Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, Stockholm, December 2, 2021
2 December 202115:25
2482-02-12-2021
Mr Secretary of State,
Colleagues,
I consider our meeting on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council important. The OSCE's role is to strengthen security and cooperation on the basis of the consensus of all participating states. At the meeting, Antony Blinken and I have reaffirmed our commitment to the Helsinki Final Act and other fundamental OSCE documents. Obviously, we interpret these principles in different ways. There is no doubt that the only way out of the current crisis (the situation is really tense) is to find a balance of interests. I hope that we will address this today.
Our meeting is not going to be long, but at the very least, the Russian delegation plans to take a step along the path of the agreements in principle reached by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden in Geneva in June of this year. They agreed that, despite all the differences (we have deep differences, as was recognised by the leaders), Russia and the United States need to take a responsible approach, realising both countries' importance for global stability and security, including in the Euro-Atlantic area. Several platforms were launched after the Geneva summit: a strategic stability dialogue (a regular event, with the third round scheduled for early 2022), and cybersecurity consultations.
There are certain internal problems that Russian diplomats are facing in the United States. In response, we had to create similar, comparable conditions for American diplomats in our country. I think this is one of the problems that can be quickly resolved and thereby send a signal that we can negotiate as our presidents want.
Let me stress that we are interested in working together to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Our American colleagues have said more than once that they would like to help without destroying the Normandy format by restoring a separate dialogue channel that the previous Administration used. We are ready for this. It will be interesting to hear Antony Blinken's clarifications with regard to several statements he just made at the plenary session. He named the clauses in the Minsk agreements that the Russian Federation has to fulfill. I look forward to his clarifications. Hopefully, he will make the US approaches to the Ukrainian settlement clearer.
Everyone is talking about escalating tensions in Europe, in particular on the border between Russia and Ukraine. You are well aware of our attitude to this. As Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised, we do not want any conflicts. Our NATO partners declare that no one has the right to dictate to any country wishing to join NATO whether it can do so or not. We respond by quoting the provisions of international law stating that each state has the right to choose ways to ensure its legitimate security interests. Let us not forget the indivisible security principle repeatedly proclaimed at the OSCE and at the Russia-NATO Council - no one should strengthen their security at the expense of others'. NATO's further eastward expansion will obviously affect our fundamental security interests.
We have matters to discuss. There are many other topics on the agenda, but I will stop here.
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