Embassy of Russia in Singapore

🗓 On May 23-24, Moscow hosted the #ASEAN Regional Forum’s third security workshop aimed at combating the use of information and communications technologies (#ICT) for criminal purposes. Co-chaired by the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the Kingdom of Thailand, the workshop was attended by over 300 experts from law enforcement agencies, foreign ministries, and academic and business circles of ASEAN countries, East Timor, India, Mongolia and North Korea, as well as specialists from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. 🔹 The participants exchanged views and shared best practices on countering terrorism and extremism on the internet, ICT-aided trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and online fraud. 🔹 They considered various aspects of utilising advanced technologies, including AI, to combat cybercrime and protect personal data. 🔹 A focus was placed on building up efforts to implement the mandate of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes. 🤝 Russia, together with its ARF partners, intends to continue holding annual workshops on international cooperation in fighting the use of ICT for criminal purposes to enhance the capabilities of nations in the Asia Pacific Region.

🇷🇺🇺🇸Russian Ambassador to the USAnatoly Antonov gave an interview to Newsweek magazine (May 25, 2024) Key talking points: 💬 Any Russian-Ukrainian agreements must take into account the situation 'on the ground'. Retreat or withdrawal of the Russian Federation Armed Forces to hypothetical dividing lines is excluded. Let us remind you: there is a Constitution of Russia. The borders of our state, which include new federal subjects, are clearly stated there. • President Vladimir Putin indicated that the Russian Federation needs tangible, legally enshrined 'on paper' security guarantees. But, based on the current situation in Ukraine, it is not clear who exactly can sign the document, taking into account the termination of Zelensky's term of office. This figure has already lost its legitimacy. • In fact, this initiative ["peace summit" in Switzerland] is nothing more than a profanation [of an idea] designed to distract the world community from the key problems of our time. Replacing serious diplomatic and legal work with empty talk and repetition of political slogans will not work. • If Russian proposals for peace talks in Washington are ignored yet again, the Ukrainians will lose much more territory than they currently have. Read in full

🌍 Today (May 25) is African Liberation Day or #AfricaDay. On this day in 1963, the first conference of African governments took place in Addis Ababa, paving the way to the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity, which later evolved into the African Union. This was how the first stage in the decolonisation process on the African continent reached its culminating point. 👉Follow this link to read our feature article on Africa Day. Long before the Europeans arrived in Africa, it was home to developed, self-sufficient and sustainable economies with their own homegrown governance models, as well as production and reproduction paradigms which were in sync with the continent’s environmental and climate imperatives. It was during the Age of Discovery that Europeans started intensively exploiting Africa’s natural and human resources for enriching their countries, with the Portuguese and Spanish becoming the first nations to establish trade routes along Africa’s western coast. ⛓⛓ European powers relied on slave trade as their main method for generating maximum returns. The discovery of the New World brought about a boom for this kind of trade since European colonisers needed free labour to gain a foothold in the Americas. It started by sending slaves from Europe, but by the mid-16th century there were already slave ships heading to the New World across the Atlantic directly from Africa. Apart from slave trade, Europeans exploited Africa’s rich natural resources. They exported its gold, ivory and other valuable goods. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this policy of exploiting African resources by the European colonial powers, i.e., Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium, morphed into an all-out effort to subjugate the continent. This brought about and reinforced national liberation movements across the continent and resulted in African counties achieving their independence in the 1960s. 📃 The Soviet Union played a key role in pressuring the UN General Assembly to pass the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples proclaiming the need to end colonialism and discrimination in all its forms. Our country has played an essential role in proactively assisting African nations in their struggle for independence and played an important role in helping establish these young nations. In fact, the USSR helped build 37 African economies by signing bilateral economic and technical cooperation agreements with them. Soviet military advisors and military experts worked in Angola, Ethiopia, Egypt, Mozambique and several other African countries at different times. 🇷🇺🤝🌍 Today, efforts to develop multi-pronged, comprehensive cooperation with African states constitutes a major foreign policy priority for Russia. Held in July 2023 in St Petersburg, the Second Russia-Africa Summit served as anew and major impetus for developing our relations with countries across this region in all their aspects. ❌ Not only are Western powers continuing to exploit the African nations by siphoning off their resources and helping their corporations earn hefty profits, but also seek to defend their own unsightly record there. In their effort to falsify history they have gone beyond their attempts to rewrite the fundamental causes, course and outcomes of World War II and went on to engage in a cynical, albeit tacit, campaign to sweep the colonial-era horrors under the carpet. The West is trying to pretend that it has nothing to do with the suffering many generations of Africans have had to endure, including racism, slave trade and punitive operations. ☝️But Africa remembers it all. #AfricaDay

