Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, November 25, 2021
Table of contents
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in Russia – India – China foreign ministers meeting
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming meeting with participants in the Gorchakov Fund’s Dialogue in the Name of the Future programme
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming talks with Foreign Minister of the Federative Republic of Brazil Carlos Franca
- Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming participation in Government Hour at the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
- International interparty videoconference Global Challenges of the 21st Century: Interparty Dimension
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in the 2+2 talks between Russian and Indian foreign and defence ministers
- Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming meeting with Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (BSEC) Lazar Comanescu
- Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming participation in the general meeting of the members of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC)
- New US sanctions against Nord Stream 2
- Update on Ukraine
- Venezuela update
- Update on Afghanistan
- “Summit for democracy”
- ICAO to review appeal from Republic of Belarus
- Poland’s position on the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border
- Regarding Russian diplomatic property seized in the US
- Denmark’s espionage charges against Russian national Alexey Nikiforov
- Lithuanian court sentences head of local youth organisation Alexey Greicius
- The unveiling of a monument to Leo Tolstoy in Seoul
- Declaration of Friendship and Cooperation with the Republic of Benin is 35 years old
- Anniversary of Soviet-French agreement forming Normandie-Niemen air squadron
- Barbados to be declared a republic, its first elected president to be sworn in on the 55th anniversary of the country’s independence
- Update on Denis Kaznacheyev
- The likelihood of the Taliban appointing new Afghanistan representatives to the diplomatic mission
- Prospects for the resumption of direct contacts between Russia and Georgia
- Russia’s position on the international climate agenda
- Trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
- The US State Department’s report on international religious freedom
- US plans to send military experts to Ukraine
- Preparations for the Russia-US summit
- Efforts to reopen transport communications in Nagorno-Karabakh
- Assistance to Armenia in normalising relations with Turkey
- Armenia’s appeal to Russia for CSTO help
- Update on events involving Russian compatriots
- The likelihood of US diplomatic boycott of the Olympic Games in China
- Developments in Ethiopia
- Russia-Azerbaijan Expert Council meeting
Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in Russia – India – China foreign ministers meeting
On November 26, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the 18th meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India, and China, which will be held via videoconference.
The ministers will discuss strengthening the multilateral foundations of the modern world order, including in the context of trilateral engagement within international and regional organisations, primarily the UN, G20, SCO and BRICS.
Particular attention will be paid to consolidating efforts to combat the further spread of the coronavirus and finding ways to put the post-pandemic recovery on a stable trajectory.
The ministers will exchange views on such pressing issues as ensuring global strategic stability, countering security challenges and threats, and developments in Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Middle East.
Another topic of consideration will be the prospects for harnessing the potential of RIC practical cooperation in various areas.
Following the meeting, the ministers are expected to adopt a joint communique.
On November 30, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet via videoconference with participants in the Dialogue in the Name of the Future annual science and education programme of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund.
This project was launched in December 2011. On this discussion platform, young experts from Russia and other states exchange views on topical aspects of international relations. This year the Fund’s programme is focused on international security and will involve 60 civic and political representatives from the CIS and other foreign countries. The meeting format will allow the participants, as part of a face-to-face conversation with the Minister, to enrich their understanding of the current state of affairs in the world arena and to receive clarifications on topics of interest to them.
On November 30, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister of the Federative Republic of Brazil Carlos Franca who will pay an official visit to Moscow on November 28-December 1.
During the talks, the ministers will review topical issues of bilateral relations, ways of expanding cooperation in various areas and key aspects of joint actions in the international arena. Following the talks, they are supposed to sign a plan for political consultations between their foreign ministries in 2022-2025.
Brazil is our strategic partner both in Latin America and the world in general. Our countries are actively cooperating in the UN, BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral formats.
Russia-Brazil relations have been tested by time. By tradition, their development rests on friendship, mutual respect and equal consideration of each other’s interests.
Carlos Franca’s visit will be a new important step towards enhancing our bilateral strategic partnership, the 20th anniversary of which we observed last year.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will deliver a speech on Russia’s foreign policy priorities during Government Hour at a plenary session of the Federation Council on December 1. He will also answer questions from Senators.
The Minister’s annual meetings with lawmakers make it possible to enhance cooperation between executive and legislative branches of power, exchange views on current international developments and map out ways to make Russia’s foreign policy more effective.
International interparty videoconference Global Challenges of the 21st Century: Interparty Dimension
On December 1, the United Russia national political party will hold an interparty videoconference Global Challenges of the 21st Century: Interparty Dimension to mark the 20th anniversary of its founding. It will be attended by over 30 parties from Asian, African, European and Latin American countries.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to deliver a video address to the participants of the conference during this event.
Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting
On December 2-3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to attend the 28th OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Stockholm.
The discussion will focus on the results of and the prospects for the Organisation’s activities related to the military and political, economic and environmental, and humanitarian aspects of security; issues related to helping resolve conflicts in the OSCE area, including in the east of Ukraine, Transnistria and Nagorny Karabakh; and co-chairmanship of the Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus. Another item on the agenda will be the evolving situation in Afghanistan, which was given the status of OSCE Asian partner for cooperation in 2003.
We expect the discussion to help restore an atmosphere of trust and a culture of dialogue, and to raise the importance of what the Organisation is doing to fight transnational threats and to help develop consensus-based approaches to topical issues.
In the run-up to this meeting, Russia has prepared a draft declaration on the important issue of countering the practice of using the internet for terrorist purposes. We hope to be given support. In all, work on over 20 draft ministerial documents is in progress.
Sergey Lavrov’s bilateral meetings with the ministers of several member-countries, top officials from the OSCE and other international organisations are planned for the sidelines of the Ministerial Council meeting.
I can tell you about some of them right now but we will update you on all meetings only when the meeting schedule has been finalised.
The meetings with the foreign ministers of Spain, Serbia and Austria, the OSCE Secretary-General and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have been confirmed.
These are not all the meetings. The schedule is being finalised now. We will bring you more information as we get it.
On December 6, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu will hold talks with their Indian counterparts, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi. This will be the first ever meeting of its kind in the 2+2 format with Russia’s Indian partners.
