alliance of AI National associations and development institutions of the BRICS countries and other interested states will give a boost to this cooperation. This Alliance will be launched at the AI Journey conference today. I hope that new foreign participants, including my colleagues, leaders of state, will attend this event.

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during the expanded-format talks with Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu(Astana, November 7, 2024) 💬 As always, I am delighted to find myself among our friends in Kazakhstan and to benefit from the opportunity to continue our proactive dialogue. You have just mentioned the number of times our presidents, you and I, and our allies meet every year. 🇷🇺🇰🇿 Indeed, relations between Russia and Kazakhstan have been gathering momentum. We have been working hard to prepare President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan, scheduled for November 27. We are drafting several dozen documents, just as we discussed during the restricted-format meeting. We will make sure to fast-track this process to make this summit meeting as effective and results-driven as possible. Russia and Kazakhstan have made great strides in expanding their region-to-region and inter-parliamentary ties. Ufa will be hosting the XX Inter-Regional Cooperation Forum. We hope that our leaders will be able to deliver their greetings via videoconference to the regional delegates from our two countries. We are also looking forward to expanding our ties within multilateral platforms such as the #CSTO, the #EAEU, the #CIS and the #SCO. Kazakhstan has been invited to join BRICS as a partner country. It is our hope that this will add a new dimension to our contacts regarding present-day global challenges, especially as we are witnessing and living in a time of change. 📈Trade and economic cooperation has also enjoyed positive momentum. There are flagship strategic projects underway, including the effort to upgrade the Central Asia – Centre natural gas pipeline, and many other energy projects. This includes agreements on gas supplies to Uzbekistan, as well as delivering gas to connect Kazakhstan’s northeastern regions to gas distribution networks, which could potentially pave the way for launching gas deliveries to China. All these efforts are aimed at creating resilient infrastructure in a sector which serves as a key economic development driver. Cultural, humanitarian and educational ties, projects to open joint schools in Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as efforts by universities to open more branches, and the opening of Russia’s consulate in Aktau – all these undertakings will promote closer people-to-people ties, bringing those who are interested in these contacts closer together. 🤝 I am certain the Plan of Consultations and Cooperation for 2025 and 2026 that we will be signing today will make our contribution to these processes even more effective. #RussiaKazakhstan