🎙 Russia's MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on the UNGA’s resolution on the Srebrenica genocide 💬 On May 23, the UNGA voted for a resolution establishing July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH). The document was adopted by a vote of 84 in favour to 19 against (Russia included), with 68 abstentions, while 21 countries did not vote. This document is yet another irresponsible attempt by the West to rewrite history and seal the interpretation of the ethnic conflict in former Yugoslavia and related events that suits their geopolitical interests. ☝️ It is a resolution of a pronounced politicised and anti-Serb nature. <...> Worse still, the sponsors and supporters of this document in the UNGA had the audacity to declare ‘promoting interethnic reconciliation and unity of the three state-forming peoples of BiH (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats)’ as its purpose. We strongly believe that the move will have the reverseeffect. The sponsors of the resolution and those who voted for it cannot be unaware of the difficult situation in BiH <...>. The document adopted by the General Assembly will only exacerbate the existing differences, increase the conflict potential in the Balkans, and jeopardise the Dayton Agreement which provides the basis for BiH’s statehood. Sarajevo political representatives have been pushing for this resolution <...>, thereby grossly violating the Constitution of BiH and the Dayton Agreement, which requires a consensus decision of the Presidency of BiH. Their idea was strongly supported by representatives of NATO countries, which bear the main responsibility for the tragic events in Yugoslavia, including in Srebrenica. We highlighted the threats to the Dayton Agreement, including those stemming from the adoption of the resolution on Srebrenica. <...> Western representatives would not to listen to us or to the Serbs. ❗️ They will be responsible for the disastrous consequences. Read in full

🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's response to a media question during a joint press conference following Russian-Belarusian talks 💬VladimirPutin: Russia has never turned these negotiations down. Moreover, we started these talks in Belarus at some point and then moved them to Istanbul, Turkiye, at the request of the Ukrainian side. We reached certain agreements and drafted an agreement. Moreover, the head of the negotiating group from Ukraine initialed an extract from the potential agreement, meaning that the Ukrainian side was overall satisfied with it, as was the Russian Side. • After the former British Prime Minister arrived in Kiev, the Ukrainian side tossed out these agreements and stopped acting on them. Moreover, they said the talks were over. They said so publicly, we were not the ones to terminate these talks. They did it and made it illegal for themselves to continue these talks. We did not forbid anyone to negotiate, since we are in favour of negotiations. • The discussions about the need to resume talks are back. Let them be back, but they should return not because one country wants then to return, but they must return on the basis of the principled agreements that had been reached during the difficult talks in Belarus and Turkiye, and on the basis of today’s realities on the ground. We are ready for this. • We realise that the current head of state [Zelensky] is no longer legitimate. • We, of course, must understand with whom we need and can deal with a view to signing legally binding documents. In this case, we must be absolutely sure that we are dealing with the legitimate authorities. Read in full

🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's response to a media question during a joint press conference following Russian-Belarusian talks 💬VladimirPutin: Russia has never turned these negotiations down. Moreover, we started these talks in Belarus at some point and then moved them to Istanbul, Turkiye, at the request of the Ukrainian side. We reached certain agreements and drafted an agreement. Moreover, the head of the negotiating group from Ukraine initialed an extract from the potential agreement, meaning that the Ukrainian side was overall satisfied with it, as was the Russian Side. • After the former British Prime Minister arrived in Kiev, the Ukrainian side tossed out these agreements and stopped acting on them. Moreover, they said the talks were over. They said so publicly, we were not the ones to terminate these talks. They did it and made it illegal for themselves to continue these talks. We did not forbid anyone to negotiate, since we are in favour of negotiations. • The discussions about the need to resume talks are back. Let them be back, but they should return not because one country wants then to return, but they must return on the basis of the principled agreements that had been reached during the difficult talks in Belarus and Turkiye, and on the basis of today’s realities on the ground. We are ready for this. • We realise that the current head of state [Zelensky] is no longer legitimate. • We, of course, must understand with whom we need and can deal with a view to signing legally binding documents. In this case, we must be absolutely sure that we are dealing with the legitimate authorities. Read in full

