Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's welcome message to participants and guests of the World Thematic Conference of Russian Compatriots "Economic Cooperation: Compatriots and Regions of Russia. Responding to Challenges of the Time."
1 November 2022 11:39
2239-01-11-2022
Dear colleagues and friends,
I am pleased to welcome you to this World Thematic Conference, which is dedicated to promoting business relations with our compatriots living abroad through constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The representative composition of today's meeting testifies to the relevance of the proposed topic under current conditions.
It is also symbolic that our meeting is taking place on the eve of National Unity Day. This nationwide holiday marks, among other things, the unbreakable bond that unites the people of Russian culture and their spiritual and moral values, irrespective of the state in which they reside.
Dear friends,
We meet against a backdrop of unprecedented exacerbation of the geopolitical situation. It is no secret that after the launch of Russia's special military operation, unfriendly countries have unleashed a full-fledged hybrid war against us. Its goal is to defeat us "on the battlefield", undermine the Russian economy, undermine domestic political stability, and push Russia from its position as one of the world's leading powers.
I have noted on numerous occasions at various venues that the events in Ukraine are not just another regional conflict but part of an unfolding struggle for a future world order. We are witnessing unending efforts by the United States and the US-led Western minority to hamper the objective process of establishing a multipolar world order; they are doing this, in particular, by promoting the rules-based order concept. Today, Western leaders openly admit this when they discuss their own exceptionalism and superiority over other civilisations.
They do not shy away from using all means at their disposal to achieve this goal. They have renounced all conventions, are violating the "sacred" principles of fair competition (which they themselves had proclaimed), the inviolability of private property and the presumption of innocence, freedom of speech and the rule of law.
The most important aspect of the rules-based order is that it isn't an order and it isn't a set of rules, and only those things that meet the narrow and selfish interests of Washington and its satellites are right and good. No matter how hard our opponents try to prove the opposite, they openly disregard the primacy of the UN Charter. Their blatantly destructive actions speak louder than any words.
Naturally, we take all of this into account in our practical activities and when charting future plans. We can safely say that no one will be able to bring the Russian economy to a stop and to undermine our domestic political stability.
Our country continues to confidently follow its course regardless of the challenges it faces. We've had to deal with sanctions before. The experience we accumulated over the years helps us parry this challenge with success.
There is no international isolation of our country. We have many friends in all regions of the planet. We are consistently developing relations with a broad range of states in the CIS, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. We are not shutting off our business partners in Europe and North America. It has never been our choice to sever our accumulated mutually beneficial ties with them.
We are seeing that in the current conditions our communities in unfriendly countries have been subjected to the phenomenon of caveman Russophobia, a graphic manifestation of new racism. Everyone has heard of cases where our compatriots were discriminated against because of their ethnic origin and language. The use of "cancel culture" principle as regards Russia and everything Russian sometimes reaches absurd proportions. Even world-famous Russian classics are banned or ridiculed. It is enough to mention Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy and Alexander Pushkin.
I have no doubt that this attitude has not broken your spirit. To the contrary, it has helped reveal a genuinely Russian character and encouraged our compatriots to seek unity and solidarity with their historical homeland in its difficult period. The Immortal Regiment march, which took place in over 80 states this year, including the US and Europe, is an impressive example of this.
Practice shows that a united community is capable of effectively upholding its rights, protecting its interests, successfully developing its business undertakings, as well as preserving and nurturing its cultural identity. The 7th World Congress of Compatriots held in October 2021 demonstrated a growing demand for pooling together the economic potential of the Russian diaspora's business communities and Russian regional businesses, and for a search for new forms of cooperation in the new conditions. I would like to say a few words in this respect.
The expansion of the geography of Russia's foreign economic and investment ties is a window of opportunity not only for Russian regions but also for entrepreneurs from among our compatriots and economically active foreigners. We believe the business community of our compatriots can do a lot in helping us promote Russia's economic interests in the countries of their residence and effective integration of Russian companies in the local business environment, as well as attract investment. The willingness of the Russian regions to support promising projects and conduct mutually beneficial cooperation can make a big contribution to the success of these efforts. Our duty is to continue supporting our compatriots. We hope for the proactive work of the regions in this respect. For its part, the Foreign Ministry will continue doing all it can to facilitate your efforts.
We hope during the conference you will draft new approaches to the mutual support of small businesses and cooperation in tourism and IT, as well as to the legal protection of businesses abroad. We consider it important to increase the role of our young compatriots in these efforts and to develop a network of communication between the business structures of our compatriots all over the world. We believe it will be useful to make better use of the instruments of the Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and Patronage that is operating at the World Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad.
We suggest considering the formation of an International Business Forum of Compatriots Living Abroad as an expert venue for dialogue. It could play the role of a "factory of ideas" aimed at promoting business cooperation between the Russian community abroad and the Russian regions, developing startups and expanding international contacts.
Friends,
We are united by our shared concern for Russia's prosperous future. We highly value your desire to be useful to your historical Motherland, to promote its international prestige and facilitate its prosperity at home.
I wish all conference participants productive and interesting discussions, new professional contacts and all the best.
SERGEY LAVROV
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