Russian Embassy in Cambodia

8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on October 24, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations entered into force. This date marks the founding day of the UN. The idea of creating a universal international organisation to maintain peace emerged during World War II. In 1943, at an international conference in Moscow, the foreign ministers of the USSR, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China signed a declaration that laid the foundation for the future United Nations. In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of the three Allied powers – Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill – decided to convene a conference in San Francisco, where on June 26, 1945, 50 states signed the UN Charter. The establishment of the United Nations marked the beginning of a new era in human history and became a natural outcome of World War II, expressing the global community’s determination to prevent such horrible massacre from ever happening again, and to resolve conflicts through consensus and compromise. #UNCharterIsOurRules: Russia has consistently advocated the strengthening of the central coordinating role of the UN in global affairs. Strict compliance with the letter and spirit of the UN Charter is an indispensable condition for advancing towards a more peaceful, prosperous and truly just and equal world order. 💬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: “We have always upheld the principles of the UN Charter, which we consider to be perfectly applicable norms of international law codified in the most important international legal document of the international community, which comprehensively sets out the organisational standards of international relations.” 📜 Today, 80 years later after its adoption, the words of the United Nations Charter Preamble once again affirm their relevance: WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind… HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS. The Founding Fathers of the UN envisioned its purpose as serving as a centre for coordinating the nations’ activities. 👉 The outstanding Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 to 2017, aptly described the UN’s role in today’s world: “The United Nations has proven its ability to change along with transformations of the international system. At the current stage of turbulence in global affairs, it is crucial to preserve its prestige based on the enduring and truly democratic principle of sovereign equality of all states, without dividing them into the leaders and the led.” These words resonate with another famous statement by the second UN Secretary-General (1953–1961), Dag Hammarskjöld: “The United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell".

📺 Remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the General Debate of 80th Session of the UN General Assembly. Key points (Unofficial translation): • 80 years ago the most terrible war in human history came to an end. More than 70 million people fell victim to hostilities, hunger and disease. In 1945 the course of world history changed forever. We hold sacred the memory of brotherhood-in-arms with all Allies who then stood on the side of truth in the struggle against the forces of evil. • #UNCharterIsOurRules The principles and the Charter agreed upon by the founding fathers of our Organization still serve as a bright beacon for international cooperation. • We advocate for the unconditional observance of the principle of equality. In it lies the guarantee that all countries can take their rightful place in world affairs, regardless of their military power, population size, territory or economy. • Russia strongly condemned the Hamas militants’ attack on peaceful Israelis on October 7, 2023. However, there is no justification for the brutal killing of Palestinian civilians, just as there is no justification for terrorism. • The Arabic language is not banned in Israel, nor is Hebrew in Arab countries or Iran – but the Russian language is banned in Ukraine. Let me recall that Article 1 of the Charter speaks of the need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion. Europe remains silent, obsessed with the utopian goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. • The rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in the territories still under the control of the Kiev regime must be fully restored. On this basis we are ready to discuss the security guarantees for Ukraine. • Russia and the US bear a special responsibility for world affairs, for avoiding risks that could plunge humanity into a new war. • The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) and #BRICS play a special role as mechanisms for coordination of countries of the Global South and East. • NATO is already cramped in Europe, and it is expanding into the Pacific Ocean, the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, undermining the universal ASEAN mechanisms and creating threats not only to China and Russia but also to other countries in the region. • Speaking of the future, we must not forget the lessons of the past – especially when Nazism is once again raising its head in Europe, militarization is gaining momentum under the same anti-Russian slogans. This causes particular concern given that a number of political figures, now in power in Brussels and certain EU and NATO capitals, seriously discuss World War III as a possible scenario. • We call on member states and the Secretariat’s leadership to scrupulously follow all the Charter’s principles – without exception and without double standards. Then the legacy of the UN’s founding fathers will not be wasted. Watch / Read — English subs included 👆