The Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov addressed members of the State Duma during the “government hour” on the topic “On the priorities of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation”.
Chairmen of the relevant committees also made speeches at the plenary meeting. Representatives of all factions had a possibility to ask the Minister their questions.
“All the members of the State Duma welcome the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consider it effective,”
emphasized 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)
. He recalled that the day before “the government hour” the Minister met with the State Duma
leadership and the leaders of the political factions and chairmen relevant
committees.
In his speech, Sergey Lavrov noted the foreign policy course approved by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and aimed at protecting national interests, as well as creating favorable conditions for the country's progressive development.
“Let me emphasize that, unlike those who, as Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] says, consider it acceptable to dictate their will, tell others how to live, and issue orders by right of the strong, we, unlike them, pose no threat to anyone,” the Russian Foreign Minister stated.
“The world has entered an era of rapid and profound changes. Some experts even call it an era of turbulence. One thing is clear: this is not some momentary, temporary phenomenon, but a new stage in global development, perhaps even an era,” he said and added that this stage could last not only for many years but even decades.
According to Sergey Lavrov, “our diplomacy consistently promotes an honest, equal, and mutually beneficial partnership with all those who are ready to interact with us on these same principles.”
“An example of such cooperation is undoubtedly the partnership and friendly relations with the People's Republic of China — our great eastern neighbor. Last year, our leaders — President Putin and President Xi Jinping — exchanged visits, which were held during the commemorative events on the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War and World War II,” recalled the Russian Foreign Minister.
He added that “the development of our ties with the People's Republic of China has a stabilizing effect on the entire system of international relations and, at the same time, plays a crucial role in achieving the strategic goal of creating a belt of good-neighborliness along Russia’s borders.”
He also noted the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the implementation of President of Russia Vladimir Putin's flagship initiatives aimed at building architecture of equal and indivisible security, as well as broad practical cooperation on the Eurasian continent. “This includes the harmonious integration of existing integration projects, the development of horizontal cooperation through multilateral structures, and the creation of a comprehensive system of security guarantees for all countries of the Eurasian continent,” said Sergey Lavrov.
Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Russia “will provide political and diplomatic assistance in achieving the goals of the special military operation.
He recalled the common points reached at the meeting between the Russian and US presidents in Alaska last August that still remain relevant. “We are grateful to our Emirati friends for their mediation efforts, including providing a platform for negotiations between representatives of Russia, the US, and Ukraine,” added Sergey Lavrov. According to him, Russian negotiators continue to work to ensure the security of our country on its western borders and protect the rights of Russian citizens.
Importance of dialogue with parliamentarians
Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the Russian Foreign Ministry attach great importance to the constructive dialogue with the parliament. “You represent our entire multinational nation, maintain constant dialogue with voters, and receive first-hand information about the concerns of our people and their attitudes toward our activity on the international stage,” he said.
The Foreign Minister recalled that the day before, he had held a thorough exchange of views with the leaders of political factions and the chairmen of relevant State Duma committees and the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
“Following yesterday's conversation, we reaffirmed our unity in our fundamental support for the foreign policy course defined by President Putin and outlined priority steps for our cooperation, including on the further development of parliamentary diplomacy and the harmonization of executive, presidential, and parliamentary diplomacy. Such combination of efforts is undoubtedly highly relevant in today's circumstances,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Sergey Lavrov also added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do everything necessary to ensure voting process at polling stations in foreign states during the State Duma elections that will be held later this year. “This year we will have a major domestic political event — the State Duma elections. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do everything necessary, as it did during the last campaign, to ensure clear voting at polling stations in our foreign institutions,” the Minister assured.
Position of relevant committees
The Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky
Leonid Eduardovich
recalled that Sergey Lavrov
has been serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for almost 22 years,
working in difficult conditions, when the West declared a “hybrid war” against
Russia.
“We see that the number of those who advocate common sense grows each month, and here Russia is a frontrunner, and the great merit in this is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he emphasized.
“We have been declared a geostrategic challenge. There is no doubt that Russia will achieve victory, and it will be achieved very soon, in the war declared against us by the Nazi regime in Ukraine—the last Nazi regime in human history, I am convinced. And we see that the world listens to the position of the President of Russia and our Foreign Ministry,” said the Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs.
Leonid Slutsky also noted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy.
According to the Chairman of the Committee on Issues of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Contacts
with Fellow Countrymen Leonid Kalashnikov
Leonid Ivanovich
, members of the State Duma deservedly
respect the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and not only for his foreign policy activity.
“You are also always involved in our parliamentary activity. During this convocation
alone, we have passed more than 110 laws related to the Commonwealth of Independent States,” he stressed.
Leonid Kalashnikov also mentioned the promotion of studying Russian language abroad in his speech. “We see a great level of work with our compatriots,” said the Chairman of the Committee and expressed gratitude to the Foreign Ministry leadership for this and added that this work also shapes the basis for the adoption of necessary legislative decisions.
“Policy that will provide peace”
Members of the State Duma are
committed to supporting a policy that will provide peace and prevent worst-case
scenarios, including a large-scale conflict, as said Dmitry Novikov
Dmitry Georgievich
(CPRF), the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs. According to him, an important task is to protect Russia's rights to sovereign development
and the freedom to choose its friends and allies.
“The State Duma and the parties represented here have their own opportunities to support this approach. This includes parliamentary and public diplomacy. This includes an international public initiative and a solidarity campaign. This includes international cooperation,” emphasized Dmitry Novikov.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Alexey Chepa
Alexey Vasilievich
(A Just Russia faction) said
that the policy of diplomatic isolation of Russia had failed. “European capitals
publicly declare the need for direct negotiations with our country. First and foremost, such foreign policy success has been reached by Russia's active
cooperation with the countries of the Global South, a community that has become
a global majority: our country's participation in multilateral cooperation
formats such as the SCO, BRICS, and others, and I mean the activity carried out
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs long before the Ukrainian crisis,” stressed
the parliamentarian.
The LDPR faction leader Leonid Slutsky noted the successfully implemented foreign policy programs initiated by the Russian President.
“The Russian President's agenda is also being successfully implemented with our strategic partners. I mean, China and other BRICS member states, and, of course, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which has been mentioned several times today. Centuries will pass, and we will remember the heroism of those who helped us expel the enemy from the Kursk region,” emphasized Leonid Slutsky.
The Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov
Davankov 
Vladislav Andreyevich (New People faction) suggested considering a possibility of introducing a “talent visa” in Russia.
“We need to see how it works, and perhaps, in the future, if it is successful, we could also give such visas to entrepreneurs from friendly countries who have established companies in Russia more than three years ago, as well as those who want to develop their business in Russia. I am convinced we need precisely this kind of talent,” he said.
In his opinion, “economic” diplomacy, support for entrepreneurship, and the promotion of the Russian language contribute to strengthening the country's sovereignty.
Russia seeks to create a security system that will meet the interests of not only our country but also
the global majority, as said Vyacheslav Nikonov
Vyacheslav Alexeyevich
(United Russia), the First
Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs.
“We are currently discussing a new European security system. It is important that the future peace is based on the conditions supported by Russia and the global majority,” said Vyacheslav Nikonov.