The foreign and defence ministers of the two countries are expected to have an in-depth discussion of key regional and international matters, including the situation in the Asian-Pacific Region and developments in Afghanistan and Syria, and they will also discuss cooperation in the SCO and RIC.
It was agreed that in the future consultations in this format will be held regularly in Russia and India alternately.
On December 8, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (BSEC) Lazar Comanescu.
During his visit to Moscow, Mr Comanescu will also hold consultations with the leadership of the State Duma, Russian business circles and other stakeholders.
During the meetings, the participants plan to discuss a broad range of BSEC topical issues, including Russia’s forthcoming half-year chairmanship of the BSEC and its Parliamentary Assembly, as well as preparations for holding a summit of BSEC member states on its 30th anniversary in 2022.
On December 9, members of the non-profit partnership Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) will hold an annual general meeting with the participation of the Chairman of its Board of Trustees and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Considering that the RIAC’s tenth anniversary is observed in 2021, participants in the meeting plan not only to sum up the results of their performance this year and map out plans for the next year but also discuss the results of its activities since its inception.
By tradition, Mr Lavrov will offer his latest thinking on international developments and outline priority areas of Russian foreign policy.
The Foreign Ministry appreciates the formats of cooperation with RIAC during the past decade. RIAC is both a recognised centre of foreign political expertise and a platform for broad-based dialogue on key international issues. The continuous exchange of current information and analysis allows RIAC to better orient itself in current foreign policy issues while Foreign Ministry officials receive additional information, interesting materials and sometimes an alternative view on global processes.
New US sanctions against Nord Stream 2
The latest round of legislative sanctions enforced by the US Administration against companies linked with Nord Stream 2 speaks to a real obsession, because the project is about to be launched into operation.
The arguments about the exclusively commercial nature of this gas pipeline are well known. It is vital for stable energy supplies to Europe and for the competitiveness of Germany and the EU in general. We have regularly made this clear, including to our American partners. There is another aspect that warrants attention: the United States is hypocritically erecting a barrier in the way of Russian energy exports to the European market, while at the same time trying to persuade us and other producers to pump more gas in order to reduce prices. This is being done by the same country. By referring to the country, I am talking about politicians rather than the American people who have no idea how far-removed US national interests are from what some representatives of the political establishment are trying to do.
The situation shows that Washington, putting it mildly, does not pay much attention to the interests of its own allies. It is not concerned about anything at all. It is with good reason that people in Germany maintain that the US actions against Nord Stream 2 go against the spirit of the bilateral partnership. What else can they think? But it is a big question whether they will be heard by American politicians and the media that automatically oppose any cooperation with Russia, even when it benefits Washington.
The Russian position remains unchanged: unilateral anti-Russia sanctions are unlawful and harm the interests of the US more than ours. In the case of Nord Stream 2, they affect the interests of direct US allies: the EU and Germany, both collectively and individually.
The situation in Donbass is still causing serious concern. Feeling complete impunity, the hotheads of the Kiev regime are promoting a military solution to the internal Ukraine crisis. The situation in the conflict zone is escalating. We continue to receive information about the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk Package of Measures supplied to Ukraine by NATO countries. In addition to the Bayraktar attack drones, the Javelin ATGM is now mentioned. The Ukrainian authorities and their sponsors are not in the least embarrassed by the fact that such actions lead to great damage and numerous casualties among civilians.
According to the reports by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the number of silence regime violations increased by 95 percent over the past week. At the same time, 75 percent of civilian casualties and the vast majority of the destruction of civilian infrastructure occur in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The Special Monitoring Mission’s reports testify to the offensive actions of the Ukrainian armed forces in the area of the towns of Granitnoye and Staromaryevka. According to observers, the Ukrainian military in the area have advanced their fortifications by at least one kilometre.
The situation is further aggravated by unsubstantiated statements coming from the United States and other NATO countries about Russia’s alleged preparations for an “attack” on Ukraine. Kiev joined this “choir” as well, though not right away. At first, they denied any activity on their borders. Redeployments and manoeuvres did take place on our territory, but definitely not on the border with Ukraine. Clearly, the purpose of this large-scale information and political campaign is to whip up anti-Russian hysteria, which is supposed to divert attention from the declining socioeconomic and political situation in the country and refocus this attention on the alleged “temporary threats” from outside.
A recent statement by Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba is a good example of this. He complained that the “Russian factor” allegedly continues to play an important role in matters of his country's accession to NATO, since some members of the alliance continue to look at Ukraine through the lens of Russia. This is some kind of reverse logic. They must understand that the position is determined not so much by the Russian as by the pan-European factor. Admitting Ukraine to NATO will not improve security in Europe. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry may not be aware of this, but Europe still has specialists who are well versed in geopolitics and realise the kind of added value Ukraine's membership will bring them. They have calculated these risks and realised that these steps will simply deepen the dividing lines and violate the forgotten principle of the indivisibility of security.
Ukraine’s authorities continue to sabotage the fulfilment of its obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures. Due to Kiev’s counterproductive approaches, the regular meeting of the Contact Group and its working subgroups on November 23-24 ended without results.
Unfortunately, our Normandy format colleagues from Germany and France, who publicly advocate an early settlement of the situation in Donbass, avoid providing principled assessments of Kiev's behaviour and blame Russia for the lack of progress in the negotiating process. We have already heard enough of such fantasies, and in order to clarify the situation and debunk these accusations, we published the exchange of notes.
The simultaneous reaction of the official representatives of the German and French foreign ministries to the publication of our correspondence on preparations for the Normandy format ministerial meeting is a case in point. Berlin and Paris reiterated groundlessly that Russia allegedly refused to take part in this meeting. Where do the published documents say that Russia refused to participate in the meeting? Is there even a single line to that effect there? Maybe it’s somewhere between the lines? It is impossible to be that far apart in virtual and actual reality. This is surprising, since we did not state this refusal either verbally or in writing and continued to work on agreeing the agenda and the draft final document. The materials show this very clearly. The distortion of our position, which Berlin and Paris allow themselves, apparently confirms that we were right when we decided to publish these documents.
