Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 24, 2022
Table of contents
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to chair a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund
- Meeting of United Russia General Council Commission on International Cooperation and Support for Compatriots Living Abroad
- Upcoming ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries
- Update on Ukraine
- Recruitment of militants in Syria for Ukraine
- Video prank with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
- Briefing by Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov
- Ukrainian activist Yelena Berezhnaya’s arrest
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s statements
- Statement by a group of Western countries on the anniversary of the developments in Syria
- Anniversary of NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia
- Waffen-SS legionnaires’ march in Riga
- BRICS launches vaccine research centre
- Greek Independence Day
- 30th anniversary of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly
- Gromyko Competition for Young CIS International Relations Specialists
- Lifting of temporary restrictions on entry into Russia
- Italy’s reaction to the statements made by Director of the MFA First European Department Alexey Paramonov
- Potential barring of Russian vessels from Latvian and EU ports
- Closing Russia’s Permanent Mission to the Council of Europe
- EU representatives’ accusations against Russia
- Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s potential mediation in resolving the situation in Ukraine
- Celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia
- Meeting of Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers
- Fulfilling the trilateral agreements on the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh
- Humanitarian situation in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Violating the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh
- Celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia
- Escalation on the Armenia‒Azerbaijan border
- Russia’s response to the situation in Ukraine
- Anti-Russia statements
- Consequences of breaking off Russia‒US relations
- Visa issuance in Russia and the United States
- Participation of foreign mercenaries in the conflict in Ukraine
- Progress in Russia-Ukraine talks
- Possibility of dialogue between leaders of Russia and the United States
- Turkey’s refusal to hand over S-400 missile systems to Ukraine
- Promoting trade and economic ties with ASEAN
- Future relations with the Western countries
- Attempts by the United States to draw India into the anti-Russia bloc
- Fighting Russophobia and discrimination against Russian citizens
- Consular assistance to Russian citizens
As we mentioned at the previous briefing, on March 25, Sergey Lavrov will chair a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund. The attendees will review the Fund’s performance in 2021 and approve its action plan with due regard to the ongoing comprehensive transformation of international relations.
On March 28, at the Foreign Ministry Mansion, Sergey Lavrov will chair the second meeting of the United Russia Party General Council Commission on International Cooperation and Support for Compatriots Living Abroad established under the instructions of President of Russia Vladimir Putin
The meeting will focus on the long-term violations of the rights of the Russian-speaking population in Donbass and Ukraine, ensuring security and protecting the rights and interests of Russians living abroad, the comprehensive countering of the anti-Russian media campaign and the illegal sanctions by the collective West. The discussion will also include the further development of inter-party cooperation with the CIS, Asian, African and Latin American countries.
Upcoming ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries
On March 31, Tunxi, China, will host the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries of (Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
This meeting is a good opportunity to discuss the coordination of regional efforts on humanitarian and socioeconomic assistance to Afghanistan and to compare approaches to counter the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking coming from the territory of Afghanistan.
A dialogue between the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and a delegation of the Taliban is planned on the sidelines of the event, as well as a regular meeting of special representatives of the “expanded troika” on Afghanistan (Russia, China, the United States, and Pakistan).
We will promptly inform you of any additional meetings the Foreign Minister may have.
It has been a month since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. Its goals to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine, to protect the residents of the DPR and the LPR against the aggression by the Kiev regime and to neutralise threats against Russia emanating from that country remain unchanged. The operation is carried out strictly in accordance with the plan. All of the stated goals will be achieved.
I would like to emphasise that the Russian military are fulfilling the goals assigned to them accurately and with great care, sparing civilians and unilaterally opening humanitarian corridors for them to leave to safety. The armed forces of Ukraine and the nationalist battalions that are part of them are trying to prevent this from happening. Normal life is being restored in the areas liberated from the nationalists.
The Kiev authorities don’t care about their citizens. Ukrainian armed formations are using civilians as a human shield (the world has not seen this in modern history), forcibly keep them in blockaded towns and prevent them, under the threat of execution, from evacuating to Russia. Some Ukrainian citizens want to leave the regions that are in the harm’s way in the direction of our country, because they have family and friends here. The punishers (it is impossible to call them anything else) don’t let them do so.
The humanitarian corridors were open to the people and the evacuation began only after Mariupol had been unblocked and the resistance of the neo-Nazis by the People's Militia of the DPR with the support of the Russian Armed Forces had been overcome. At the same time, the Ukrainian militants, who have been illegally holding the civilians hostage, are again shamefully hiding behind the women and children’s backs trying to escape under the guise of ordinary citizens.
Ukrainian embassies abroad continue to recruit volunteers and mercenaries to take part in hostilities, which is unprecedented. The governments of many countries where such recruitment is going on turn a blind eye to the fact that this is a violation of international law, primarily the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and their national legislations.
NATO member states continue to flood Ukraine with weapons, which not only prolongs hostilities, but is also fraught with unpredictable consequences. In recent weeks, Washington alone has sent military assistance to Kiev totalling $1 billion, with hundreds of Stinger MANPADs, thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers and other weapons. According to the White House, at least 30 more countries have provided Ukraine with various types of weapons. This represents a threat to security of the civilian population given that the Ukrainian nationalists and militants are using them as a human shield and are hiding behind their backs in residential areas.
By making such deliveries, the Western countries are grossly violating their own commitments regarding the non-proliferation and safe storage of weapons, including the OSCE documents on small arms, the Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfers and the Principles for Export Controls of Man-Portable Air Defence Systems.
Let our Western “partners” not be surprised when the weapons they had made available to Kiev will later surface in the most unlikely places, as it has always been the case before. By their actions, they created a terrorist threat for Europe and the entire world. We have seen civilian aircraft shot down before, when extremists, terrorists, or militants used US-supplied MANPADS around the world where they supported regime change or moderate extremist terrorists, countries where they saw fit to “support democracy.” Then, the extremists used these weapons to shoot down civilians from NATO countries. The examples abound.
The Ukrainian military have created grave risks for shipping in the Black Sea and other seas. We are talking about 400 obsolete Ukrainian anchor mines installed outside the ports of Odessa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. As a result, about 60 ships are unable to leave Ukrainian ports. The untethered naval mines are drifting towards the Bosporus Strait and can even reach the Mediterranean Sea, which poses a threat to civilian navigation. The Department of Navigational Hydrography and Oceanography of the Turkish Navy has issued a notice in this regard.
The Russian-Ukrainian talks about a draft treaty on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine, its neutrality and guarantees of its security are ongoing via videoconferencing. Military, political and humanitarian aspects are being discussed.
We hope that Kiev will come to realise the inevitability of a peaceful solution to the problem of demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine, and its transformation into a neutral state for the benefit of its people and all of Europe. The sooner the Kiev regime and its handlers understand this, the sooner the special military operation will be over. We call on the Zelensky administration to think about the future of the country and its people, draw their conclusions and adopt corresponding decisions.
They have missed the big chance to keep Ukraine sovereign and independent within its own borders in 2014 and 2015. For seven years now, we tried to persuade the teams of President Poroshenko and then President Zelensky to use it and make the state prosperous. We used all platforms, including international and bilateral channels, to make it clear that there is no other option for the state of Ukraine than to take the steps under the Minsk Action Plan or the country will fall apart, which is what we are witnessing now. This is happening before the eyes of the whole world. In all likelihood, the “will” of the Kiev regime’s chief curator, who did not need Ukraine as a state, is too strong. For Washington, Ukraine and the Ukrainian people are a tool, an inanimate object. They were thrown “into the furnace” in order to keep the ambitions warm and to assert themselves in their own “exceptionality.”
Now, the chance is really there, despite the fact that we are hearing questions as to why we are having a dialogue with the individuals who hate even their own people and are ready to do anything for the sake of the ideology imposed on them. We believe there is still a chance.
Recruitment of militants in Syria for Ukraine
Active recruitment of militants for use against the Russian Federation is underway in the Middle East with reliance on local Ukrainian embassies. These activities violate the 1961 Vienna Convention.
