Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions at a joint news conference following talks with Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, Moscow, October 24, 2022
24 October 2022 19:03
2193-24-10-2022
Ladies and gentlemen,
Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha and I had very useful talks. This is our second meeting this year. The previous one took place in Riyadh on May 31.
Today, we noted that our dialogue with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was gaining momentum and embracing new areas. Russia greatly appreciates the fact that, given the current international situation, the Islamic world, the leading organisation of which is headed by Hissein Brahim Taha, remains independent and firmly committed to the principle of the sovereign equality of states, and calls for promoting constructive relationships between all countries based on international law, primarily the principles written into the UN Charter.
We thoroughly discussed the current aspects of our cooperation and reviewed progress on our joint efforts to promote inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue. We noted the success of the events held in Russia prior to Kazan being announced the OIC Youth Capital 2022. We reaffirmed our support for the activities of the Russia - Islamic World Strategic Vision Group and the Kazan International Economic Forum (KazanForum).
The programme for the OIC Secretary General's visit also includes the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the OIC and the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, a move symbolising the further strengthening of our relations in science, education and culture.
We drew the Secretary General's attention to the situation in the world grain and fertiliser markets. Based on facts, we showed him how the Western sanctions were impeding exports of these Russian products to the OIC countries. Russia is fulfilling its contractual obligations in good faith. We emphasised that the poorest countries were not the main recipients of Ukrainian grain under the package deal signed in Istanbul on July 22 of this year. They receive only a small share of Ukrainian grain exported from Black Sea ports, whereas over a half of it goes to European Union countries. The UN statistics confirm this. We urged our colleagues to work harder with the UN Secretary-General to achieve his original idea behind the package deal - to help the poorest countries.
We expressed concern over the sanctions policy of the Western countries, which is complicating international trade in energy sources, creating a crisis in the hydrocarbon market and putting pressure on oil and gas producers.
During the exchange of views on urgent international issues, we expressed our common understanding of the need to respect the universal principle of equal and indivisible security, which means renouncing attempts to strengthen one's own security at the expense of others. In this context, we again drew the Secretary General's attention to the well-known Russian security concept for the Persian Gulf.
We discussed in detail current issues on the African agenda. Many African countries are OIC members. Mr Taha represents the Republic of Chad. We welcomed Africa's turning into an important centre of the multipolar international order. We discussed ways of settling the persisting conflicts and crises in Africa. We emphasised the leading role of African states in settling their problems by following the principle of African solutions to African problems (this is our special position). Russia is always guided by this principle and upholds it at the UN Security Council. Russia also resists attempts to impose solutions from the outside on Africans.
At my colleague's request, I informed our interlocutors about the course of Russia's special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. In the process, I emphasised that the SMO was aimed at resolving fundamental problems related to the rights of Russians [in Ukraine] and the vital security interests of the Russian Federation.
I believe our talks were very useful and timely. We agreed to stay in touch.
Question: The development of Russia-OIC economic cooperation is a source of considerable interest. What are your plans, intentions and steps in this respect?
Sergey Lavrov: We have economic cooperation plans. Russia regularly takes part in the annual ministerial meetings of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul. We planned a number of events for ministers of the economy, finance and informatics before the end of 2022. Russia will attend all of them.
We support the OIC's desire to develop our cooperation in science and education. During the current visit by OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, our Ministry of Education and Science will sign a memorandum with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. This will also make an important contribution to strengthening the foundation of our trade and economic cooperation for the future.
Question: Is there any bilateral cooperation to support the Palestinian cause?
Sergey Lavrov: We discussed this issue in detail today. We believe the attempts to destroy the international legal framework based on a two-state solution to this issue should be stopped. The principles that were laid down in the Security Council and the UN General Assembly resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative put forward in 2002 by the King of Saudi Arabia and approved by the Arab League, and later approved by all members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the Tehran summit, are being revised.
Our positions on this matter coincide. We believe it is important not to succumb to the attempts to replace two-state solutions with economic support for the Palestinians. We believe the ongoing efforts to help the Palestinians restore the unity of their ranks are of particular importance. Russia convened several meetings with the participation of delegates from all Palestinian political groups. Egypt, Algeria and a number of other countries, including OIC members, are undertaking similar efforts. New meetings have taken place recently, which inspires hope.
Let us keep up these efforts. As agreed today, we will continue as a united front within the UN when discussing the Palestinian issue.
Question: Can the OIC facilitate the supply of grain and other agricultural products to the Middle East and North Africa to head off the threat of famine, which is so widely covered by the international media?
Sergey Lavrov (speaking after Hissein Brahim Taha): We covered this matter today. This is a two-dimensional issue that includes Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilisers and grain. The package deal put forward by UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres targets these two components. This initiative has led to the signing of a two-part agreement in Istanbul on July 22.