#Opinion ✍️ Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the HSE & a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, member of the Russian International Affairs Council. A massive transformation is taking place in Russia, & the West is blind to it Read in full • Non-material values are coming back. Patriotism, reviled & derided in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, is re-emerging in force. • Russian popular culture is shedding – slowly, perhaps, but steadily – the habit of imitating what’s hot in the West. Instead, the traditions of Russian literature, including poetry, film, music are being revived and developed. A spike in domestic tourism has opened to ordinary Russians the treasures of their own country – until recently neglected. • Russian political culture is returning to its fundamentals. Unlike that of the West, but somewhat similar to the East – it is based on the model of a family. There is order, & there is a hierarchy; rights are balanced by responsibilities; the state is not a necessary evil but the principal public good and the top societal value. Politics, in the Western sense of a constant, often no-holds-barred competition, is viewed as self-serving & destructive; instead, those who are entrusted with being at the helm of the state are expected to arbitrate, to ensure harmony of various interests, etc. • The view of the West as Russia’s hereditary adversary has again gained prominence – <...> as a function of the West’s own policies, from providing Ukraine with weapons that kill Russian soldiers & civilians, to sanctions which in many ways are indiscriminate, to attempts to cancel Russian culture or to bar Russians from world sports. • The current confrontation with the West makes it imperative that some kind of a new ideological concept finally emerges, in which sovereignty & patriotism, law & justice take a central role. Western propaganda pejoratively refers to it as “Putinism” but, for most Russians, it may be simply described as “Russia’s way.”

🎙Read excerpts from the statement by Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE M.Buyakevich «On increasing military involvement of certain NATO and EU member States in yet more confrontation in and around Ukraine» (meeting of the OSCE PC, 23.05.2024) 💬 After legislative measures to tighten mobilization came into force in Ukraine on May 18, the risk of shutting down municipal utilities and critical infrastructure enterprises was announced by a number of municipal authorities. The reason is the forced mobilization of men of various professional qualifications ▪️ The problem of neo-Nazism as the ideological basis of the Kiev regime, as well as the presence of right-wing radicals within the Ukrainian armed formations is deliberately being silenced in the West. However, in May, the federal government of Germany officially admitted: the Kiev regime had sent to Germany for training such soldiers, who were later sent back to Ukraine because of propaganda of right-wing ideas. Moreover, special courses are being held in Germany to identify neo-Nazi symbolics among Ukrainian fighters 🇨🇭The conference on Ukraine planned for June in Switzerland makes no practical sense: It is being organized without Russia and does not take into account the security interests of our country. Any decisions developed there will have no prospects. This is well understood by the countries of the so-called «global South», which are very skeptical about participating in this gathering

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting (Astana, May 21, 2024) Key talking points: ▪️ At a group meeting of the heads of delegations with President of Kazakhstan and during the Ministerial Council meeting (https://t.me/MFARussia/20291), we expressed our deepest condolences and solidarity with the Iranian people, as well as confidence that Tehran will continue its foreign policy, including with regard to its active participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. • The #SCO remains one of the supporting pillars of the multipolar world order. It is well positioned to become a driving force behind transforming Eurasia into a single continental space of peace, stability, mutual trust and progress. • Security can be reliably ensured only by the Eurasian countries themselves, without the intervention of extra-regional forces. We observe such attempts on the part of the United States, the European Union and NATO, which strive to assume responsibility for everything that happens in the region. • We are all aware of the importance of intensifying the work of the SCO, considering its weight and role in Eurasia, and its partners, including the OSCE, the CIS, the EAEU, and ASEAN. • Developing common approaches to ensuring Eurasian security and cooperation by the countries of this continent is a crucial goal. We underscored that the SCO could well catalyse these processes with the involvement of other partners in the region. • The SCO has two observers and 14 dialogue partners. Recently, Laos and Algeria have applied for partner status. We discussed improving the efficiency of interaction with these countries within the SCO Plus format. 🇧🇾 Starting from the July summit, Belarus will become a full-fledged SCO member. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will take part in all events of the Astana summit without exception. The Belarusian minister attended our discussion. 🇲🇳 Mongolia is the obvious next candidate for SCO membership. Read in full: http://tiny.cc/wi87yz