We call on Germany and France to stop engaging in political manipulation or opportunistic and reality-distorting PR campaigns and seriously think about encouraging Kiev to fulfil its obligations. It would be nice to start providing regular comments on what is happening there rather than engage in informational support for the actions of the Kiev regime that are beneficial to the West, and provide daily comments on everything that happens on the line of contact: civilian losses, things that are happening to the security issues, the aggressive rhetoric of Kiev officials and political and public figures, attacks on the freedom of speech, closure of media outlets, and persecution of civic activists. Please just comment on all that. The same happens with regard to Russia on a regular basis. Everything we do constantly stirs unhealthy interest. You can now focus on Kiev since Germany and France are responsible for it. If they really care about the future of their people, the Ukrainian authorities should immediately stop the bloodshed in Donbass and establish a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk on implementing the Package of Measures.
As a reminder, the Minsk agreements are part of a UN Security Council resolution and are binding for the entire international community.
On November 21, 2021, Venezuela elected the leadership of the regions and municipalities, as well as members of their legislative assemblies. Congratulations to the friendly Venezuelan people on this significant event.
Over 300 international observers from 55 countries around the world, as well as from the European Union, the UN Secretariat, and the Carter Center (USA), were present during the voting, as were experts from Russia. According to them, the voting took place in a calm atmosphere, without serious violations and was organised in strict accordance with the law and in compliance with public health standards.
We welcome the participation of a wide range of opposition parties in the elections. They nominated over 67,000 candidates. We believe this is evidence of the mature political process in Venezuela and the return of the internal confrontation to the legal electoral path. In many ways, this result became possible thanks to the constructive interaction between the government and the opposition during the intra-Venezuelan talks in Mexico City.
Some countries deliberately ignore these facts, once again trying to question the legitimacy of the elections in Venezuela. Such statements, which have already become commonplace, are not supported by any evidence and only confirm that those who voice them are removed from reality. We see this as a politically motivated desire to artificially destabilise the situation in Venezuela. We repeat again that only the Venezuelan people, as the bearer of sovereignty, have the right to determine the path of their own development. Other states must respect their will and not allow interference in the country's internal affairs.
Russia will continue to advocate for a political solution of the intra-Venezuelan disputes by the Venezuelans themselves in accordance with the Constitution and without destructive outside influence. We call on all responsible members of the international community to do the same.
The Afghan authorities continue efforts to organise the work of the government and the public sector. They are making new government appointments. The Finance Ministry has announced its decision to start paying salaries to the public sector employees for the previous three months. The government has established new rules for the media that are to observe Muslim values and standards.
The authorities are paying special attention to normalising the humanitarian situation. The transitional government has guaranteed that employees of humanitarian missions, including women, will have free access to the population that needs assistance.
On November 18, the Russian Defence Ministry organised special flights to deliver to Kabul the first consignment of Russian humanitarian aid (food and basic necessities) weighing a total of 36 tonnes. Russia will continue rendering humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
We received many questions from journalists about our position on US President Joseph Biden’s initiative to hold a “summit for democracy” on December 9-10, 2021. The media report that it will be held via videoconference.
This event is aimed at fuelling confrontation and aggravating alienation. Washington is making one more step in implementing its course of transforming the ideology of international relations in the spirit of the notorious “rules-based order.”
Under the slogan of promoting democracy, the United States is gathering yet another “special interest club” to oppose the countries that maintain strategic independence from the collective West and have their own sovereign vision of a just international order, primarily Russia and China. In this fight they plan to rely on interfering in the domestic affairs of independent sovereign states under such pretexts as preventing corruption, protecting human rights and ensuring democratic standards, as well as other high-flown slogans and concepts that seem wonderful at first sight. In practice, they mean something quite different. The United States is arrogating to itself the right to determine which country deserves to be called a democracy and which does not. This is cynical and pathetic given the obvious democracy and human rights issues in the US itself and the West in general.
This initiative to hold a “summit for democracy” is an element of the big US strategy to undermine the role of the UN. It is aimed at establishing universal coalitions of soul mates or essentially US satellites (primarily, from among the G7 and NATO members) on a broad agenda – from climate change and vaccine issues to military diplomacy and political and military-technological regional blocs (QUAD and AUKUS).
I would like to point out that the United States followed the same principle when forming the anti-Iraq coalition in the early 2000s. It told the international community about the right and wrong sides of history and used the same slogans of democracy and human rights. It tried to persuade countries to join this coalition individually. Washington was going all-out to establish a kind of a broad front and prove that it and its associates alone knew what real democracy was all about and how to build a sovereign independent state on democratic principles. They did not stop to think that Iraq had its own history, its ups and downs, its victories and defeats. We all remember well how it ended. We also remember the campaign that exposed the real goals for occupying that country. We haven’t forgotten the terrible consequences of this reckless American venture – the collapse of Iraq’s statehood. I am not even talking about the extrajudicial killings of civilians and the suppression of all international legal norms. Everything was razed to the ground. As a result, the statehood of that country was destroyed. The worst outcome was the destabilisation of the situation in the region. Sometime later, this led to the emergence of ISIS on the ruins of what remained of different armed forces, Iraqi security services and the like. All this provoked total chaos in the region, hundreds of thousands of refugees, migrants and displaced persons both in the region and beyond, in Europe. The United States was using the same terms as it is today to talk about the need for democratic countries to act on the right side of history, pool their efforts together and launch the “campaign.” Now this story is buried in oblivion – nobody was found responsible for destruction and loss of millions of lives in the region, in Iraq proper and other countries. Naturally, the United States, Britain and other members of the coalition did not bear any material liability for all this. Now the new plan is to establish a broad front of the “right” countries that the US sees as democracies and carry out all these ideological concepts and doctrines under these banners.
The implementation of the “summit for democracy” project is bound to fuel international tensions, erode the UN-centric architecture of the international order and weaken the G20 potential. It will undermine the joint efforts to fight the pandemic and post-crisis economic recovery as well as the efforts to neutralise cross-country challenges and threats.
