Embassy of Russia in Singapore

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview to the TV BRICS international media network (Moscow, February 9, 2026) Read in full Key talking points • The global arena is undergoing a transformation that began some time ago with the objective transition toward a multipolar world order. This is neither the bipolarity of the Soviet-American era with the Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, nor the unipolarity that emerged after the Soviet Union’s collapse. <...> Multiple centres of rapid economic growth, power, and financial and political influence have thus emerged. • It is equally important that we develop action plans tailored for each partner country covering trade and economic cooperation, investment, scientific collaboration, and coordinated activity on the international stage, including at the United Nations and other organisations, based on agreements reached between presidents and prime ministers. Particular attention is devoted to #CIS, #EAEU, #CSTO, and the post-Soviet space at large. This day-to-day work relies on long-term planning and delivers tangible mutual benefits to both Russia and its partners. • Multiple centres of rapid economic growth, power, and financial and political influence have thus emerged. The world is being reshaped through competition. The West is reluctant to relinquish its formerly dominant positions. • Safeguarding security demands sustained action to ensure that the Nazi state established on our borders in Ukraine – and supported by the West as a vehicle for renewed confrontation – cannot continue to exist in its present form. Nazi foundations must be eliminated. We will ensure, and I have no doubt about it, our own security interests, by preventing the deployment on Ukrainian territory of any weapons threatening us, and, second, by guaranteeing reliable and full protection for the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking people, who have been living in Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya for centuries, and whom the Kiev regime that came to power after a coup declared subhuman “species” and “terrorists” and unleashed a civil war against. • Russia chaired#BRICS in 2024. At that time, a summit was held in Kazan, and a number of our initiatives were put into action: alternative payment platforms, payment mechanisms in national currencies, the creation of reinsurance opportunities for trade within BRICS and between the association and its partners, the creation of a grain exchange, and a new investment platform. All this is not to spite anyone, especially the United States. This is due to the fact that the United States seeks to bring all processes in the areas I mentioned under its strict control and demands unilateral concessions. Without giving up contacts with them, to the extent that they are willing to engage on a mutually beneficial basis, we are interested, together with our BRICS partners, in creating an architecture that will not be subject to the illegal actions of one or another player from the Western flank. • The Greater Eurasian Partnership was bound to appear on the agenda. Many years ago, at the 2015 Russia – #ASEAN Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested this term which is based on an objective trend of Eurasia becoming the biggest, richest and fastest-growing continent, especially its Pacific part. It is the most heavily-populated continent which, importantly, has seen several great civilisations emerge and continue to exist – the Chinese, Indian, Arab, Persian and Russian civilisations. ☝️ It is for a reason that our initiative on building a common Eurasian security architecture, set forward by President Putin in 2024, is gaining momentum. It is increasingly attracting interest.

#Intervision 🎤 On September 20, the final of the international music contest "Intervision" will take place at the Live Arena venue. Artists from over 20 countries will participate, including states from #BRICS, #CIS, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A video adress to the contest participants was sent by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 🔊The participants’ musical tracks are available to listen to👇 🇷🇺Russia — SHAMAN, “Straight to the Heart” (VK) 🇧🇾Belarus — Nastya Kravchenko, “Moth” (VK) 🇧🇷Brazil — Luciano Calazans & Thais Nader, “Popcorn with Love” (VK) 🇨🇳China — Wang Xi, “天边” (VK) 🇨🇴Colombia — Nidia Góngora, “En Los Manglares” (VK) 🇨🇺Cuba — Zulema Iglesias Salazar, “Guaguancó” (VK) 🇪🇬Egypt — Mustafa Saad, “Ben elbanat” (VK) 🇰🇿Kazakhstan — AMRE, “Steppe Light” (VK) 🇰🇪Kenya — Sanaipei Tande, “Flavour” (VK) 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan — The Nomad Trio, “Jalgiz saga” (VK) 🇲🇬Madagascar — Denise & D-Lain, “Tiako Hanjeky” (VK) 🇶🇦Qatar — Dana Al Meer, “Huwa Dha Anta” (VK) 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia — Zena Emad, “Mojrd Ham” (VK) 🇷🇸Serbia — Slobodan Trkulja, “Three Little Roses” (VK) 🇿🇦South Africa — Mzansi Jikelele, “Home” (VK) 🇹🇯Tajikistan — Farrukh Hasanov, “Burn!” (VK) 🇺🇸USA — Brandon Howard, “We Are Champions” (VK) 🇻🇪Venezuela — Omar Acedo, “La Fiesta de la Paz” (VK) 🇻🇳Vietnam — Duc Phuc, “Phù Đổng Thiên Vương” (VK) 👉Competition Website *** 📆 Reminder: Press conference on the preparation and holding of the international music contest "Intervision" will be held at 11 am on September 16, at the Reception House of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Spiridonovka St., 17). Participants: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Head of the Organizing Committee of the international music contest “Intervision” Dmitry Chernyshenko and General Director of the Channel One Russia Konstantin Ernst. We also wish to inform that First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Sergey Kiriyenko, will also attend the press conference. 📍 September 16, 11:00 — Moscow, Spiridonovka St., 17 Russian and foreign journalists are invited to attend the press conference. 👉Learn more