According to the available data, Western security services and the Security Service of Ukraine are working closely together on coordinating these efforts. In effect, this is yet another attempt by certain circles in the West to “tame” Middle Eastern radicals and channel their destructive energy into fighting Russia and in general the international order based on international law. The previous failures of such experiments have not stopped the Anglo-Saxon political engineers. Apparently, the Russophobic frenzy has completely blocked their memory of the 9/11 attacks in New York, terrorist attacks in London and other European capitals, thousands of their compatriots killed in Iraq and their shameful exodus from Afghanistan. They hope the Ukrainian experience will be a success and that they will eventually manage to breed “obedient” terrorists who will obey them in the future. The West has had such illusions for decades. They bred those militants and were then subjected to their fierce attacks. Those extremists and terrorists are raised on blood. Now it is the blood of Russians, Ukrainians and other ethnic groups living in the region. We look the same to the militants brought to Ukraine from the Middle East. They won’t distinguish a Russian soldier from a Ukrainian, a Hungarian, a Pole, a Jew or a Greek. They will simply revel in the violence that their recruiters will let them commit.
The Westerners’ extraordinary cynicism is manifested in the fact that they are recruiting terrorists on a mass scale in Syria – on the territories that are not controlled by the lawful government of that country. Using the excuse of fighting international terrorism, US and other NATO countries’ military have been illegally present there since 2014. They are not going to report to anyone, wear sackcloth and ashes or try to justify their actions in any way. They are simply staying there. They are pumping oil, recruiting terrorists and sending them to other regions. They need to be there and they are there. Journalists do not ask their governments any questions. Who dies at the hands of American military? Why are they there? Who profits from the illegal sale of Syrian oil and other natural resources of this independent country? This struggle has probably developed into a “combat fraternity” over time that allows these people to count on the help of ISIS POWs in “defending democratic Ukraine from Russian aggression.”
I would like to ask: How do these moves conform to the operating Russian-US deconflicting mechanism in Syria? Is there anyone on the other side of the line in Washington who can respond?
We are warning again that flirting with terrorists will not produce any benefits. Those who set a rabid dog on their neighbour risk being torn up by it.
Video prank with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
A surprising event has come to our attention. It shocked not only us but also Great Britain: an interview of UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace gave to pranksters. He had a wonderful conversation with them.
At first, we wondered if it was a real video or a deepfake? Based on the statements from the UK Ministry of Defence, it is indeed a real interview of their Defence Secretary.
What is surprising is not that Mr Wallace was unable to distinguish between prankers and Ukrainian officials. I leave that to the judgment of the British public. What is truly astounding is the ease with which UK officials talk about Ukraine possessing nuclear weapons and, as a matter of principle, about the possibility of London supporting such a development. There is no protest, no questions and not even fear. It confirms only one thing: Ukraine indeed had such plans, as did NATO. They were ready for such a scenario.
I understand the protests of the UK Ministry of Defence, which demands that YouTube remove the video. They say it "poses a threat to UK national security." In essence, it reveals the plans for what was to be done to Ukraine.
The plan was as follows: first to pump it with arms, then to complete the "story" in Donbass by force, and then follow a direct, open path to the deployment of everything that implies a NATO presence there. Creation and development of nuclear weapons should have been as the cherry on the cake. Of course, from their point of view, the video should be removed as a matter of urgency, as it is a historical fact.
Briefing by Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov
NATO ideologists had their own scenario for Ukraine in the near future. In this context, I would like to draw your attention to a briefing by Igor Kirillov, the Chief of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force of the Russian Armed Forces. The two of us are on the same sanctions list, probably because we both cite facts that are impossible to refute.
Today, Mr Kirillov gave a regular briefing. He spoke about new evidence and incoming reports that make it possible to follow the link between the US state machinery and Ukrainian bio facilities. This is a direct link.
“It is noteworthy that the structures that are directly linked with the current US leadership, for instance the Rosemont Seneca investment fund, are involved in funding the said activities.” The fund is headed by Hunter Biden. “The fund has substantial financial resources and is closely linked with the main subcontractors of the US Defence Department. This applies to Metabiota, a company that is, together with Black&Veatch, the main supplier of equipment for the Pentagon’s biolaboratories throughout the world.”
The link between the Biden family and Ukrainian businesses is well known, both in the United States and beyond. But this time, new horrible evidence has emerged. What they were going to do there is really the road to hell. The US state sector, a huge business is obviously involved in illegal activities related to biolaboratories and the development of bio weapons in Ukraine. This is essentially a corruption link with Ukraine.
I would like to draw your attention to Mr Kirillov’s briefing once again. He quotes evidence that cannot be refuted by idle statements of representatives from the White House, the Department of State or the Pentagon. There is nothing for press secretaries to do in this respect. This is a job for specialists and lawyers who must investigate US criminal activities in Ukraine.
This poses a threat not just to Ukraine or even the whole region. This is a threat to continents, primarily to Europe and Asia, to Eurasia.
Ukrainian activist Yelena Berezhnaya’s arrest
The continuing arrests of Ukraine’s civil society activists cause grave concern.
In particular, this is the case with Yelena Berezhnaya, who heads the Institute of Legal Policy and Social Protection. She was detained on March 17, 2022.
Yelena Berezhnaya is a prominent member of the international human rights community. In 2014, she made quite a few appearances at the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe to speak out against the discriminatory policies of the Maidan government against Russian-speakers in Ukraine. She was relentless in exposing the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and vociferously opposed attempts to build the cult of Bandera and other Nazi accomplices in Ukraine.
There are serious grounds to fear for Yelena Berezhnaya’s life in the context of her detention. We see what is going on in Ukraine: people are being taken hostage, used as human shields and kidnapped, both adults and children. We demand that the Ukrainian human rights activist be freed immediately along with all other civil society figures and civilians who have been detained illegally.
We also expect the specialised international structures and agencies within the UN and the OSCE to respond to and weigh in on this situation, since they keep saying that repression against human rights activists is unacceptable and pay close attention to this issue.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s statements
We took note of the statements by Foreign Minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian several days ago in the context of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Let me emphasise that several Western foreign ministers have lately indulged in statements that run counter to professional ethics and the legal aspects of the matter in question, as if forgetting all rules of decency and legality. Jean-Yves Le Drian is among them. He used several media outlets as a rostrum for exercising emotional anti-Russia rhetoric by accusing the Russian leadership of perpetrating “war crimes” in Ukraine, as well as unleashing “an information and propaganda war.” Was he talking about us? I think that he got something wrong here. Can it be that he has not learned the history of his country? My advice for him would be to read his history books. This way, he may stumble upon Libya. To speak of a propaganda and information war – he got everything so mixed up. Maybe he should watch and read the French media. Has the French Foreign Minister seen the Charlie Hebdo edition? If not, I can tell him that this “satirical magazine” referred to Ukrainians as “animals.” You can think about the politicians and the regime anything you like, and excel in satire and humour, but if you support people and civilians, you have to keep an eye on the way your media and journalists treat them. We do understand that the situation in Ukraine and statements by Ukrainian journalists transcend all the legal boundaries (this is what the operation to denazify Ukraine is all about), but the French state has until know respected its correspondents and promoted the freedom of expression. What is going on there? Where is the objective perspective and the plurality of opinion? Don’t the people forced to flee their country and seek refuge across Europe deserve at least some respect? They are being prevented from fleeing to the Russian Federation by force, while they want to come here. And the French media call these people “animals.” Judging by these statements, like Foreign Minister, like satirical magazine, as the saying goes.