The formation of the new special interest group on an ideological platform confirms the existence of a multi-polar world as a fait accompli. There are self-sufficient power centres beyond the United States and the West as a whole. Our American and other Western partners have recognised the existence of a multi-polar world although at one time they rejected everything Moscow was saying and claimed that a polycentric international cannot exist in principle. However, now reality has prevailed. Those who are interested in democratising international relations and shaping a polycentric international order should not play up to Washington’s ambitions at this turning point in world development.
ICAO to review appeal from Republic of Belarus
Now that a number of Western countries have introduced unlawful restrictive measures against Belarusian aviation, Minsk has asked the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to examine this matter as fast as possible.
Acting under various pretexts and disregarding the ICAO regulations, a number of Western countries that see themselves as democracies are deliberately trying to delay the discussion of this obviously inconvenient subject. Acting on their proposal, the ICAO has postponed the discussion of the appeal submitted by the Republic of Belarus until the next session of the ICAO Council, scheduled for 2022. What pretext did they choose? The official pretext is that members of a group established by the ICAO in connection with the incident with a Ryanair aircraft this past May have so far failed to prepare their report. The fact that the preparation of the report has no bearing on the matters raised by Belarus has been disregarded. This subject was actively discussed several months ago, and it was used to voice far-reaching conclusions and accusations. The concerned parties also conceived new methods for pressuring a sovereign country and interfering in its domestic affairs. As soon as this subject became less topical and, in principle, inconvenient, many questions started to be addressed to those Western partners who actively promoted this subject. And that was it. This is not just about them losing interest, but they are actually trying to block any discussion of this matter.
Indicatively, representatives of the Republic of Belarus, which is interested in discussing this matter, were not invited to the meeting whose participants made this decision. Indeed, why should they be invited? They were going to talk about Belarus, so what would be the point of inviting its representatives?
These developments prompt certain conclusions: those who have declared sanctions against the Republic of Belarus are unable to find convincing arguments for justifying their policy towards Minsk. It appears that they hope to use the results of the ICAO Group’s work for these purposes. In turn, we hope the Group’s members will display an objective and unbiased approach.
Against this backdrop, the Belarusian party invariably displays an interest in cooperation with the ICAO and a readiness for open dialogue. In fact, it has been doing this since the first minutes of this incident. We urge Western countries to revise their approaches and to abolish the unlawful restrictive measures that they have imposed against Belarusian aviation. They should have some scruples, not to mention a conscience.
Poland’s position on the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border
We have taken note of the reports about the extremely harsh treatment of asylum seekers by the Polish authorities who have been blocked on the Belarusian-Polish border on their way to the EU. Russian and foreign journalists working in Belarus have reported numerous instances when the Polish border guards used special means (water cannons, truncheons and tear gas) against the migrants, including women and children. They are also using psychological pressure such as loudspeakers, blinding searchlights, threats and invectives, not to mention physical violence. The journalists have seen migrants physically pushed from the Polish territory back into Belarus. Many of you have seen this. If this information is true, it could amount to a deliberate violation of the norms of international and European law by the Polish authorities.
Although the situation on the border has slightly improved following the launch of a direct dialogue between Berlin, Brussels and Minsk, Warsaw clearly does not intend to stop using crude pressure to intimidate the migrants and force them to return to their home countries, where their lives may be threatened. The amendments to the law on the border, approved by the Polish parliament, allow the authorities to maintain disproportionate restrictions on the border, like during the current emergency.
In practice, this means that an impenetrable wall will prevent the media and human rights organisations from scrutinising developments of major concern for the international community.
The Polish authorities will not allow journalists and representatives of the relevant NGOs to enter the border area. It is a unique situation. In Belarus, which the collective West has accused of doing no good, journalists, NGOs, human rights and charity organisations may approach the border. The situation is the opposite in “democratic” Poland, a member state of the no less democratic European Union. How can this be? Will they discuss the situation at the “summit for democracy?” Why is such chilling behaviour being displayed by those who have been committed to and have been promoting democratic values for so long, and who believed that they had the right to punish other nations for non-compliance or commend them for compliance with these norms and principles?
It is notable that access has also been denied to the personnel of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), who offered their assistance to the Polish law enforcement authorities. This may mean that Poland has something to hide even from the EU’s border guard agency, which is headquartered, ironically, in Warsaw. Everything has indeed turned upside down in these “democracies.”
We urge the Polish party to do everything necessary to stop the illegal use of force against the people who did not come to the border for the fun of it. They are hungry and cold. We expect the Polish authorities to conduct a thorough and credible investigation into all such incidents and to bring the officials involved in them to account.
We hope that the relevant international human rights organisations will provide an adequate legal assessment of Poland’s actions.
Regarding Russian diplomatic property seized in the US
The Foreign Ministry of Russia continues doing everything in its power to ensure the return of the six Russian state properties, which the US authorities seized, despite their diplomatic immunity, in 2016-2018, in violation of its commitments under international law. We are doing everything we can to change this situation.
During our contacts with US officials, we point out that the takeover was illegal and demand that the Russian land plots and buildings be returned to their legal owner and that Russian diplomats, who have been denied the right to inspect the seized properties on numerous occasions, be allowed to enter them. The diplomats need to assess the current state of the properties and possible damage done to them. Even the matter of a visual inspection has not gained traction to this very day, contrary to the promise to settle the problem at the level of the US State Department leadership.
At the same time, the US State Department insists on the inviolability of the US diplomatic property in other countries. Why is that? We have mentioned the recent UN Security Council Press Statement, adopted at US initiative, which condemned the seizure of and intrusion into the compound formerly used as the US Embassy in Yemen by the Houthis.
We supported the statement and reaffirmed that we regard that instance as gross violation of the fundamental principles of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in particular the principles of inviolability and immunity. We hope that Washington will start applying this approach to its own actions regarding the unconditional return of the seized Russian state properties. It will be impossible otherwise to normalise Russia-US relations, which have been soured by the legal obstacles and conflict of jurisdictions in Washington.
