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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's video address to the participants in the conference The Frontiers of Russia: Geopolitics, Regional Studies and Historical Memory, August 23, 2021

23 August 202111:10
1634-23-08-2021

Colleagues, friends,

Welcome to The Frontiers of Russia: Geopolitics, Regional Studies and Historical Memory conference, which has been organised by the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, one of the country's leading universities.

I have noted with satisfaction that the issues proposed for discussion at this forum are quite relevant. The agenda includes a wide range of topics concerning the development of border cities and regions, their role in strengthening Russia's international authority and contribution to building a belt of good-neighbourliness along the Russian border, as is envisioned in the current concept of Russian foreign policy.

Today, when extensive changes are taking place around the world and the outlines of the future world order are only just starting to show, unlocking the potential of cross-border and region-to-region links fully serves our foreign political interests. Crimea is a case in point in this context as its cooperation with foreign partners helps disseminate true information about the life on the peninsula as part of Russia.

The Foreign Ministry always highlights the importance of the Russian regions' involvement in pursuing the foreign political course determined by President Vladimir Putin. Cooperation with some of our neighbours such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyzgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is already extensive and sustainable, and shows serious development prospects.

Our region-to-region links with countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, the Arctic, the Barents Sea and the Baltic Sea are rather dynamic. Although, as you know, our official contacts with the European Union have cooled down, we continue to work on the programmes of cross-border cooperation with EU members, and the Kaliningrad Region is an active participant in these programmes.

It is symbolic that historical memory is a major topic of this forum. We cannot but be concerned about the efforts of certain circles in the West to downgrade the role of our country in crushing Nazi Germany and militarist Japan, in building an international legal system after World War II in which the United Nations plays a central coordinating role. The Foreign Ministry praises the contribution being made by Russian scholars to preserve the truth about the Great Victory and to the patriotic education of the younger generation.

I am confident that this conference will become a major research and practical event not only for the Kaliningrad Region, whose residents I would like to congratulate on the region's 75th anniversary, but also for the entire country.

I wish you fruitful discussions and all the best.

Thank you.