This begs a question. So many years have gone by. How can it be that Paris has never bothered finding the underlying cause of what caused the Ukrainian crisis? After all, they were the co-sponsors, it was their job to remain constantly involved, not just from time to time. Let me remind you that France had as many as eight years during which, together with Germany, it acted as a guarantor and a de facto mediator in promoting a settlement in southeastern Ukraine within the Normandy format, without any success, as we can now see. From the very moment when the dramatic events started in Ukraine following the anti-constitutional government coup supported by the West and perpetrated by extremists through a power grab, we have been patiently drawing the attention of Paris and Berlin to the outrageous selectiveness of their approach to these developments. Time and again, we spoke of the dangers of intentionally sweeping under the carpet the illegal Russophobic actions by the Kiev regime and its refusal, recognised in public, to abide by the Minsk agreements against the backdrop of never-ending military aggression against the people of Donbass by Kiev, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the nationalist battalions which had infiltrated the Ukrainian army. The collective West also ignored the numerous civilian casualties.
Today, our Western partners are energetically supplying the discredited Kiev authorities with all kinds of weapons, including man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS). It is no secret to anyone that these weapons are being handed out to anyone caring to take them, including criminals released from custody. After all, Paris must understand where these criminals with their MANPADS in hand may go later. Neither Poland, nor the Czech Republic will be able to stop them. They will head further West. Currently, the West is shaping its own future. There is no need to ask rhetorical questions as to where and when the distributed Western weapons will fire and what the nationalists and criminals released from prisons who laid their hands on them will choose as their targets? The answer is clear: these weapons will be used against NATO members and residents of countries which are actively encouraging the handouts. You may ask: why so? Because it has always been this way. All extremists and militants whom the West indoctrinated and armed always came back to roost. I don’t know what “law of philosophy” or a mystical combination of circumstances is behind this. Hard to say. But it has always been this way, and it will be so now.
This seemingly odd logical connection is described in numerous works of fiction and documentaries. Better to grasp that now. Could it be that Paris, Berlin and London have a feeling that perhaps the militants will be stopped by the East European buffer? No, it won’t. They will reach the coveted destination, as they always have. I am not trying to frighten anyone. I am just warning and explaining what is going to happen.
Before speculating about “war crimes,” they should for starters recall their own history and NATO’s air strikes against Yugoslavia and Libya. There was also Iraq. I know that France was not involved there, but as a NATO member-country it participated in many other events. Today, everyone has hastily forgotten that Ukraine itself was involved in the campaign against Iraq, and it was OK with them, they could only praise its contribution. You will laugh but Nadezhda Savchenko herself was a member of the Ukrainian contingent sent to Iraq to assist the NATO operation there. Some “grimaces of history.” And history will follow the same course now.
As for the collapse of the Libyan statehood, Paris played the “first fiddle” in this sense. All of this led to a humanitarian disaster that has plagued Libya, once a prosperous country, since 2011. When is the Champs-Elysees going to face the consequences of its own actions? Never? It’s a pity. In this connection, we would like to remind the French foreign minister that their actions have resulted in the emergence of numerous terrorist groups there that have rapidly spread from Libya to the Sahara-Sahel zone. In this context, as we can see, Paris’ decade-long attempts to put something up against the terrorist threat in Sahel have proved absolutely futile. Perhaps Paris remembers the terrorist attacks that rolled across France not so long ago. They did not happen out of the blue. They must have been linked to something as well. This is always the case when you experiment with regime change and arms supplies to extremists and terrorists. There is a law of history: later all of this will boomerang against the countries where the evil originated.
As a rule, the criticism that Paris and other Western countries have levelled at Russia fits in well with the Russian saying “We see the speck that is in our brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in our own eye.”
Statement by a group of Western countries on the anniversary of the developments in Syria
We have taken note of the joint statement by the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Italy, published on March 15, 2022, on the 11th anniversary of what they refer to as the “Syrian uprising.”
I would like to repeat that Russia’s policy imperative in Syria has always been and still is respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. Over the years, we have listened to a lot of abuse, experienced a lot of intimidation, and heard many promises. History has put everything in its place. Thanks to Russia’s actions, the Western campaign, launched to destroy Middle Eastern statehood, came to a standstill in Syria. The success of that campaign would have been a disaster for the world, given, sadly, the presence of technologies that could have been used to create weapons of mass destruction there (undeclared, “dirty” weapons), the number of weapons in the region, as well as extremists, terrorists and the fundamentalist ideology.
The campaign launched by NATO, and primarily the United States, could have resulted in an all-out catastrophe. It was prevented by Russia, which made a decisive contribution to routing ISIS, the biggest terrorist group in history. Have you forgotten about this? Has the memory of the huge risk of a global disaster been erased in the West? Irreparable damage has also been done to other illegal armed groups. It is regrettable that all this has been forgotten. The ruined statehood of such countries as Iraq and the destruction of their armed forces after foreigners came to their countries meant that orderly, government-controlled organisations were replaced by disorganised armed groups with the fundamentalist ideology, creating a breeding ground for ISIS. But those who were responsible for this situation do not feel any regret or self-recrimination.
As we can see from the example of Libya, NATO’s activities have led to chaos in the region, and now all North African and Sahel countries are dealing with the consequences. The bombing of Libya by a number of NATO countries cannot be described as anything other than a war crime, which has resulted in the destruction of the state, the impoverishment of the population, hunger, large numbers of refugees, and civil war.
This product of propaganda reflects the faulty Western interpretation of events in Syria, based on bias and double standards. The West has probably decided to take advantage of the current situation to present a new interpretation of past events. They will not succeed. The above-mentioned statement is part of the collective West’s policy of spreading disinformation to delude the international community into changing its views on developments in Syria and other parts of the world. It repeats the usual allegations against the legitimate Syrian authorities and Russia. A cynical attempt has been made in the above statement to draw parallels between the Syrian conflict and the situation in Ukraine. Russia is being accused of creating a humanitarian catastrophe in both cases (it is a favourite allegation). The only similarity between these two situations is that Russia acted in response to a request from the leaders of sovereign states to defend them and their people and restore balance to the situation which had been destabilised through the fault of the West.
We consider it necessary to again remind everyone about the destructive role played by the United States and its allies, which deliberately fuelled the conflict in Syria from the very beginning. While acting in their own short-term selfish interests, they stopped at nothing to provide all-round support to the forces that were fighting against the Syrian Government. They were nurturing extremists and creating a new “class” of international terrorists. At the same time, the West was bound to know that this policy was drawing out the crisis and the bloodshed. But this was probably what they wanted.
The US-led International Anti-Terrorist Coalition did not so much fight ISIS as it carried out massive bombardments of Syrian territory causing numerous civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Their strikes also often targeted the Syrian military who were liberating their country from hordes of terrorists, brought in and armed with Western help. I would like to remind you of the dirty chemical provocations carried out by groups supervised by Western intelligence agencies. Although referred to as “humanitarian” and “human rights” NGOs (remember the White Helmets), in fact, those organisations were part of an extremist network. They provided all kinds of support to the terrorists. Naturally, they were doing it with Western money. The State Department openly financed everything (when it came to the White Helmets). This activity was led by a retired British intelligence agent who was later “eliminated” when he became unnecessary and stood in their way.
The Americans are still hindering the restoration of Syria’s sovereignty east of the Euphrates. They are pushing the local Kurds towards separatism, contributing to a dismemberment of the country. The United States continues to occupy a 55-kilometre “deconfliction zone” around its illegal military base in Al-Tanf in the south of the country. This stripped the Syrian government of access to hydrocarbon deposits and other natural resources located in the northeast.
They continue to declare the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Syria, but in fact, the United States and its allies are making every effort to slow down the country’s post-crisis recovery, consistently expanding the scope of unilateral restrictive measures against Damascus. We remember how they imposed restrictions despite the worsening situation on the ground due to the pandemic. They continued to hit Syria again and again, trying to hurt civilians, to make their lives unbearable, in order to put pressure on Damascus. A dreadful story. First, attempts to change the regime, destabilisation, chaos in the country, weapons supplies to Syria, recruitment of extremists and militants, dangerous experiments and terrorist attacks, including with the use of chemical weapons, bombing from air, pumping of oil and plundering of the state. After that, when this did not work out due to Russia’s decisive action, they began imposing the suffocating sanctions on Syria against the backdrop of the pandemic, at a time when the country had been resisting and trying to survive for ten years.