Denmark’s espionage charges against Russian national Alexey Nikiforov
On November 17, 2021, the Western District Court in Denmark upheld the May 10, 2021 ruling of the Aalborg court, which sentenced Russian national Alexey Nikiforov to three years behind bars for his alleged cooperation with the Russian security services. Mr Nikiforov pleaded not guilty.
We have to state that the Danish justice system demonstrated complete lack of interest in an impartial and non-politicised trial. Following in the wake of the current Danish government’s Russophobic policies, the court shrugged off the arguments of the defence attorney, who was insisting that the charges against the Russian national were groundless.
This decision creates a dangerous precedent. Now Russian researchers in Denmark run the risk of falling victim to the hunt for Russian nationals organised by the local intelligence services. This is quite similar to the notorious witch hunts that occurred in the past.
One has the impression that Copenhagen is thoughtlessly destroying the few areas of bilateral relations where positive trends remain, specifically cooperation in science and technology.
The Foreign Ministry of Russia is monitoring Alexey Nikiforov’s case and will insist on his early release. The Russian Embassy in Denmark continues to provide the Russian national with the necessary consular and legal assistance.
Lithuanian court sentences head of local youth organisation Alexey Greicius
A few days ago, a Lithuanian court passed a sentence on espionage charges against local public figure Alexey Greicius.
Thus, this Baltic country is continuing persecutions in the spirit of McCarthyism on trumped-up criminal charges.
This time, the reprisals affected a Lithuanian national who had organised a local Immortal Regiment procession. Persecuting anyone for activities of this kind is an open insult to the feelings of local residents, who still keep a grateful memory and respect for all those who lost their lives in the fight against Nazism during World War II.
The unveiling of a monument to Leo Tolstoy in Seoul
On November 22, 2021, a monument to the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was unveiled in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, as part of the Russian Seasons international cultural project. The ceremony was attended by Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Leo Tolstoy’s great-great-grandson Vladimir Tolstoy, Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Andrey Kulik, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea Oh Young-woo, cultural figures, and representatives of the business community.
The sculptor, graduate of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts Yekaterina Pilnikova, successfully captured an image of Leo Tolstoy, our outstanding compatriot whose work is well known and admired all over the world and in the Republic of Korea as well.
We hope that the Tolstoy bust installed in a picturesque park in downtown Seoul will become an important landmark and an attraction for the local residents and visitors, as did the monument to Alexander Pushkin opened in Seoul in 2013.
Declaration of Friendship and Cooperation with the Republic of Benin is 35 years old
November 25 marks the 35th anniversary of the Declaration of Friendship and Cooperation between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of Benin signed in Moscow during Beninese President Mathieu Kérékou’s visit. The document reaffirmed the two countries’ interest in further strengthening multifaceted interaction, and laid a solid foundation for the present-day development of the entire scope of Russian-Benin ties.
We appreciate the traditionally friendly relations with the Republic of Benin. We are satisfied with the dynamics of the political dialogue at the high and highest levels. In October 2019, President of Benin Patrice Talon attended the Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum in Sochi. In November 2016, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Benin Aurélien Agbénonci paid a working visit to Moscow. Bilateral Foreign Ministry consultations take place on a regular basis, pursuant to the corresponding Protocol signed in 2000.
Over the past decades, a lot has been done to enhance trade, economic and investment cooperation between Russia and Benin. Other promising areas for cooperation include geological exploration, joint production and processing of hydrocarbons, and energy. We intend to further participate in teaching professionals for Benin at Russian universities. Over 2,500 specialists from Benin have been educated in our country.
We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the further all-round expansion and strengthening of traditionally friendly bilateral relations.
Anniversary of Soviet-French agreement forming Normandie-Niemen air squadron
On November 25, 1942, a representative of the Red Army command and a representative of the military command of Fighting French signed an agreement in Moscow that established the Normandie-Niemen squadron of the French Air Force to participate in operations in the Soviet Union.
At the beginning of the war, President of the French National Committee Charles de Gaulle announced his readiness to dispatch a French military contingent to the Red Army to fight on the Soviet-German front. On September 1, 1942, de Gaulle signed an order forming the Normandie fighter aviation group from volunteer pilots.
On December 1, 1942, the Soviet newspaper Pravda reported the arrival of French military personnel who would be joining the fight against Nazi Germany – 72 volunteers, pilots and mechanics. They joined 17 Soviet aircraft technicians and mechanics to form the Normandie squadron named after a French province. The squadron was stationed in the city of Ivanovo. The pilots quickly learned to fly the Soviet Yaks and began to perform combat missions on April 5, 1943.
The squadron took part in the Battle of Kursk, in the liberation of Smolensk, the strategic offensive in Byelorussia codenamed ‘Operation Bagration’ and the liberation of Lithuania. During the liberation of Lithuania, the unit’s name was changed: ‘Niemen’ was added to honour the courage they showed during the crossing of the Niemen River in November 1944. Since then, it has been called the Normandie-Niemen Regiment.
The French pilots showed exceptional professionalism and heroism. They flew more than 5,000 sorties during the war years, fought in 867 air battles, destroyed 273 Nazi aircraft and damaged 80. The entire flight personnel received Soviet military awards, and four pilots were awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. The regiment sustained losses, of course – 42 pilots died in action.
The regiment returned to France on planes donated by the Soviet command. According to a TASS report from June 1945, “the aircraft and aircraft weapons the French pilots used bravely and effectively on the Soviet-German front” were given to the French air regiment as a sign of friendship between the Soviet and French peoples.
Today we can state with confidence that the French pilots’ involvement in the Great Patriotic War was not only a symbol of the international struggle against Nazism. They went down in the history of that war as good comrades in arms, a well-coordinated team, and true heroes who made a real contribution to the common Victory.
Barbados gained independence on November 30, 1966, 55 years ago. To commemorate the date, as part of the decolonisation process, its first elected President, Sandra Mason, will be sworn in and Barbados declared a republic on November 29.
The history of this Caribbean state has many characteristic features that determined the entire region’s progress from its colonial past to modern sovereign democracy. This long and thorny path culminated in Barbados gaining full independence and transitioning from a monarchical system of government as part the Commonwealth of Nations to a republican one. In this context, the Barbadians’ achievements in shaping their own identity and an independent vector of development deserve sincere respect.