🗓 Observed on June 26, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was established as per UN General Assembly Resolution 42/112 in 1987. On this day, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has a tradition of releasing its annual World Drug Report. It has shown that the situation regarding narcotic drugs around the world has been deteriorating. ☝️Russia views countering the drug threat as one of its priorities in terms of ensuring national security with the corresponding provisions set forth in the State Anti-Narcotics Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2030. In accordance with these provisions, Russia has been consistent in its efforts to promote a comprehensive and balanced approach combining effective law enforcement initiatives with evidence-based drug abuse prevention, treatment and rehabilitation policies for drug users. Having all states coordinate their efforts is the only possible pathway for overcoming the existing drug-related challenges. Three dedicated UN conventions adopted in 1961, 1971, and 1988 offer a solid foundation for facilitating ties in this domain. These instruments have proven their worth and remain relevant. The Russian Federation insists that revising these fundamental documents would be unacceptable, including in terms of legalising controlled substances. Russia believes that legislative initiatives in several countries to end bans and enact government regulations with the view to enabling people to use narcotics for non-medical purposes would not only have a negative bearing on the way the public views drug-related risks, but also constitutes a blatant violation of these conventions. ❗️ The Russian Federation insists that it is essential for the international community to promote constructive cooperation that is not guided by a political agenda or vested political interests, including within the relevant platforms. As a responsible member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Russia continues to proactively contribute to developing a global drug policy and supports other countries in their commitment to do away with the narcotics issue. Russia praises its partners within the #CIS, the #SCO, the #CSTO, #ASEAN and #BRICS for their cooperation on the anti-narcotics agenda which consists of ensuring strict compliance with the relevant conventions and resolving the global narcotics issue. Russia is committed to performing its obligations in good faith, as confirmed by our country’s efforts to work with international organisations on a wide range of projects to this effect. The recent achievements in this sphere include launching a UNODC-sponsored career enhancement course for officers from Egypt’s anti-narcotics administration at the Siberian Institute of Law of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation in Krasnoyarsk. The Russian Federation will continue to act as a donor in this sector by offering its partners in Central Asia, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan and other regions educational projects on law enforcement matters, as well as working with young people to prevent drug abuse. Russia attaches special importance and attention to the availability of controlled substances for medical and research purposes, which is especially relevant for developing countries. Our country provides financial support to the International Narcotics Control Board, enabling it to hold regular training sessions on this topic across the world. The latest event of this kind took place in January 2025 and included ten countries in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. It generated a lot of enthusiasm among its participants. 🤝 Russia reaffirms its commitment to expanding its cooperation and promoting constructive dialogue with all the interested parties in order to unite like-minded actors in a consolidated effort to preserve the existing global drug-control framework and build a society free from drug abuse.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the meeting with delegation of the Permanent Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (Perm, May 29, 2025) 💬 Sergey Lavrov: Dear colleagues, dear friends, This is the year when the International Conference of Asian Political Parties commemorates its 25th anniversary. And because of their reputation and their authority, they are a platform for exchanging views and experience in the context of party-to-party cooperation. Cooperation at this level is one of our priorities. It's a very useful addition to the so-called classical diplomacy and that contributes a lot to promoting mutual trust, mutual understanding between peoples. The creation of the conference is a signal, a very clear signal to the entire world. And very timely response to reconsider the place of the Asian countries in international and global developments. We assess very positively the increase of the political work of your conference. And we see with pleasure the sustainable process of expanding your influence in the continental architecture, in the architecture of regional organizations, some of which are experiencing erosion of their influence, if not degradation, since they abandoned practically all of the key principles of the UN Charter. I have in mind such organizations on our Eurasian continent as the European Union, which became more Euro-Atlantic than Eurasian following NATO. <...