I recall the words of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In the 1990s, Western journalists (then they were allowed to ask) asked her how the United States assessed the lives of thousands of children (they cited a figure close to half a million) who died from US sanctions against Iraq. She answered calmly (there is a video) - as reasonable measures. That was it. Then they coined the term “collateral damage” to describe the sacrifice that had to be made to ensure that the American point of view prevailed, so that they could dominate and see themselves as being exceptional. Justified casualties, and that was it. Now they are considering what is happening in Ukraine, counting refugees, etc. Count the number of civilian casualties from US sanctions in Latin America alone, in the Middle East. I will talk about the bomb strikes separately. In Syria, the political settlement process and the return of refugees and internally displaced persons is being artificially hampered. Westerners are doing this too.
I would like to emphasise that the countries that released the said statement bear the main responsibility for the tragic events in Syria causing almost half a million deaths and even more injuries, multi-billion-dollar damage to the Syrian economy and social infrastructure, the gravest suffering of the people, as the overwhelming majority resisted that geopolitical project of the West. It is not for them to denounce Syria or Russia, which played a key role in defeating ISIS and continues its consistent efforts to promote the long-awaited peace on Syrian soil.
We have called on them to do it together, to create a global anti-ISIS, anti-terrorist coalition. That was in 2015. They only laughed at us in response because it did not fit in with their plans. They thought we couldn’t do it, but we did. Apparently, they decided to take revenge. But this won't work this time either.
Anniversary of NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia
On this day 23 years ago, on March 24, 1999, NATO launched its aggression against Yugoslavia – a European country, a full member of the UN, the OSCE and other multilateral structures. NATO trampled over everything, the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law. For 78 days, the United States and its allies bombed cities and towns, civilian infrastructure, bridges, passenger trains and buses, killing women, children and the elderly. Hundreds of Yugoslavian security services’ officers died courageously defending their country. It was then that the West destroyed the foundation of Europe’s post-war security with its own hands.
We are hearing statements that Europe has never seen anything like Ukraine right now. You don’t say. You have forgotten what you were doing in the 1990s in Eastern Europe and specifically in Yugoslavia. Perhaps you have forgotten but they remember. We remember. The world will not forget.
Washington and its satellites arrogantly and single-handedly assumed the right to use force whenever they feel like it – for example, when their geopolitical experiment starts to falter, not everything is going smoothly and not everybody is saluting. The people of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Syria, Libya and other countries have paid a horrendous toll to the Moloch of NATO. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Some of the survivals were poisoned with depleted uranium from the ammunition used against Yugoslavians. There were victims among the citizens of other countries and on the other side, among NATO’s corps on the ground. But blaming was pointless. Nobody was found guilty. No lawsuits were ever sustained. The problem was swept under the carpet. That’s it.
Nobody carried a punishment, ever. Not in a single of the cases I have mentioned. They were written off as “collateral damage” – losses associated with the United States, Great Britain and their satellites who were realising their geopolitical ambitions. Only after several most egregious murders of civilians were committed, US troops reluctantly apologised. And that was it.
In the current circumstances of protecting people who have been subject to genocide, abuse, torture and oppression for eight years in Ukraine, the United States and its allies are hypocritically trying to feign righteous anger and cynically discussing alleged violation of international law – which they bombed to dust in 1999, repeating this “successful” experience multiple times in the 2000s.
It is not their sermon to preach.
Waffen-SS legionnaires’ march in Riga
We speak about this every year, yet there has been no response from international organisations, NGOs and human rights groups.
On March 16, 2022, a traditional march of former Waffen-SS legionnaires and their admirers from local radical nationalist organisations took place in central Riga. Meanwhile, the city’s municipality chose to reject the Latvian Antifascist Committee’s application to hold a protest. This manifests the true attitude to the issue of neo-Nazism. And this is happening in the middle of Europe even now.
We see an event glorifying former SS members as blatant mocking of the memory of those who saved the world from the brown plague at the cost of their lives. This has been happening for more than 70 years. Immediately after the war, these people were still a little embarrassed to do it. But then it started to happen. NATO ran off the rails and started rewriting history, textbooks, mutilating the history of WWII, mutilating people’s memory, violating the memory of heroes, attributing heroism to criminals and making them into false champions. Now they are reaping the results of their own bloody experiments and perverted logic.
Latvian officials are once again condoning this phenomenon that should be shameful for modern Europe. And do not tell me that “not that many” people showed up, who cares. Well, we care.
These people have many followers who took this event as a certain signal. They know this is “normal.” Everything has been twisted. These are not fighters for European freedom but simply collaborationists. Seeing this is not surprising at all, considering that Latvia is showing overarching support to the pro-Nazi regime in Ukraine.
BRICS launches vaccine research centre
On March 22 this year, a ceremony was held to launch the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre, involving the heads of relevant agencies from the five countries.
The initiative to establish the vaccine research centre was recorded in the final declaration of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg (July 26-27, 2018). It has brought together leading research institutions and companies in the member states – the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil), the Anatoly Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza (Russia), the Indian Council of Medical Research (India), the Sinovac Life Sciences company (China) and South African Medical Research Council (South Africa).
The new centre’s main objective is to share best practices and strengthen practical cooperation in the research, development, production and distribution of vaccines to ensure their greater availability. The new format is designed to develop mechanisms for the prevention, diagnosis and prompt response to new viruses, as well as to ensure timely and widespread Covid-19 vaccination.
Russia’s Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko underlined the centre’s important role in coordinating the BRICS countries’ efforts to control existing infections, in particular influenza, tuberculosis and HIV, as well as potential biological threats.
We consider the launch of the BRICS vaccine research centre as a major achievement of the five-sided cooperation in the year of the Chinese chairmanship of the BRICS. We count on the continued strengthening of cooperation in the field of healthcare, in particular through the implementation of the Russian initiative to establish the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for preventing mass infectious disease risks.
March 25 is a national holiday in Greece, Independence Day.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia supported the national liberation struggle of the Greeks, making a decisive contribution to its success and the development of Greek statehood. The year 2022 marks the 195th anniversary of the victory by the allied force of British, French, and Russian ships in the Battle of Navarino, which helped bring about the liberation of Greece.
The peoples of Russia and Greece have more than once confronted common threats, fighting shoulder to shoulder, coming to each other’s rescue in difficult times, including in the struggle against fascism and Nazism during World War II.
The two countries and peoples are building strong equal and mutually respectful relations, built on the solid foundation of their centuries-old ties of friendship and mutual understanding, cultural and spiritual kinship. We are sure that the Greek citizens share this approach.
I have heard some statements from Greek politicians lately. Today, I would rather not talk to these politicians (because it is probably no use anymore), but I would like to address the people of Greece. Standing up to fascism and neo-Nazism is in your cultural code. Your 20th century culture reflects suffering from Nazism and fascism. Can you possibly fail to understand how Donbass has suffered for eight years, what a terrible disaster has befallen Ukraine when nationalist battalions became part of its army? They were incited to destroy the population that refused to obey their orders. Can’t you draw a lesson from your own history that will help you understand what is really happening? I believe you must understand. You cannot betray your own memory.
30th anniversary of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly
The agreement on the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States was signed on March 27, 1992. Established almost simultaneously with the CIS, the IPA has become the main platform for parliamentary diplomacy in the post-Soviet space. In the subsequent 30 years, it has become an effective tool for aligning the CIS states’ legislations and creating conditions for all-round regional integration. The IPA is focused on creating a legal framework for the common economic space of the CIS countries, on boosting international cooperation, and on studying and promoting parliamentarism.
In the context of the ongoing development of a new world order and unprecedented pressure by the US-led West, which has been trying to dictate its views and rules on the world, the political and humanitarian importance of the institutes of people’s diplomacy, including the platforms of interparliamentary interaction among countries, is increasing.
It is notable that the next meeting of the IPA CIS, which has been scheduled for March 29, will be held in Almaty, where the agreement on its establishment was adopted 30 years ago.
Gromyko Competition for Young CIS International Relations Specialists
I would like to inform you about a statement posted on our website to call for submissions for the Andrey Gromyko Competition for Young CIS International Relations Specialists.
