On Wednesday, February 15, a so-called “government hour” was held at the State Duma, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov addressed parliamentarians on the topic “On actual issues of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation.” Following the Minister’s address, the members of the State Dums unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the activities of the Foreign Ministry.
The Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
noted an open and frank discussion: “If we had had the same discussion at the international level with other countries, many mistakes would have been avoided.”
“We are not alone. The majority of the world's population shares the position of the Russian Federation, our President Vladimir V. Putin on building a multipolar, just world order,” said Vyacheslav Volodin. He urged the parliamentarians to provide any assistance to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to implement that policy, relying on the Parliament.
The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that “there are a lot of attempts aimed at preventing Russia’s development, setting it back decades, or even completely stopping the country's development under the slogans of decolonization and preparation for disintegration.”
“At the same time, the Anglo-Saxons and the rest of unquestionably obeying the collective West are keen to impose at any cost their dictate in world affairs in order to continue to control the external conditions for the development of all mankind for their own supremacy, while using illegal methods of threats, blackmail, and even outright theft, to punish those states that pursue an independent nationally oriented policy,” emphasized Sergey Lavrov.
The Minister spoke in detail about the position on the situation in Ukraine: according to him, the West's line of turning the neighboring country into an anti-Russian foothold had reached the point of no return.
“The United States and its satellites have been waging an inclusive hybrid war against us, and they have been preparing for it for many years, using Ukrainian national radicals as a battering ram. The purpose of this war is not a secret: it is not only to defeat our country on the battlefield, destroying the Russian economy, but also to create a cordon sanitaire around our country, turn us into some kind of a rogue state,” emphasized Sergey Lavrov.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also drew attention to the fact that Western politicians lied about the organizers of the Nord Stream explosions, just as they had already done with the Minsk agreements. “We all heard the recent cynical statements of the former leaders of Germany and France, Merkel and Hollande, that they needed the Minsk agreements, approved by the UN Security Council, only to buy time and give Kiev opportunity to increase its military potential. In other words, everyone lied to us, and they are lying now, hiding the truth about the Nord Stream terrorist attacks,” stressed the Minister.
Sergey Lavrov recalled that former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and later Volodymyr Zelensky said almost the same: those public statements could mean “admission of guilt” for the disruption of the Minsk agreements, which Western leaders called as a non-alternative basis for a settlement in Donbass.
Attempts to isolate Russia have failed, according to Sergey Lavrov. “The foreign policy course approved by the President is effective,” stressed the Foreign Minister.
Moscow is actively enhancing cooperation with friendly countries. According to Sergey Lavrov, Moscow and Beijing are working to strengthen partnership. “Together with our Chinese friends, we are working vigorously to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership, which has reached a historically unprecedented high level. The current links between Moscow and Beijing cement the foundation of the emerging polycentric architecture,” emphasized the Foreign Minister.
According to him, a “we are developing special, privileged strategic partnership” with India, and ties with Brazil, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa are strengthening.
The Minister also mentioned the new foreign policy concept of Russia. According to him, it will be focused on the need to end the West's monopoly on the formation of frameworks of international life, that should be determined not by the selfish interests of Western countries, but “a fair balance of interests, as it is required by the UN Charter, which enshrines the principle of the sovereign equality of all states”.
Sergey Lavrov also commented on allegations by the official representative of the French Foreign Ministry that Russia was pursuing a neo-colonial policy in Africa: “That is a clinical case of an attempt to lay the fault at somebody else’s door. Paris together with other Eurogrands has committed numerous bloody crimes on the continent and treats Africa openly as its own backyard, makes accusations against Moscow, which played a leading, decisive role in liberating the continent from colonialism, in helping to establish their [African countries] statehood, forming the foundations of the economy and defense capability,” the Minister added.
Position of relevant committees
The Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky
Leonid Eduardovich
stressed that Russian foreign policy guided by Sergei Lavrov “is very successful”.