> In the last 10-15 years, all these principles including equal and indivisible security, including the statement that no one, be it the country or organization, should prepare to dominate in Europe, all this was abandoned, violated. 🌐 We need Eurasia of course. And by the way, Eurasia is the biggest, the richest continent. The continent which, unlike Africa and Latin America, is home of several world civilizations with thousands and thousands of years of history. <...> #Eurasia is the only continent which doesn't have any universal continental structure, like African Union in Africa, like CELAC in Latin America. We have quite a lot, many integrational movements, organizations which address security issues, like Shanghai Cooperation Organization, #ASEAN, Collective Security Treaty Organization (#CSTO), Commonwealth of Independent States (#CIS) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (#GCC), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (#SAARC) and there is no umbrella. We are very much in favor of promoting party-to-party dialogue. Our ruling party, United Russia, in cooperation with other parliamentary parties and their fractions is promoting very actively this kind of cooperation. And I will highlight the initiative of United Russia of last year, when they convened a meeting of various parties to consider methods of fighting the new forms of colonialism and neo-colonialism. <...> A movement created on the basis of the conference, which is called "Freedom of Nations". ☝️ The inadmissibility of neo-colonial forms of exploitation is one of the agenda items of the Group of Friends of the UN Charter. Last year, we initiated, through this group, the resolution of the UN Committee on Decolonization. The draft resolution supported by this committee was accepted by the UN General Assembly. <..> A clear majority supported it. The idea is to announce the 14th of December, the day of the adoption of The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of 1960, as a date of fighting the new forms of neo-colonialism. Сolonial exploitation was very blunt. Slaves, you know, digging the resources and leaving the countries in very poor condition. If you take the economic system in the world, countries, especially in Africa, mostly produce, they provide natural resources to the western countries We would like to promote the movement to resolve this injustice. Without fighting any country, we never want to isolate any country from cooperation, but cooperation must be based on equal footing, just principles. 🤝 We express our readiness to cooperate with your conference.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues(Moscow, May 28, 2025) Key talking points: 💬 Global South and East countries are becoming increasingly vocal when discussing and addressing the most urgent and key challenges the world is facing today. This reflects a tectonic shift in international politics, which took place over the past years and continues to this day. It primarily consists of an accelerated emergence of a multipolar world order, as well as new centres of development across the Eurasian continent, Africa and Latin America taking on a bigger role in the global distribution of power. • #BRICS exemplifies constructive multilateral cooperation among major international actors and their partners representing various continents, cultures and religions. It has firmly established itself as one of the pillars of a multipolar world order and a champion of the Global Majority on the international stage. • Upholding international law and seeking guidance from the principles of equality and neighbourly relations, as well as mutual respect and taking into account each other’s interests guarantees peace and stability. • The conflict in Ukraine (and more fundamentally, the profound security crisis across Europe) was triggered precisely by NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion over decades that was in direct contravention of the solemn assurances by American and European leaders to both Soviet and Russian leadership regarding the alliance’s non-expansion. • The alliance [NATO] is now taking steps to operate outside its area of responsibility, seeking to move into the Asia-Pacific region — the Indo-Pacific, as they call it — threatening to undermine the #ASEAN-centric security architecture that has developed there over decades and allowed the countries in the region and their partners in different parts of the world to successfully cooperate. This causes deep concern for the future of ASEAN and the future well-being of its member states. • We advocate for the creation, under current conditions, of a global security architecture rooted in the objective trends of multipolarity, the emergence of new growth centres, and one that guarantees equal conditions for the peaceful development of all states without exception. <...> The foundation for this already exists – the UN Charter. What is required is for all to adhere to it in good faith. • A crucial step towards the goal of global security is the formation of an architecture of equal and indivisible security on the Eurasian continent — the most expansive and resource-rich region, the stability of which underpins the resilience of a multipolar world. • Russia does not seek to impose anything on anyone and is ready to engage in mutually respectful dialogue with everyone. We will keep perfecting the existing security mechanisms and put them to use as part of our engagement with the #CSTO, #CIS, and the #SCO. • As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia is aware of the responsibility it has for international relations in all their aspects on the international stage, including in terms of promoting peace, strategic stability, conflict settlement and a unifying agenda. Read in full