🎙 Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov’s interview with PIR Center for Policy Studies (May 22, 2024) Key points: 💬 The interest towards #BRICS has been steadily growing against the backdrop of large-scale geopolitical challenges and dramatic changes taking place in the world today. • BRICS is seen as one of the pillars of a new, more equitable world order, which is designed to give all countries equal opportunities, to free the states of the Global South and Global East from the role of obedient suppliers of cheap labor and raw materials that the West imposes on them, and to consolidate the right of all nations for preserving their identity, self-determination, independent domestic and foreign policy, and protection of traditional values. Russia and other BRICS countries fully share this stance and are in favor of an honest partnership that denies any exceptionalism. • BRICS is an innovative format of interstate cooperation, bringing together different cultures and civilizations, countries with different economic and political systems <...>. Our common goal is a firm commitment to pursuing an independent domestic and foreign policy, defending sovereignty and our national interests. • As part of Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2024, we intend to continue developing strategic partnership on the basis of consensus and continuity, and work to enhance its role in world affairs. It's also reflected by the motto of the Russian BRICS Year “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”. • The BRICS Summit in October 2024, will be the culmination of the Russian year in BRICS. We intend to continue the tradition of organizing on the sidelines meetings with developing countries. That cooperation within the BRICS framework and its mechanisms of interaction with like-minded nations will enable the voice of the Global South to sound louder and clearer in the international arena, as well as to defend our national interests and the right to choose our own path of development. Read in full - tinyurl.com/2p9n9xyd #BRICS2024

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the 32nd Assembly of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (May 18, 2024) Key talking points: • Our people have once again shown profound confidence in President Putin and his policies, including foreign policy. Without a doubt, this fact puts our Ministry under significant obligations. We are working through the steps that are needed to continue to implement the revised Russian Foreign Policy Concept approved in March 2023 ( tinyurl.com/2prkbsk9 ). • The US-led West sticks to its official goal proclaimed even at the doctrinal level of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. • The very existence of our country is seen by many most aggressive Russophobes as a threat to the Washington-led golden billion’s global dominance. ☝️ Our approach will be to continue using diplomatic means to create proper conditions for the West to drop its hostile policies, and to help achieve the special military operation’s objectives. This will be the primary focus of our diplomacy. • Despite the intensity and high media profile of our confrontation with the West, Russia does not limit its foreign relations to a single area. 🌐 Our relations with Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America in various formats remain our foreign policy priority. We share much with the Global Majority, including a common vision for a multipolar world and a commitment to fundamental principles of country-to-country relations, including the main one – the sovereign equality of states. • Our actions on the Chinese and other non-Western foreign policy tracks evoke undisguised anger from the former hegemon and its satellites. Just look at how the US and its allies are trying by all means to prevent Global Majority countries from dealing with Russia and to embroil them into anti-Russia initiatives. • We will continue to keep consistently working to build new international balances, mechanisms, and instruments that serve the interests of Russia and its partners in line with the realities of a multipolar world. Full text - tinyurl.com/mryw599u

📰 Интервью заместителя Министра иностранных дел России А.Ю.Руденко газете «Комсомольская правда» (21 мая 2024 года) 🔹 Для нас #ШОС, #БРИКС и другие организации на евразийском пространстве являются одной из опор формирующегося многополярного мира. Чем сильнее эти организации, тем лучше. 🔹 Сейчас необходимо сконцентрироваться на том, как адаптировать ШОС к новому численному составу. Я имею в виду прошлогоднее вступление в ряды организации Ирана. А чуть позже в этому году – и Белоруссии. Всё же это новые члены. У них есть свои приоритеты, которые все члены ШОС должны учитывать. 🔹 Мы не собираемся спешить с расширением ШОС. Хотя очередь уже имеется. Порядка пяти-шести государств выразили желание подключиться к формату диалоговых партнёров ШОС. Для нас качество организации и её влияние на международные процессы, а также на развитие самих членов ШОС, гораздо важнее, чем чисто оптические параметры этого объединения. Читайте полностью: http://tiny.cc/05o6yz