The present-day relations between Russia and Barbados rest on the traditions of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation. Barbados is our promising partner in the Caribbean region, in bilateral format as well as in CARICOM. We share a commitment to the principles of multilateralism and respect for international law, and we interact constructively at the UN.
We are ready to further develop Russia-Barbados ties embracing trade, investment, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation, tourism and other areas of mutual interest.
We congratulate the people and government of Barbados on the Caribbean island becoming a republic, and Sandra Mason on her election as the first president of Barbados, and we express our best wishes for happiness and prosperity.
Maria Zakharova: For more than a year now, US justice has been pushing for the German authorities to extradite to the United States the Russian musician Denis Kaznacheyev, who lives in Germany and is accused by the United States of involvement in online money laundering. The Russian citizen has been under recognizance not to leave town for many months now and denies committing the offences he has been charged with. The other day, his lawyers informed consular officers at the Russian Embassy in Berlin about the ruling by the 4th criminal division of the Berlin Regional Court of November 4, 2021 on approving the request for his extradition to the United States despite numerous well-founded legal objections expressed by Denis Kaznacheyev’s defence lawyers as part of the legal proceedings.
In view of the above, we strongly protest against the possible extradition of this Russian citizen by the German authorities to the United States. First of all, Russia has never recognised and will never recognise the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the US judicial bodies or judicial bodies of any other country. In this regard, we consider Washington's efforts to detain and forcibly transfer Mr Kaznacheyev, as well as many other Russians (remember the cases of Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko) to its territory using someone else's hands as none other than political kidnapping showcasing the “might is right” role which the United States has assigned to itself. Russian law enforcement agencies have not received any inquiries from the United States that would be related to the alleged criminal activities of this Russian citizen, which gives us every reason to doubt the veracity of the version about the exclusively criminal legal reasons for his prosecution by the US intelligence. If there is an array of materials which the United States believes testify to his guilt, it would be logical to present them to the Russian law enforcement agencies, would it not?
We have repeatedly discussed Mr Kaznacheyev’s situation with the German authorities through diplomatic channels. We pointed out to our German counterparts the obvious fact that in the context of the continuing politically motivated “hunt for Russians” in the United States, and in particular for “Russian hackers,” this Russian citizen cannot be guaranteed a fair and impartial trial by the US justice system and is bound to receive the toughest possible sentence which would be disproportionate to the charges brought against him. Guided by this understanding and considerations of humanity, we are convinced that Denis Kaznacheyev’s case should be tried in a German court. We are confident that Berlin cannot dispute the right of a citizen to a real, rather than perfunctory, opportunity to have his legitimate interests and reputation legally protected, which he is guaranteed not to have in the United States.
According to the available information, Kaznacheyev's lawyers plan to challenge the Berlin Regional Court’s ruling of November 4, 2021. The consular officers from our embassy in Germany maintain direct contact with Denis Kaznacheyev and his defence lawyers. We will continue to closely monitor the developments as they unfold. If the German authorities agree to extradite the Russian citizen before his case goes through the appeals as provided for by German law and international law, they will, in fact, become accomplices in a major anti-Russian move, which Russia will take into account when building cooperation with Germany on specific issues that are of interest to Berlin.
Maria Zakharova: There have been media reports on the Taliban’s plans to appoint new diplomatic representatives, but we have not received any official requests or documents in this regard. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not been informed of such events by the Afghan party, so it is too soon to make any statements.
The Russian Embassy in Kabul has built constructive interaction with the interim government of Afghanistan, including their Foreign Ministry representatives. Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov regularly comments on all meetings and negotiations. We are maintaining working contacts and dealing with everyday issues such as Russia’s humanitarian aid delivery to Afghanistan. We are cooperating closely and working on the issues that are on our agenda.
Maria Zakharova: It was not Russia that cut off diplomatic relations with Georgia. It was the initiative of Mikheil Saakashvili. This is what determines our approach to the issue you have voice
Maria Zakharova: It looks as if our American partners have changed the agenda from criticising fake news allegedly planted by hackers to censuring us for greenhouse gas emissions. They will find something to criticise us no matter what we do.
Russia’s position on the international climate agenda has always been consistent. When covering it, one should know that our consistency does not mean that our position has been formulated and put down on paper, that it is ironclad and will not be changed under any circumstances. It is not a matter of principle or stubbornness, not at all. Russia’s position is not based on ideology but on facts, as well as legal approaches that must underlie the position of any state on the international stage. New factual data and information are scrutinised by analysts whose conclusions are used to formulate our position. On the one hand, the climate agenda is a graphic example of the consistency of Russia’s position (and the components it is made up of), but on the other hand, it is also evidence of our respect for new factual materials, scientific achievements, new strategic data and the international line-up. Our position does not depend on the political environment or the fact that certain forces are lobbying only their interests and later change their position to a different approach. Our position is based on respect for our own interests and is connected to the efforts of the international community based on the law and scientific data.
I would like to remind you once again about the comment published on the Foreign Ministry website on November 22 and to repeat that our position is immune to any changes in the political situation. Regrettably, this cannot be said about the position of our American partners. The US international position on the climate agenda has been known to change to a diametrically opposite one with the advent of new political leaders, economic operators or players.
We have taken note that nearly all comments by Western politicians are full of superficial, populist and conflicting statements. These panic-mongers call for greater climate ambition. What does this amount to in practice? What stands behind these nice words? The international community has reached comprehensive agreements at the climate conference in Paris, and their significance must not be downplayed to suit the selfish interests or climate ambitions of the United States and some European countries.
For our part, we have done everything we could to ensure that the decisions adopted at the Glasgow conference logically follow from the Paris Agreement. Our experts have greatly contributed to the adoption of crucial decisions, including on forests and land use, as well as on enhancing the efficiency of country-to-country exchanges of carbon credits. These efforts must continue jointly, without unsubstantiated attempts to expose others’ weak spots. Experts must always maintain interaction, looking for points of contact when problems or differences arise.