🎙 FM Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions from teachers and students of the Armenian branches of Russian universities, members of the expert community, and activists of the youth wing of the Eurasia Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation (Yerevan, May 21, 2025) 💬 Subsequent to the meeting between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in autumn 2024 – during which our leaders resolved to reinstate comprehensive contacts across all areas, as these had, to a certain degree, lapsed somewhat in the period preceding their discussions – and in accordance with the leaders’ understanding, I received Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan who visited Moscow in January. We are now here on a reciprocal visit. We are engaging in the frankest discussions – not only on matters positively received by both capitals and conducive to expanding mutually beneficial projects, but also on issues where our perspectives diverge. This includes, notably, the processes unfolding in the South Caucasus, where, broadly speaking, two trends are in contention. The first trend involves respecting the sovereign choices of the countries situated here – the nations of the South Caucasus, Transcaucasia – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia – while also acknowledging the legitimate interests of their immediate neighbours: Russia, Iran, and Türkiye. <...> The second trend is precisely that our Western counterparts – primarily the European Union, <...> openly sought to extend their dominant influence over this region, to bend unfolding processes to their will, and to prevent the consolidation of the three South Caucasus states with their major neighbours – Russia, Iran, and Türkiye. This objective persists. This trend, this modus operandi of our Western colleagues, is not unique to the South Caucasus but extends to Central Asia and other parts of our vast, shared continent. <...> In contrast, our stance is based on equality, mutual respect and, above all, the principles that have been set out in the UN Charter and are approved by everyone without exception. <...> The promise not to expand NATO has been thrown down the drain. <...> We have warned them over the past 20 years, almost on the daily basis, that all this could come to grief. But after the 2014 coup d’etat, they began converting Ukraine to an “anti-Russia.” <...> So now, when they tell us: Let us have a ceasefire and then we’ll see, we say: No way, guys, we have been through it all before. We don’t want it that way any longer. And so today, when all these Macrons, Starmers, Ursulas von der Leyen, and other European characters are writhing in hysterics and urging the US to join the anti-Russia crusade and increase the number of sanctions, this is a complete giveaway for them. *** Geopolitics and geography alike underscore the necessity of building bridges among all nations across the Eurasian continent. This means, first and foremost, fostering cooperation among the existing regional structures: the #SCO, the #EAEU, the #CSTO, the #CIS, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the GCC, and ASEAN. <...> However, there are those who are intent on preventing such a mutually beneficial unification of the countries across Eurasia, including those in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Nevertheless, we continue to advance this effort. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has proposed the creation of a Greater Eurasian Partnership, rooted in practical cooperation and the interaction of existing integration structures, which would serve as the foundation for a future Eurasian security architecture. <...> 🤝 We anticipate that Armenia will take part in these processes. We fully respect the desire of our Armenian partners to develop relations with other countries, whether European or non-European, and with international organisations across various regions. Read in full

#Announcement 🗓 On May 27-29, 2025, in Moscow, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoigu will chair the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. Invitations to participate in this forum have been extended to more than 150 states of the Global South and East, the #CIS, #CSTO, #EAEU, and #SCO countries, as well as to the leaders of more than 20 international organisations. The agenda of the 13th forum focuses on international security cooperation. ℹ️ The Security Council of the Russian Federation has been holding the annual international meetings of high representatives in charge of security issues since 2010. It is an important international platform for exchange of views on all global security-related issues and mechanisms to strengthen cooperation between partner countries to combat international terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, as well as new challenges and threats.

