Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at talks with the UN Secretary-General's High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Moscow, October 26, 2015

Mr Nassir Al-Nasser,

Friends,

It is our pleasure to welcome you in Moscow. We met a long time ago, when we were working as permanent representatives of our respective countries to the United Nations. I'm truly pleased to note that the international community is eager to benefit from your extensive experience.

A few years ago you visited Russia in your capacity as President of the UN General Assembly, and now you are here as head of the Alliance of Civilisations, a very important international organisation that seeks to prevent and bridge any civilisational, religious or cultural divides. Russia is proactive in supporting this initiative.

In fact, Russia stood at the origins of this institution, has actively contributed to the Alliance’s establishment and operations over the decade since its founding and has always been and will always be proactive in helping it reach the ambitious objectives set for the Alliance of Civilisations by the UN General Assembly. In today’s world, as we are witnessing attempts to incite interfaith strife across the world and to use civilisational and religious factors in malevolent political aims, primarily in the Middle East and North Africa, your activities have become even more relevant.

I strongly believe that your visit to the Russian Federation will help us establish closer ties with the Alliance of Civilisations. You have a number of very important meetings on your agenda with government officials, parliamentarians, academic institutions, NGOs and educational institutions. There is no doubt that these contacts will be highly beneficial.

Once again, welcome to Russia!