It is unacceptable that the Western countries take uncompetitive and protectionist measures against the suppliers of raw materials and high-carbon products, measures that are a green smokescreen for the promotion of their own economic interests. The climate agenda must be free from political considerations.
Maria Zakharova: At the last briefing, I spoke in detail about the current work, and how the trilateral efforts are being implemented in practice. Commenting on summit meetings is the prerogative of the Presidential Executive Office.
Russia is making a profound effort, taking every step to strengthen stability and establish a peaceful life in the said region. Particular emphasis is now being placed on the restoration and development of trade, economic and transport links.
Maria Zakharova: Just a small chronological clarification. The US Department of State released its annual report on international religious freedom back in May. Russia responded quickly. On May 24, the Russian Foreign Ministry published on its website a corresponding comment by Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Gennady Askaldovich, who pointed to the unfair and biased assessment of Russia's religious policy in that report. But America did not stop there. On November 17, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in pursuance of national legislation, presented a list of states and non-state actors that Washington considers among the world’s most egregious violators of religious liberty. Now Russia has been added to the list of countries of particular concern because it allegedly commits “systematic and flagrant violations of religious freedom.”
That America’s assessment does not correspond to reality and is not backed up by facts is the softest assessment on my part that can be. This is another deliberate attack by the United States against our country and a number of other states. Apparently, those addressing this topic rely on unverified data from people who consume grants and have an anti-Russia attitude. The compilers of this report have no idea about life in Russia; they do not know our joys or sorrows. If they came to visit, they would probably have a few revelations.
Russia, as a multi-confessional state, takes a very responsible attitude towards its policy in the field of religion. We have repeatedly emphasised our historical experience. The past has taught us to treat regulation of this area carefully, attentively and responsibly. We have called on our American partners to follow this rule, too. However, the United States, as its policy shows, is simply unable to accept any arguments made by its colleagues in the international community, and doggedly continues its attempts to dictate its will to the world. They make it different each time. This arrogance and impudence no longer surprise anyone. It has long been obvious that the American administration is deliberately politicising the religious sphere to suit their only end goal – they want to be able to influence other countries, under the guise of concern for believers’ rights, to punish or encourage them, and motivate them to take certain actions. Those who refuse to follow in the wake of their policies, who disagree with their doctrines and concepts, get punished. This is another tool for influence, pressure and interference with others’ internal agenda. It is definitely a dead-end approach.
Maria Zakharova: If you watch CNN, you should know that we have ‘invaded’ Ukraine several times. And ‘tanks are ploughing through Ukrainian fields.’ According to CNN, this has been happening for many years now. What a mess we have made there. So you had better stop using this channel as a reliable source of information. We have had to disavow their reports many times and have caught them red-handed with fake news.
The NATO countries and the US claim they stand for the soonest resolution of the conflict in Donbass, but in fact are pumping the country, I mean the Kiev regime, with weapons to be used against those Kiev calls its citizens and who it allegedly cares about. For the sake of these people, the Kiev regime begs the international community to constantly provide assistance and protect them from Russia. All this is done in the name of the same people they use weapons against, weapons provided by the West. It is a horrific vicious circle. And more than just weapons, the US, NATO and Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to conduct military exercises. A global military absorption of the country is underway. The Minsk agreements have long been forgotten. Everything related to human rights is no longer relevant in Ukraine, and it seems that all of their declarations, statements and rules that have human rights components are used everywhere except Ukraine.
Global destabilisation is ongoing, and the risks of escalation are increasing.
As for the US’s sanctions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on this during the recent forum, “The international agenda of Russian businesses: Challenges, risks and cooperation strategies with the state,” saying that “the use of politically motivated unilateral restrictions by the majority of US-led Western countries has become a sign of the times. Sanctions are introduced for everything, both for a reason and without it.” This is one of the latest comments by one of Russia’s highest-ranking representatives.
Maria Zakharova: We have a clear-cut format. The Presidential Executive Office comments on summits and top-level talks.
Maria Zakharova: We are in favour of a consistent implementation of the agreements of November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021, reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, including those related to unblocking the economic and transport links in the South Caucasus. This important task is being tackled by the Trilateral Working Group, co-chaired by deputy prime ministers of the three countries.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk discussed the entire range of these issues during his visit to Yerevan and Baku. We see good prospects for reaching agreements on restoring the transport arteries in the region, given regard for the balance of interests of all sides.
We are proceeding from the premise that international transport along unblocked routes will be carried out on the basis of international agreements and national laws of each of the sides.
Maria Zakharova: I can confirm that Armenia has requested mediation between Yerevan and Ankara. Russia is interested in the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish relations; it is making efforts towards this goal and is ready to continue promoting this agenda in every possible way. Launching this process would improve the general situation in the region and create an atmosphere of trust and neighbourliness, which is of special importance at the current juncture.
We will certainly inform you if there are any new, practical shifts, provided this will not damage the negotiating process itself, considering its sensitivity.
Maria Zakharova: We commented on this at the last briefing. The CSTO Secretariat also responded to the situation on November 16.
As a result of the effective Russian mediation, the border tensions were promptly defused. We continue to monitor the situation on the border. The Russian military and border guards are keeping in touch with their Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues.
Maria Zakharova: This is a vast issue tackled by the Foreign Ministry, every one of our embassies, and Rossotrudnichestvo. The Compatriots Department and the ministerial territorial units are also dealing with this matter, each in their own area.
An enormous amount of work is carried out each day to uphold the interests of our citizens and to support them in a variety of areas. We maintain contacts with the associations of our compatriots. Today, I was invited to a meeting of the Bar Association Assisting Russian Citizens Abroad. This issue was discussed in practical terms with regard to the legal support provided to people in difficult situations, detained people or people under arrest, etc.