🇺🇳 The Russian Federation completed its Presidency in the United Nations Security Council on July 31. Its packed agenda revolved around three central events, with the first two of them attended by FM Sergey Lavrov. On July 16, we held a high-level open debate titled “Multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order,” which reaffirmed the need to hold detailed discussions dealing with the underpinnings of the emerging multipolar world order, the objective to reinforce a UN-centred system of international relations, as well as the need to carry out a comprehensive review of the root causes of present-day conflicts and to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome them. The fact that the Global Majority tends to distrust the infamous Western concept of a rules-based world order was also mentioned during the debate. On July 17, the Security Council held a quarterly ministerial-level debate on the agenda item titled “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.” During this meeting, participants discussed the situation in the region with all its tension, while placing a special emphasis on the escalating violence in the Arab-Israeli conflict zone for finding ways out of this unprecedented crisis. In addition to this, the UNSC held separate meetings on July 26 and 31 on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the assassination of the Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. On July 19, the UNSC held a debate (https://russiaun.ru/en/news/190724_vershininunsc) titled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (#CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (#CIS), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO).” In his remarks, Deputy FM Sergey Vershinin stressed the importance for the UN to work closer with constructive regional organisations. <...> In addition to this, Russia’s UNSC Presidency included all the events as part of the mandate-reporting cycle. 👉 The Middle East bloc included meetings on Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. 👉 The African agenda covered discussions of the situation in West Africa, the Sahara and Sahel region, and the DR Congo. 👉 The council also touched upon peacebuilding efforts in Columbia and the start of deploying the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti. 👉 We exchanged views on the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Cyprus settlement. ❗️The Ukraine crisis remained high on the agenda. On July 9, Western countries convened a Security Council meeting in connection with the tragic incident involving a children’s hospital in Kiev. During the debate, the Russian delegation refuted accusations by its opponents and shared evidence demonstrating that the Ukrainian air defence systems were to blame for the incident. On July 25, Russia initiated a UNSC meeting to discuss the unrelenting flow of Western weapons into Ukraine, which delays a settlement in this conflict and leads to more victims. The Security Council adopted four resolutions in July: ✅ on focusing the CAR arms embargo on illegal armed groups; ✅ extending the mandates for the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti; ✅ regarding the UN Focal Point on delisting-related matters and re-establishing the Informal Working Group of the Security Council on General UNSC Sanctions Issues. 🇺🇳 Russia went to great lengths to enable the Security Council to be effective and responsive in its work. We encouraged our colleagues within the Council to come up with collective responses when dealing with challenges to peace and security, while seeking guidance from a holistic view of the purposes and principles set forth in the UN Charter and their inter-connected nature.

🎙Briefing by Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department’s Deputy Director Andrey Nastasin(July 31, 2024) 🔹Assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh 🔹 Israel’s strike against Beirut 🔹 Ukrainian crisis 🔹 Kiev’s decision to cut off the Druzhba oil pipeline 🔹 Situation in Moldova 🔹 Japan and the US renew an agreement on the parameters of lethal arms exports 🔹 Statements by IOC President Thomas Bach 🔹 Interim results of Russia’s #CIS Chairmanship in the first six months of 2024 🔹 80 years of liberating Kaunas from Nazi invaders 🔹 The 80th Anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Lebanon 🔹 Prospects of #RussiaALBA cooperation 📰 Read 📺Watch #KievRegimeCrimes ❗️Kiev continues to detain church hierarchs under far-fetched pretexts, holding them under arrest for months without recourse to court, and openly declaring its desire to use the clergy in POW swaps. Illegal takeovers of Ukrainian Orthodox Church churches by representatives of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian police continue. ▪️ July 11 – the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Kiev Region was taken away from the believers; ▪️ July 18 – St Nicholas Church in the Khmelnytsky Region was taken away; ▪️ June 28 – a court in Ternopol denied the UOC the right to use the local cathedral; ▪️ July 5 – a Kiev court seized the Yeletsky Monastery from the UOC. No matter how hard Zelensky’s regime tries to fulfill the its American masters’ order to destroy canonical Orthodoxy, he will not succeed. True faith will forever remain in the hearts of millions of Ukrainians. #Moldova ⚠️ We have repeatedly pointed out that the Moldovan authorities are leading the country along the same path as that taken by Ukraine and the Baltic states. This trend continues. On July 25, Prime Minister Dorin Recean welcomed the launch of a Moldovan website identical to the Ukrainian Myrotvorets facility. According to him, initiatives like this one are what will help build Moldova’s “European future.” Such unrealistic statements and incompetent actions by the country’s leadership are causing growing protests not only in Moldova itself, but also in Moldovan diasporas abroad, including in Western Europe. <...> 👉 All of this is a logical outcome of the policy aimed at dismantling the country’s statehood and national identity and at renouncing the traditional values. It is for a reason that the Moldovans display warm feelings towards Russia, which has always treated Moldova as an equal partner, and openly laugh at the “Russian threat” allegations. We remain friends. All attempts to destroy this are doomed.