The annual Gromyko Competition was first held in 2018. Over the four years since then, it has brought together over 1,100 young academics from 11 countries, 243 cities and 252 leading universities. The competition has been highly assessed by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the honorary chair of the Board of Trustees of the Andrey Gromyko Association of Foreign Policy Studies.
Applications can be filed online through May 12, 2022, on the competition’s website. They must include the competitor’s entry and participation form.
Lifting of temporary restrictions on entry into Russia
As per Government Resolution No. 522-r of March 17, 2022, temporary restrictions on entry into the Russian Federation for foreign nationals and stateless persons, including Ukrainian citizens entering Russia from the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and Ukraine, have been lifted as of March 18, 2022.
Restrictions have also been lifted for the citizens of the Republic of Belarus who enter Russia via the Russian-Belarusian border, and for the Russian citizens who enter the Republic of Belarus via the Russian-Belarusian state border.
Maria Zakharova: First, the crazy statements that certain Italian officials have permitted themselves to make in recent weeks have caused a massive public outcry in Russia. Second, Italy’s current Russophobic anti-Russia policies are directed at looking for non-existent threats and implications. It is for this reason that the interview granted by the director of the First European Department on March 19 has been distorted in such a gross and cynical manner.
This calm and non-confrontational interview stated facts and expressed concern about the increasingly frenzied anti-Russia statements made by Italian politicians. Mr Paramonov also drew attention to the further deterioration of Russian-Italian relations. But certain information industry employees have interpreted this as a veiled threat to Italy. Perhaps it has something to do with inaccurate translation. But still, it takes a lot of effort to see a veiled threat to Italy in those lines. Perhaps this is a case of inner perception through the prism of one’s phobias. The text has nothing of what was later ascribed to Mr Paramonov.
What was launched by the media and spread further was a classic fake. A sentence is taken out of context so that the meaning is different from the original. The next step is to spark off an information war which is used by the Italian establishment for no good reason at all.
We do not want to believe that a witch-hunt era has begun in Russian-Italian relations, despite their centuries-old history and spectacular examples of fruitful cooperation, an era of persecution of all things Russian.
The important thing for both the Italian media and politicians is not to fall victim to provocations in the information sphere that have clearly been organised by NATO institutions.
Maria Zakharova: This initiative is absurd. Obviously its originators, tortured as they are by an anti-Russia frenzy, decided to do their bit and hit at the international transport and logistical chains. Even without this initiative, their disruption has led to a surge in inflation and commodity shortages in Europe, specifically in the EU. Do they need to increase the sufferings of their own populations?
It is quite clear that Latvia does not care about its own citizens or those of Estonia and Lithuania, let alone the citizens of Russia or Ukraine. They are unlikely to care about the citizens of Poland either. After all, they must understand that their proposal will directly affect even their patrons in Brussels.
You and I are aware that the Baltic countries and their political establishment are directly controlled by London and Washington, either through NATO or in a goal-oriented direct mode. Obviously, this will benefit the Anglo-Saxon duo, but Latvia must understand that they themselves will suffer.
As for Baltic ports, everyone is aware of the dynamics we are witnessing today. (I am referring to downward freight dynamics). If local politicians want to reduce their ports’ cargo turnover even further, that is their problem. Indicatively, their readiness to sacrifice their countries’ economic interests exists side by side with panhandling, for they are asking Brussels for compensation. If Latvia and Lithuania take another anti-Russian decision, our cargo flows will be redirected, as necessary. Russian Baltic and Black Sea ports will continue to function and develop at an accelerated pace, while European economic interests will inevitably be affected. The Europeans cannot help but understand this.
Maria Zakharova: In view of Russia’s exit from the Council of Europe, our permanent representative office in Strasbourg will be closed. Specific terms and procedures pertaining to the closure will be agreed upon further.
I would like to remind you that, according to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the authorities of the host country (France in this case) must provide necessary assistance to our diplomatic mission, which includes ensuring security for its staff and their family members, premises and property.
Maria Zakharova: This is a masterpiece and a “record” when it comes to the depth of moral and professional degradation of Brussels.
First of all, on February 19 – even before the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the Mariupol City Council reported that, due to the damage of the Southern Donbass Conduit that sends water from the river to the Seversky Donets, the city switched to a reserve water supply using the local Starokrymsky Reservoir. It was reported that “the situation remains fully under control” and that “residents noticed water supply disruptions.”
On March 11, 2022, the city officials reported that the water supply was being restored, distributed as follows: 30 percent from the conduit and 70 percent from the water reservoir, which is the reverse of how it normally is.
This means that the city has access to water. Overall, the issue will be resolved once the DPR troops, with the support of the Russian forces, have liberated Mariupol and the rest of the republic’s territory from the radical nationalists, and once the demilitarisation of Ukraine is complete.
Second, by accusing Russian troops of cutting the water off in Mariupol on purpose, the European Union and its officials are ignoring the fact that, two days before that, on March 20, the Inter-Agency Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine announced that on March 21, the Russian Defence Ministry would open humanitarian corridors for both civilians and Ukrainian troops (without weapons) to leave Mariupol. A ceasefire was also announced.
The European officials’ statement did not mention the fact that Ukrainian nationalists continue to use civilians as a human shield. Between 80 and 235 civilians had been killed by them every day in the preceding days as they attempted to leave the city. That was not mentioned either. It was not mentioned that on March 21, Russian humanitarian corridors had been organised in Mariupol from the eastern side, and that as of March 28, Russian troops had evacuated 68,000 people – without any kind of involvement from the Kiev authorities. And that yesterday, on March 23, the Russian Armed Forces announced two more exit routes from Mariupol, towards Rostov-on-Don and Zaporizhzhia.
Moreover, humanitarian corridors open daily in the Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy and Kharkov directions, with one corridor leading to Russia and one to the west. Neither of the corridors towards Russia were approved by Kiev. The European Union refuses to see that. Where is the statement from the EU on this matter? There have been no such statements. Perhaps, journalists could somehow get a response from Josep Borrell. Maybe he will force himself to say a word of truth.
Third, we could listen to all these lamentations coming from Brussels, but there is one “but.” In fact, the European Union could have invested the same energy over the past eight years to speak out against the closing of the North Crimean Canal which supplied water from the Dnieper to the Crimean Peninsula. However, they never did this, not a single time, while they had all the information. Let me remind you that until 2014, this canal covered 90 percent of Crimea’s freshwater needs. The Kiev regime started by closing the locks and went on to build a concrete dam in 2017. This blocked the water supply to the peninsula. They even planted something there to further cement this decision.
Ukraine did this in violation of its international obligations under Article b of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Articles 11 and 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
We have pointed this out so many times in our briefings and sent so many materials to international organisations. Russia’s permanent representatives at international organisations have brought this up on numerous occasions. Not a word in response. Neither Josep Borrell, nor his predecessors, nor any other figures, environmental activists or international officials ever commented on this. The suffering affected the wrong people, and the wrong civilians were deprived of fresh water. This is part of the selective attitude and the enactment of genuine segregation. All this was happening against a backdrop of statements dividing people into those who are exceptional and those who are ordinary. The first can fight for their existence, while the others cannot. The first need water, while others can get along without it for years. How about eight years? We know what to call this. We have been there. And we warned everyone about this.
In all these years, the European Union has never cared to look into this issue. The Western media, among others, bear direct responsibility because they serve Brussels’ interests. They never inquired about this fact or reported on it. All these years, the European Union couldn’t care less about water or human rights. Brussels never issued any statements warning Kiev against using water as war tactic. All they did was give money: tranches, millions, loans, weapons, technology. Moreover, the European Union supported the policy of discrimination against the people of Crimea by imposing restrictions to punish the people on the peninsula for making the democratic choice to be with Russia. These were the wrong people. Segregate them. This was the gist of their policy, even if they did not call it that way.