This issue is among the Ministry’s priorities. We work through the coordination councils of the organisations of Russian compatriots and on an individual basis. The issues faced by the Russian expat communities were discussed at the 7th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad, which was held in Moscow on October 15-16. It brought together about 400 heads of public organisations of our compatriots from 102 countries. Your compatriots, two activists from Slovakia, took part in it as well. The Congress was attended by representatives of the Russian government, foundations and constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are interested in cooperating with the diaspora (this should be discussed separately). The Congress was an opportunity to discuss multiple projects in such areas as protecting the rights and legitimate interests of our compatriots abroad, supporting and promoting Russian culture and the Russian language abroad, developing ties between expat communities and the Russian regions, expanding economic cooperation, and promoting Russian-language media. All of that will be worked through in practical terms. The 14th Regional Conference of Russian Compatriots of European Countries in Vienna on October 28-29, which was also attended by the Deputy Chair of the Coordinating Council of Compatriots of Slovakia, was another event held with the aim of consolidating the Russian world and promoting horizontal regional ties.
With regard to specific instructions, based on the newly arisen challenges faced by our compatriots and the entire world, we will adjust and adapt our approaches. A new issue has come to light (it existed before, but on a smaller scale) which is pressure on the Russian diaspora’s activists. This issue was also discussed today during the meeting with the Bar Association. Last week, the Coordinating Council of the Organisations of Russian Compatriots in the United States had to suspend its activities due to persecution by the US security services. It is our right to maintain contacts with our homeland, preserve our cultural identity, and maintain the Russian language. This right is being violated by a number of countries, primarily the Baltic States and Ukraine. We will step up our efforts to prevent discrimination against our communities abroad, including by engaging international venues.
We will continue to support the cultural projects spearheaded by our compatriots and their initiatives aimed at expanding and deepening cooperation between civil societies of Russia and their countries of residence. The Russian diplomatic missions and the Russian centres for science and culture keep their doors open, although the epidemiological situation has caused a lockdown in many countries. In any case, virtual contacts can be maintained no matter what. We stay in touch despite the pandemic-related restrictions.
Regarding citizenship and the fast-track procedure to obtain it, under Federal Law No. 62-FZ On Citizenship of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2002, Russian citizenship can be granted abroad, without the need to comply with the requirement for permanent residence in Russia, to stateless persons who had Soviet citizenship, resided and reside in the countries that were part of the Soviet Union and did not obtain the citizenship of those states, as well as underage children who were born in mixed marriages outside the Russian Federation.
In the first 10 months of 2021, Russian consular missions abroad issued Russian citizenship documents to over 2,200 stateless persons and over 21,000 children born in mixed marriages in foreign countries.
The Presidential Executive Order No. 622 of October 31, 2018, approved the State Migration Policy Concept of the Russian Federation for 2019-2025, which focuses on voluntary resettlement for permanent residence in our country of our compatriots living abroad, as well as other persons who can be successfully integrated into Russian society.
As part of implementing this concept, the Foreign Ministry is taking part in drafting federal laws aimed at simplifying the existing rules and procedures underlying the institution of Russian citizenship. The latest changes include repealing the requirement to renounce another existing citizenship when applying for a Russian citizenship or when a preferential procedure is used to grant to citizenship with regard to the following applicants:
– persons who have received a higher education in Russia;
– highly skilled specialists with professions that are in high demand in the Russian economy;
– citizens of Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Ukraine;
– foreign nationals and stateless persons married to Russian citizens who reside in the Russian Federation and have children in this marriage.
In addition, a law was adopted with the participation of the Foreign Ministry under which several groups of citizens can be issued a residence permit and then granted Russian citizenship without the need to first obtain a temporary residence permit. These include, in particular, people who were born in the RSFSR who were citizens of the Soviet Union; persons who have a parent or a child who are Russian citizens and reside in the Russian Federation; and foreign citizens who are recognised as native speakers of the Russian language.
Maria Zakharova: Our principled position is that we oppose the politicisation of the Olympic Games anywhere, including in China. We believe that sport should remain outside politics.
We have no doubt that the People’s Republic of China will be able to organise this event at the top level despite the current pandemic-related restrictions.
We can see that the United States regularly makes steps under far-fetched pretexts or for reasons that are not related to the sport agenda. They mastermind media and political campaigns aimed at undermining and hampering the organisation of the Olympic Games in countries that Washington wants to pressure and influence, one way or another.
Russia had experienced similar US-organised media campaigns during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. You probably recall the media publications, officials’ statements and an entire chorus of journalists, American activists, political analysts, and so on. Some athletes also joined in and called for boycotts, for pressuring our country and for other measures. We have been through all this. The Olympics were wonderful and became a truly large-scale and significant event in the history of the Olympic movement.
We wish you every success. You should not yield to such provocative statements, organise everything for the benefit of sport, athletes and sports fans, make people happy and do everything possible for the good to triumph over evil even in this particular case.
Maria Zakharova: The military and political situation in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia remains challenging. We have serious concerns about the escalation of the armed conflict between the government troops and divisions of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army.
Russia fully supports the African community’s efforts to settle this intra-Ethiopian conflict. We endorse the approaches of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which, at an emergency meeting on November 8, stressed the importance of declaring a ceasefire as soon as possible in order to stop the bloodshed and create conditions for overcoming the humanitarian consequences of the hostilities.
We count on active assistance with this crisis settlement from Olusegun Obasanjo, High Representative for the Horn of Africa region of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and former president of Nigeria. On November 23, 2021, he met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. They primarily discussed possible ways to stabilise the situation in Ethiopia.
Considering the recent changes for the worse in Ethiopia, we would recommend Russian citizens to refrain from travelling to this country unless absolutely necessary. We published a warning on the Foreign Ministry website. As for possible evacuation, we are monitoring the developments closely and staying in constant contact with the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa. Decisions will be made as necessary. We are promptly analysing all the information received.
Maria Zakharova: We welcome the first meeting of the Russia‒Azerbaijan Expert Council held on November 19‒20 in Baku. The meeting concerned the strategic partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan as an important factor of post-conflict development and regional cooperation. Both bilateral cooperation and cooperation in the region in general were discussed.
These expert-level meetings complement the intensive political and diplomatic contacts, reaffirming the efforts made via official channels to find mutually beneficial solutions in order to stabilise the situation in the region and normalise the relationship between Baku and Yerevan. Essentially, they add a specific real-life agenda to the political efforts.
We believe it is important to progress towards launching a trilateral expert dialogue between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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