🌐 A meeting in the SCO Plus format was held in Astana. Taking part in the meeting were: • the Leaders of #SCO Member States, • the Heads of delegations from SCO observer countries and dialogue partners, • the Heads of international organisations (the #UN, the #EEC, the Islamic Organisation for Food Security, the #CSTO, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, #CICA, and the #CIS); • the guests of Kazakhstan’s Presidency. The Russian delegation attending the meeting includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov. The theme of the SCO Plus meeting is Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development. The agenda includes international and regional issues related to the SCO’s cooperation with invited countries. *** 💬 Vladimir Putin: I believe the growing interest in the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation stems from our core values and ideals: a commitment to pursuing a sovereign and independent policy, alongside a collaborative approach with other countries to find collective solutions to global problems. These principles resonate with many around the world. Our association has always emphasised the importance of considering the opinions and perspectives of a broad range of partners, respecting each state’s inalienable right to choose its own development model. It is evident that the SCO is now one of the biggest and most influential regional organisations. As our chairman mentioned, its member countries are home to nearly half of the world’s population, produce about a quarter of the global GDP, and possess substantial intellectual and technological potential, as well as a significant portion of the world’s natural resources. The active participation of the SCO in multilateral cooperation across various fields is particularly crucial in the current challenging international landscape, where fundamental political and economic transformations are taking place. ☝️ The world is becoming genuinely multipolar, with an increasing number of states ready to decisively assert their legitimate rights and interests. New centres of power are emerging, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is solidifying its position as one of these key centres. Therefore, the topic we have brought up for discussion is highly relevant: Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving Towards a Sustainable Peace and Prosperity. This theme encapsulates the core mission of the SCO since its inception in 2001 – fostering an atmosphere of security and trust throughout our shared Eurasian region. In this context, we appreciate the sincere and concrete proposals from SCO member countries for the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, a result of the reckless and intrusive policies of the United States and its satellites. As you know, Russia has never refused to negotiate, and is now ready to continue peace talks. It is Ukraine that withdrew from the talks, and it also did so publicly, on direct orders from London – which means Washington was also involved, there is no doubt about it – as Ukrainian officials have admitted bluntly and openly. The Istanbul agreements – we have to give credit to the President of Türkiye, Mr Erdogan, for agreeing to be part of that process as a mediator – are still on the table. They were initialed by Ukraine’s chief negotiator, which means that, to all appearances, Ukraine found them acceptable. These agreements, the Istanbul agreements, remain on the table and can be used as a starting point for further negotiation. The SCO member states coordinate their actions on the international track, including at the United Nations, and their foreign policy approaches are largely in accord or closely aligned.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministers Council (Almaty, June 21, 2024) 💬 At the meeting of the Foreign Ministers Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, we focused on preparations for the CSTO Summit scheduled for November of this year in Astana. <...> During the discussions on the state of affairs in the world, we paid special attention to the agenda related to shaping a Eurasian security architecture that will replace the discredited Euro-Atlantic security arrangements. President of Russia Vladimir Putin focused on this in his remarks at the Foreign Ministry on June 14. <...> In the same Eurasian interaction context, we have agreed to build up cooperation and joint practical projects with the CIS and the SCO. Among other things, there is a shared interest in using these organisations’ potential for more effective anti-terrorist actions. ✔️ In the context of the fight against terrorism and new challenges and threats, we have approved a draft programme to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border. <...> It will be submitted for approval to the heads of state. ✍️ A document has been signed, which provides an additional impetus to the CSTO’s peacekeeping activities, including in cooperation with the UN peacekeeping operations. This is a very promising line. We see much potential there. We have agreed to step up biosecurity efforts at the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils and have created a coordination committee on the biological aspects of security. It is currently chaired by the Republic of Kazakhstan. <...> 🇺🇳 On July 19, Russia will chair a UN Security Council meeting in New York on the council’s cooperation with the #CSTO, #CIS and the #SCO. <...> We have invited CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov to speak at that meeting. Read in full