Russia resolved the water supply issue in Crimea on its own. We have shared information on this subject. A series of measures enabled the peninsula to tap its own water resources. We built new water supply inlets and conduits. The dam blocking the North Crimean Canal was blown up on February 26, 2022, in the first days of the special military operation. Water from the Dnieper resumed its perennial flow towards Crimea, and has already reached it.
This begs the question: is Brussels aware of the facts that I have just listed, or they simply refuse to recognise them? We kept publishing this information, but what did they do with it at EU headquarters? Did they just stick it under a wobbly chair leg? Depending on the answer, we will know whether this is a matter of European officials’ unprofessionalism, or cynical disinformation of the European and international public.
Maria Zakharova: You have answered your own question. We have never rejected cooperation proposals from any country. We believe that over the past eight years the countries that have expressed such a desire could have used their capabilities to encourage the Kiev regime to honour its commitments.
At this point, we are analysing all constructive proposals. We have responded to positive initiatives that could be effective or at least produce some result. You mentioned some of them.
On the other hand, holding meetings and accepting initiatives that have been proposed for appearance’s sake is not the goal. But we will consider any constructive idea.
We are grateful to everyone who has expressed a willingness and has supported the idea of mediating the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a settlement.
Maria Zakharova: I would like to remind you that our diplomatic relations were established 30 years ago, on April 4, 1992. But the history of relations between our peoples is much older and has deep historical roots. However, there is also the formal side, that is, diplomatic relations. We have prepared a series of major events to mark this jubilee, including the exchange of official messages of greeting and meetings at various levels.
We will highlight the development of our cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Exhibitions and concerts are already being held within the framework of Azerbaijan Days in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Culture is preparing a series of events to be held in Azerbaijan.
It is notable that on the eve of the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan met in Moscow on February 22, 2022 to sign the Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan. This document offers new opportunities to build up bilateral cooperation in all spheres, including trade, economic, military-political, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
This year we will celebrate many 30th anniversaries of establishing diplomatic relations with other CIS member states. There will also be cross events. In other words, we are preparing events and have already started implementing some of them. We will inform you about this regularly.
Question: Are there plans for a meeting between our foreign ministers?
Maria Zakharova: The date has not been set yet. Let’s assume that it will be. We always share this information.
Maria Zakharova: These talks are held behind closed doors. We share the information we can disclose. A press release on this issue was published on March 21, 2022. (1, 2)
As for the implementation of the agreements reached on November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021 and November 26, 2021, the current focus is on several priority spheres. The Trilateral Working Group co-chaired by deputy prime ministers is coordinating a package of transport development projects, in particular, railway lines and motorways. Interdepartmental consultations are underway on launching the delimitation and subsequent demarcation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border with consultative support from Russia.
Maria Zakharova: We have previously commented on this topic. We have been reaching out to both parties, urging them to resolve the problem with gas supplies to the region as soon as possible. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Energy and Gazprom are also putting effort into this. We deem it totally unacceptable to aggravate the humanitarian situation in the region, which is difficult enough already. Civilians should not suffer.
Maria Zakharova: This should be assessed by our peacekeeping forces stationed there. I can repeat what was said today: the situation is already tense and complicated. It should not be aggravated by either side.
Maria Zakharova: We will definitely publish extensive material on this score. I spoke earlier today about our preparations for anniversary events. I will definitely share this information.
Maria Zakharova: Regarding the political statement, I have already said: neither side should aggravate the situation, which is already tense enough. If we are talking about the situation on the ground citing specific facts, then this is a question for the military experts who are based in the area.
I will try to clarify the facts. We may make additional comments.
Maria Zakharova: There is a way. Right now, we are taking efforts to denazify Ukraine. For many years before that, we have presented documented evidence, convened conferences, disseminated videos and official documents. The fact is, it goes beyond public statements and ugly hysteria. Based on this ideology, the West has been supplying weapons and incorporating nationalist battalions into the Ukrainian Armed Forces under its aegis, infecting them with the virus of neo-Nazism. This is the problem.
As for the prospects of weapons of mass destruction, I have already spoken about this today. Let’s not go back to one, two, three or five years ago. We have been through all this: we invited journalists, provided information and spoke about this matter at every briefing, quoting, submitting and translating documents. But they continue to ruin their own state as they did before. They did it in a stand-alone region, intending to exterminate Russian nationals and the Russian-speaking population on their territory, the territories of Donetsk and Lugansk and the territory of our country. This rhetoric continued from one statement to the next. None of those statements were disavowed. There was no investigation or inquiry. What investigation of nationalist rhetoric can we talk about if even murders have not been investigated in Ukraine? Murderers targeted dissenting public figures, publicists, political commentators, journalists and civilians. People were pushed into the House of Trade Unions in Odessa before it was burnt down. They screamed and begged but the rampaging crowd looked on as they burned alive. And you are talking about showing, highlighting or distributing these materials. Books have already come out about the Odessa tragedy. But while the books were coming out to tell about this tragedy, a generation of nationalists was being groomed. They were joining the “battalions” and being coached (using this tragedy, among other things) to be future “great warriors” who must fight Russia and Russian culture.
As concerns the nationalist statements and threats we are hearing today, the Russian Investigative Committee is working on this. You can visit its website for any latest updates on recent decisions. Many criminal cases are open. I do not represent the committee so I can only redirect you to the original source.
As for the Western patrons, I often hear questions like “Have you tried informing them?” or “How do you counter information threats?” Well, who should we inform? Perhaps, the British? About the horrors that the Ukrainian population has been experiencing for eight years? Look what they are busy with right now. They have released lists of Russian nationals who have property and real estate in the UK. For what purpose? Are they looking for ways to exploit this property? They have already taken it over, shouting that this property must be used to house somebody. What is this? What happened to the concept of private property? Even if you have questions about the source of money, there are judicial procedures, investigations, law and lawyers. What happened to that?
There is a lack of understanding that Europe has been through this before. Remember aryanisation? Property owners were exposed in Europe using similar lists. Their property was seized and transferred to other persons, without charge or trial, without a change in the country’s political course or political system. Not as a result of a revolution or rebellion. A legitimate government took away the property of people belonging to a certain ethnicity and transferred it to people of another ethnicity. Are you seeing something new happening in Europe right now? It is the same thing. Who will listen to our accounts and arguments? We have tried before. Now they are showing their true faces as they resort to the same methods used in the 1930s and 1940s.
Maria Zakharova: We have issued warnings and will issue more warnings to these countries’ representative offices. We are acting through our embassies and through the Western diplomatic offices in Russia. We are making public statements to warn them about the effect such developments would have and what would happen if nationalism continues to spread throughout Europe. We provide facts from history and draw parallels.
As for their awareness, part of their societies is aware of the possible outcome, that is, people who are facing violence motivated by ethnic hatred. The informed and educated know what can happen not from their own experience but based on examples from history.
Even those who rely on the one-sided and frighteningly nationalistic propaganda of their media are waking up. I can tell you with full confidence that when every problem has been blamed on one nation for many years and even a decade, this is nationalism. When no evidence is provided, when the arguments that are cited prove to be false, and when any action taken by the accused nation is denounced, this is nationalist propaganda.
We are seeing all of this directed at our citizens and our nation. In English, all people living in our country are called Russians. They make no secret of that.
Maria Zakharova: The US Administration has been acting in an absolutely unacceptable way, fuelled by its impotent rage over the failure of its plan to turn Ukraine into the anti-Russia and subsequently use it as a bridgehead for striking our territory, which has taken our bilateral relations to the virtual point of no return. It is their choice. We have warned them many times. But they continue down this path.
The Americans probably thought and hoped that their unprecedented sanctions from hell (I can’t even describe them as expropriation, which involves a legal reason) would force us to back off. They have stolen our assets, seized those foreign currency reserves that were held at Western banks, blocked our accounts, and threatened to confiscate our property. I don’t know what they expected to achieve by doing that. They probably didn’t think that Russia would absorb the blow, and that the problems would boomerang on the United States and its lap dogs in the European Union. They didn’t expect this. They thought it would be one-way trip, but there turned out to be a return train. This is the root cause of their aggressive rhetoric and personal insults that go beyond the bounds of decency, including from the US President. It is evidence of their inner turmoil, uncertainty and irritation at the failure to play the Ukrainian card as they planned and as they played other cards before: they have made a mess on the floor but refuse to clean up after themselves.