With regard to the Ukrainian grain exports, Ukraine was to agree to demine its ports. Kiev held back for a long time. Still, we managed to arrive at an agreement in Istanbul that grain carriers with Ukrainian products would go through the minefields. This part of the deal is being carried out quite effectively in terms of exporting physical volumes, but the UN statistics are mixed regarding the destination of these grain carriers. Only 5 to 7 percent of the grain exported from the Ukrainian ports goes to the poorest countries, which were Secretary-General Guterres' main concern when he came up with his idea, and more than half of it goes to developed countries, including the EU.
When we bring these statistics to the attention of the UN Secretariat, they cite the clarifications provided by the European countries whereby they do get the better part of the Ukrainian grain, but then redistribute it around the world, including to the poorest countries. We would like to have a clearer picture. We asked the UN Secretariat, which is in charge of this entire operation and has access to all the data, to provide statistics on grain transport to the final destination and the end consumer. This is more than idle curiosity. Adjusting and re-targeting further actions related to the grain deal depend on it.
No action was taken regarding the second half of the package agreements concerning Russian fertilisers and grain, although three months have passed since the Istanbul agreements were signed. The UN Secretariat committed to resolve the problems created by Western sanctions regarding the entry of Russian ships into European ports, the ban prohibiting foreign ships from entering Russian ports, and restrictions on the freight and insurance companies' activities. These are all serious problems.
On October 21, a UN Secretariat official said the organisation was working "tirelessly" to lift these restrictions. Tireless work is commendable, but we need all of the above aspects to be legally and clearly removed from the sanctions list, since they have a major impact on Russian grain's free exports to meet the needs of our counterparties. Restrictions against Rosselkhozbank, which is the number one financial institution involved in our fertiliser and grain supplies to the global markets, are among the key issues.
Of course, we would like to see the World Food Programme play a more tangible role here. It was created as a special UN agency designed to meet the needs of the poorest countries and to prevent hunger anywhere in the world. There remains much work to do with the deal, which is to expire in November. We operate on the premise that all of the above issues will be resolved satisfactorily before its extension is even considered.
We asked our friends from the OIC to use the arguments that were stated during our talks, when they take it up with the UN Secretariat, and encourage it to be fully cognisant of its responsibility for addressing the tasks, to which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has put his signature.
Question: During his recent telephone conversations with his colleagues from France, Britain and Turkiye, Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu expressed concern over potential provocations by Ukraine involving a "dirty nuclear bomb." Now the Foreign Minister of Ukraine said the IAEA Director General decided to send experts to Ukraine after Russia's warning about Kiev making a "dirty bomb." What is the Foreign Ministry's response to this? What practical actions is Russia going to take in this respect?
Sergey Lavrov: After Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu's telephone conversations yesterday with his colleagues from France, Britain and Turkiye, as well as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, we took the necessary steps to formally raise this issue with international agencies, primarily the UN in New York. Today, our representatives will deal with this issue, hoping for an engaged, professional discussion of the issues we raised.
We know which institutions and research centres in Ukraine have the technology to produce a "dirty bomb." We double-checked this information through the appropriate channels. This is not idle suspicion. We have serious grounds to believe that such things may be planned. Mr Shoigu agreed with several of his counterparts to hold additional consultations on this issue at the professional level.
We are seeing the media response in the West. It is no surprise for us because it is entirely in keeping with the West's reckless support for its lackey Vladimir Zelensky. The West has issued him an indulgence to commit any Russophobic action, and not only statements but also bombing civilian facilities, killing civilians and much more.
As for Dmitry Kuleba's statement about IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's consent to send a mission of experts, I don't have any information about this. I know that Mr Grossi received this request. While preparing to depart on a foreign trip, he promised to review it. We know how much our Ukrainian colleagues like to distort facts. Having announced that the IAEA had ostensibly already agreed to send experts, Mr Kuleba said in the same statement that, unlike Russia, Ukraine is acting transparently and has nothing to hide. To put it mildly, this is not an accurate retelling of the "case history" and the facts that have already become public. Take, for instance, the notorious provocation in Bucha. It occurred in late March of this year. Since then we have repeatedly turned to everyone possible for help, seeking information on the names of the people who were killed. Their bodies were put on display for the whole world as "evidence of atrocities" allegedly committed by the Russian military. A month ago, I asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to get a list of their names. No response. This is further evidence of how "transparent" Ukraine is and whether it truly has "nothing to hide."
As for "dirty nuclear bombs," we will certainly get to the bottom of this. It is in our vital interest to prevent such a terrible provocation. What our Western partners say in public in their reckless support for Mr Zelensky and his regime does not necessarily mean that they will treat the information we provided irresponsibly in their internal discussions.
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