“I think that your speech will unite everyone who stands shoulder to shoulder supporting the President, everyone who strives for common sense, peace and a great victory over neo-Nazism and neo-colonialism, and, I am convinced, that we will soon see it,” emphasized Leonid Slutsky.
He recalled that all the State Duma factions united to support the head of the state and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Issues of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Contacts with Fellow Countryman Victor Vodolatsky
Victor Petrovich
called for a serious strengthening of the work of Russian NGOs in foreign countries, promoting the Russian language and Russian culture. “We hear from our counterparts that there is an increasing demand for that,” stressed the parliamentarian.
“Most of our colleagues from the post-Soviet countries drew attention to the fact that there is a lot of anti-Russian fake pro-Ukrainian content in social networks and messengers in their countries, and just a few objective coverage and assessments of the special military operation” emphasized the parliamentarian.
According to Victor Vodolatsky, “the situation should be changed tadically and very quickly.” In his opinion, in particular, it is necessary to more actively involve those Russians who permanently live abroad in the “work to bring the truth.”
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Issues of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Contacts with Fellow Countryman urged to withdraw from international organizations “where a Russophobic policy is being pursued.”
Factions’ proposals
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Dmitry Novikov
Dmitry Georgievich
said that the CPRF faction would definitely welcome the holding of any forum on the need to counter neo-colonialism. He also recalled the Communists' initiative to hold a world anti-fascist forum and expressed hope that the Foreign Ministry would support the proposal.
In addition, speaking about the status of the Russian language in the world, Dmitry Novikov said that it would be great if as many people in the world as possible spoke Russian and “think good about Russia and friendship with our country.”
The parliamentarian also told all critics of the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo, that if opponents had any proposals on that issue, they should be announced, otherwise all efforts should be directed at the functioning mechanism supporting compatriots in foreign countries.
The position of the LDPR faction was presented by its leader, the Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky. In particular, he said that the State Duma had been preparing for the Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa”, which is planned to be held on March 19–20.
“Parliamentary diplomacy is actively “resupplying” the efforts and successes of our official diplomacy. We are working more closely than ever to promote the foreign policy agenda of the President of Russia,” stressed the parliamentarian and noting the unity of all factions on that issue.
“Russian diplomacy should not deviate from its principled position to protect our compatriots in foreign countries who are persecuted for political reasons. In particular, I mean those activists who do not support the demolition of monuments to the great feat of Soviet soldiers who liberated Europe from Nazism,” said Alexey Chepa
Alexey Vasilievich
, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs (A Just Russia – For Truth faction).
The parliamentarian also noted the faction's support for the Foreign Ministry's activities aimed at enhancement of cooperation with friendly countries on the African continent, Asia and Latin America.
“I consider it necessary to intensify political work with our friendly countries to prevent the adoption of anti-Russian resolutions in the future,” stressed Aleksey Chepa.
“It is important for us how the special military operation will end, but no less important is what kind of assessment will be given to those events in the mass consciousness,” said Sangadzhi Tarbaev
Sangadzhi Andreyevich
, the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure. “This is a war for minds and influence”, he added. According to the parliamentarian, it is important what a neutral audience thinks about the current events.
According to a representative of the New People faction, there is a need for simple and massive tools to convey our position, and tourism can be one of them.
“We should give foreigners the opportunity to see with their own eyes who we really are. There are several proposals: I would suggest thinking about the format of a single visa for tourists visiting the CIS countries, using the Schengen example. Arrived in Tashkent, but you are able to visit Moscow. Arrived in Astana, come to Sheregesh,” said Sangadzhi Tarbaev.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs (the United Russia faction) Vyacheslav Nikonov
Vyacheslav Alexeyevich
said: “We saw that the desire of the United States to maintain global hegemony is behind that, but the hegemon is no longer the same.”
“We are getting rid of dependence on the European Union, on the so-called European law, European so-called values, as there is really nothing behind them,” the parliamentarian emphasized and added that Europe stopped being the center of world politics and turned into the “51st US state.”
He also called for the intellectual decolonization of Russia.