It is Washington’s fault that our diplomatic missions are losing personnel through the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats. The situation has been aggravated by the destructive US decision to stop issuing entry visas to Russians at its embassy in Russia. Of course, if we shut down our diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow, this will not benefit either side. Problems will accumulate. But it is a fact that the US authorities have done their best to curtail mutual contacts in various fields, from sport to strategic stability. They have demonstrated what commitments are really worth to them. Justice must be dispensed on the basis of the law, and anyone can claim to be the most intelligent and honest of all, but there must be facts to prove it. Otherwise, it is international piracy, and this is exactly what the US political elite is doing now.
The economic war declared on Russia could destroy bilateral relations. This is not in our interests, because we believe that diplomatic relations and, in principle, relations between states should serve national interests, the interests of the people living in these countries.
For many years, we have been offering Washington the chance to launch a normal, candid dialogue based on the principles of reciprocity and respect for Russia’s national interests. There is still a chance to come to an agreement. If the United States continues along its current path, it will miss this chance, just as it missed many others.
Maria Zakharova: Even before that, all these years, Russia offered the simplest possible procedure for issuing visas to American citizens. It did not include an interview or any special formalities. Most of the procedures involved remote paperwork. This was the opposite of the US procedures for us. Russians had to wait months, and sometimes up to a year, for an interview, to submit their documents; they had to go through requests, refusals and reviews of each specific case. We have never had any problems like this. Americans are well aware of this.
American citizens never knew what it was like for a Russian citizen to get a US visa. When we tell them, they cannot believe that in the 21st century, their government has reached a point where it takes nine to ten months to issue visas to people who have stable jobs, incomes and real estate, who are law-abiding citizens. In the end, the US authorities made it even more difficult, so that our citizens have to travel outside of Russia just to apply for a visa. Americans just do not know it is like that. Because it's absurd.
Maria Zakharova: We have repeatedly commented on this topic. We do not think it’s acceptable when mercenaries from other countries are recruited and sent to join the nationalist battalions or the armed forces of Ukraine. We can see that it is being done now, both overtly, through the Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad, as well as by intelligence services, primarily from the United States, and other NATO countries. We do not accept this. We have already warned such countries and their governments that we will not answer any questions concerning these people’s whereabouts. Our ambassadors have also given clear public clarifications in countries where, according to our reports, such fighters are being recruited. Just do not reach out to us later, asking what happened to them. It is clear what will happen to them. We will not talk about them or even try to find out any information about them.
Maria Zakharova: I will not comment on the word “progress” because we often get it wrong by thinking that it means moving towards something better. In fact, it conveys the notion of movement, nothing more. If by progress we mean movement or development, then yes, the talks are ongoing. I do not have any information to say that there has been any meaningful improvement in the talks.
The fact that the Kiev regime cannot act independently is the main obstacle. It is not the Kiev regime that takes the decisions. Moreover, the decisions it takes run counter to the interests of its people, the citizens of Ukraine. All this is done using the relevant communication channels with Washington calling the shots, while pretending that Ukraine decides on its own. In fact, these decisions do not reflect reality and are not geared to the interests of the Ukrainian state. Behind the Kiev regime are experts who use it to promote their agenda. This is the main obstacle.
When you are dealing with negotiators representing their countries and people, their interests, you can reach an agreement with them. In this case, the Kiev regime has forces and countries behind its back who have their own agenda where there is no place for a quick resolution. All they want is for the crisis to drag on. We have seen this for eight years now. They did not need the Minsk agreements to be implemented. What they needed was a total impasse. They used all this time to pump weapons into Ukraine and bring up yet another generation of nationalists to infiltrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Having created a state with all the attributes of a sovereign nation, while fully subordinate to NATO structures, primarily the United States, in political, economic and military terms, they wanted to deliver a blow that would have been devastating for the region, and for Europe, maybe even for Asia, considering the data on the biolaboratories we made public today, as well as earlier.
Maria Zakharova: I have already shared my comments on this. What do you mean by a possible dialogue? Possibility is about wanting to have this dialogue. There is no other way. If you want it, there will be a dialogue. We were not the ones who damaged these relations. Knowing how US politics work, we still tried to come up with ways to work together, which even cost us some domestic criticism.
We kept hearing that if we know what these “partners” of ours are worth, why are we speaking to them? Friendship is about friends, but when you lack any shared views, you engage in talks to find common ground. This is what we were trying to do. However, when faced with an ultimatum that leaves you with the only option of swearing allegiance to the will of the “collective West” (or should I say the Washington-centric West, rather than collective), is there any place left for a dialogue? If there is even a glimmer of pragmatism, let alone morality, we remain open to normal, mutually beneficial dialogue. But a no is a no. This is their choice, not ours.
Maria Zakharova: I read that Ismail Demir, the head of Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries, issued a comment rejecting this suggestion. I do not think that I need to add anything to this.
Maria Zakharova: Regardless of the political situation, we consider the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a reliable partner. This belief has been affirmed by the Ten’s current course of fulfilling all the decisions and programmes that were adopted last year at the highest level. The most relevant mid-term tasks include fulfilling the Comprehensive Plan of Action for 2021-2025. Aside from politics and security, the plan includes a large trade and economic segment. It also covers science and technology, digitalisation, countering infectious diseases, education, tourism and other fields.
We have not noted any changes in the operation of joint mechanisms at the high or the expert levels. The ministers of foreign affairs and economic ministers continue to meet as usual. Meetings of the senior officials in charge of energy and agriculture, countering terrorism and transnational crime also continue to hold regular meetings. Consultations are held on emergency response, as are meetings of working groups on education, science, technology and innovation. By the way, consultations on tourism are scheduled for this year. Moreover, they have reached the ministerial level. The Year of Russia-ASEAN Cooperation in Science and Technology was recently launched, with an extensive programme of events.
In 2021, our total trade with ASEAN grew by more than one quarter, reaching almost $20 billion. This positive trend in mutual trade was maintained through the beginning of this year – trade increased by 36.6 percent in January.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our joint efforts to counter the coronavirus became an important area of cooperation. The countries in Southeast Asia have shown interest in joint clinical trials and vaccine production, as well as building links between the research and scientific organisations involved in this work. This week in Vladivostok, professional development courses have started for ASEAN epidemiologists, under the auspices of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor).
Despite the obstacles that the West is putting in the way, ASEAN is not questioning the importance of expanding practical cooperation with Russia further, a cooperation of a pragmatic, mutually beneficial and non-politicised nature. We expect that this mutual attitude will help us keep our dialogue on the trajectory of steady development.
Maria Zakharova: We are not interested in looking back. Instead, we are looking forward. We are focusing on the future. Setting our usual verbiage aside, we just had enough of them, their arrogance, lack of respect, trampling on the interests of others, failing to understand what is going on, and the outright ignorance of facts and history. They don’t know how to negotiate, tend to rely exclusively on force, destroy the existing contractual mechanisms which have always served as a foundation of international relations no matter where you look, be it the economy, finances, business, culture, humanitarian ties, the defence sector, strategy and security, or countering new challenges and threats. Sergey Ryabkov has spoken about this many times. His latest statement was no different.
If they are interested in preserving what they have not destroyed so far, we will probably seek to do the same on our side. We will treat this as the remnants of the relations we used to share. In fact, they have been shaping their trade and investment construct for decades. We must realise that for many years we have been facing a full-scale financial and economic war to destroy our economy. They have already said twice that they shattered us and “ripped us to pieces.” This is the first time I heard that you can rip something to pieces twice. They managed to do this, it seems. This is the way they view us. Still, the plan remains intact. If they already made two attempts, this means that they will persist in their efforts. We can now see this by the methods they use. One of them is to undermine the wellbeing of our citizens. Our citizens must understand where it all comes from. The Americans used to act in the shadows, but now they no longer try to conceal anything. They are even proud of it. This is part of their policy, which is wild, terrible, unhinged and heedless of all legal norms. They seem to take special pride in this. This is how the United States views its exceptionalism. On that point, I agree. There is no other country like this, that has such an ideology and places itself above all the existing norms of morality and law, with so much hypocrisy and the propensity to use the democratic institutions it creates for propaganda and making misleading promises and trampling upon anything that used to be regarded as something right and good.
The restrictions they imposed by ending normal trade relations and banning exports and imports of entire product categories, blacklisting so many Russian nationals and companies, stopping deliveries of high-tech products, restricting investment in competitive sectors of the economy and trying to impose a transport blockade, etc. – all this means only one thing. The United States has thrown all the global rules of international commerce into the trash bin. The de facto theft of our foreign exchange reserves is the most hostile act of them all. We have witnessed this many times, but never at this scale. With this act, the United States defaulted on its liabilities by refusing to honour them. This is something the American citizens must clearly see for themselves. If the government engages in what amounts to outright theft, this means that they cannot service their debt. This means that they defaulted on their debt.
As for the Russia-US economic interaction, we always sought mutually beneficial ties. If only one side benefits from them, this has nothing to do with cooperation or interaction. There can be various options here, but this has nothing to do with cooperation. Even when the restrictions went beyond all reasonable limits, we were still ready to work with the US. However, we kept emphasising that these ties must benefit both sides, even when using unlawful mechanisms. However, we are now beyond this point. This is not even a question of generating at least some returns on what remains of our relations anymore.
What’s the use of talking about the future of trade and economic relations if the United States has banned Russian energy imports and new investment in the Russian energy sector, which is the key element of bilateral economic ties? Do you see what I mean? They refuse to accept reality. We will definitely not go down this path. What should we think if Washington wants to outlaw the application of WTO rules towards Russia? Or when the White House forces businesses to get out of Russia and then says during briefings that it has nothing to do with it, that it is their free choice? That it is their decision. However, we know that secret briefings are being held, letters are being sent, and threats and blackmail are being used by US officials to force the decision on large and medium-sized businesses. Washington is holding secret briefings and sending out letters, and then it says that it has nothing to do with this. But it does. No business would ever leave a profitable market (read what Karl Marx had to say on that point), especially a market like Russia. They only leave (after all, this is capitalism) when they are put in circumstances that are detrimental to their business and are even threatening their very survival. The US Administration has placed its businesses in these circumstances. As for who destroyed what, this question is not for us to answer. It should be addressed to the Western leaders, first of all the United States, which is threatening new sanctions and is forcing its sanctions policy on others.
I would like to point out that we have never tried to push foreign businesses out of the country. We welcomed them, and we remained patient despite the sanctions. At the same time, we held investment forums, sent out invitations and created preferential conditions for foreign companies. No decisions have been taken that would have placed foreign business (I am referring to Western businesses, because reality and common sense are prevailing in other parts of the world) in conditions of permanent segregation. Of course, not. Our actions will be based on reality.
We are interested in equal and lasting cooperation with all business partners (including Western ones) who have to adjust to the pressure and anti-Russia instructions of their political authorities. This is preposterous, the destruction of the free market. But it is a fact of life, we are aware of it, and we are responding to it accordingly.
Regarding energy markets, I don’t think you need to be told about what is going on there. The situation, which has been brought about by the United States, is affecting above all global energy markets. Washington can blame the growth of fuel prices on Putin, but everyone knows that it is a market reaction to the US sanctions against Russia and its energy sector. It is a reaction to the years-long US energy policy. Who are they telling their tall tales to? You may not understand what the theory says. And the Americans did not understand it for years, while we tried to explain why Nord Stream 2 is necessary and that politics should be kept separate from energy. It was a US message, which they have forgotten. It did not concern ordinary Americans before. But theory suddenly became practice in February or March this year, when they went to fill up their cars. A tall tale has become reality. It is Washington’s fault that energy markets have been affected. Professionals know very well that refusing to buy Russian energy will unbalance the global energy system, harming both those who initiated the restrictions and ordinary consumers.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it was not Russia’s initiative to start confrontation in the energy sphere. All this time we have tried to get adjusted, to pass between Scylla and Charybdis of free economy and US political restrictions; we have attempted to adapt to this energy world. The latest US moves spell destruction for the whole world and the energy sphere.
Russia has consistently opposed the politicisation of mutually beneficial energy cooperation. All difficulties notwithstanding, we continue to fulfil our contractual gas delivery obligations, including gas transit to Europe via the Ukrainian gas transport system. I will not conceal the fact that President Vladimir Putin’s March 23 announcement about the switch to gas payments in roubles was hailed as a national holiday. In fact, this is a truly great accomplishment for the Russian economy and the people of Russia. So we do have a national currency. It could be raised to this status only by deeds rather than by words. It was a historic decision that was supported by the people of Russia.
We are ready to continue cooperation in traditional and green energy areas. All projects that have been launched, including Arctic LNG, will be implemented. If our European partners are not interested in further collaboration, they have this right. They should be honest and stop engaging in strange “subversive” actions. They will just have to tell their people who is destroying their wellbeing and by what means. We will cooperate with those who are interested in ensuring their own energy security.
Maria Zakharova: I am not going to comment on US involvement in our bilateral ties with other countries. India is a big power and an important player in the world arena. This is a country with an ancient civilization, culture and history and its own spectacular achievements. It is our tried-and-tested friend and strategic partner. We appreciate its traditionally balanced position on current regional and international issues and its independent foreign policy, which is immune to outside pressure.
I must say that India’s position has a specific historical foundation. Throughout India’s history, they have studied the pouting grimaces of Western ideology and the Western world. They know what they are like and know the value of all these promises.
Maria Zakharova: Yes, and they must know about this.
Maria Zakharova: Why have you narrowed it to visas? I think your previous question was much broader, and I answered it in the affirmative.
Maria Zakharova: They can address our embassies and we will provide them with any necessary support. They can write directly to the Foreign Ministry, describing any facts of discrimination against them or encroachment on their rights, and request support and protection.
Maria Zakharova: Issuing the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation to a foreign citizen or a stateless person who has not obtained Russian citizenship under the established procedure is a criminal offence under Article 292.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
So, to obtain a Russian international travel passport, our compatriot’s children first need to obtain Russian Federation citizenship. The following options are available:
– obtaining Russian Federation citizenship at birth by a child whose parents are citizens of the Russian Federation on the day of the birth.
The necessary formalities involved in obtaining Russian citizenship and a passport by such a child are usually carried out quickly, depending on the workload of the Russian foreign mission in question. In this case, we will do our best to promptly respond to such requests.
– obtaining Russian citizenship by a child born abroad in a mixed marriage to a citizen of the Russian Federation and a foreign national under a personal request submitted by the Russian parent and subject to the written consent of the other parent. Citizenship is conferred by a decision of the head of a diplomatic mission or a consular office of the Russian Federation.
If a child is under 14 years on the day of submitting the application, the application may be reviewed, the decision made and the passport issued as soon as practicable.
Decisions on citizenship applications for children aged 14 to 18 are considered and approved by the competent Russian authorities within six months.
I would like to draw your attention to the announcement that I made today about an event scheduled for March 28. It is about a meeting of the United Russia Party’s General Council Commission on International Cooperation and Support for Compatriots Abroad, which was created upon President Vladimir Putin’s instruction. Many of these issues, including Russophobia, nationalism, and segregation, will be discussed there. Should you have any questions ahead of this event, I mean not as a media outlet, but as a representative of our compatriots, you are welcome to send it in advance.
Maria Zakharova: If we are talking about minor children of Russian compatriots, visas can be issued under parts 4 and 4.2 of Article 25 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation of August 15, 1996 pending the decision of the head of a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Russian Federation made at the request of a parent.
If needed, such visas can be issued quickly. Detailed information about the procedure for submitting the above applications and the set of documents required for obtaining private visas is available on the official websites of the Russian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad.
