Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions during a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil following talks, Caracas, April 18, 2023
19 April 2023 03:06
737-19-04-2023
Ladies and gentlemen,
I agree with my colleague Yvan Gil's statement. We had very constructive talks. My schedule also includes meetings with Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and President Nicolas Maduro. We will continue discussing the tasks that were agreed upon by our leadership and that are now in development within the framework of our cooperation. Most importantly, this includes the Russia-Venezuela High-Level Intergovernmental Commission, which held a productive meeting in December 2022, approving 11 new documents concerning the development of our partnership.
We agreed on practical measures to expand our cooperation in trade and investment, and contacts between our business circles in view of the current circumstances. We have multiple projects planned, including in oil production, gas field development, agriculture, healthcare and pharmaceutical production, communications, space and new technologies. We will be boosting the scope and speed of cooperation across all these areas. We are actively using the existing mechanisms for these purposes, including the Russia-Venezuela High-Level Intergovernmental Commission.
We agreed to expedite the authorisation of new intergovernmental documents. We outlined additional goals with respect to developing cultural and humanitarian links. We engage in intensive cultural exchanges, which are highly popular among our citizens. In view of young people's increased interest in Russian higher education, we decided to double the scholarship quota for Venezuelan citizens in the budget for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year. We will grant 200 scholarships for thе next academic year. Our agenda also includes resuming the operation of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Venezuela, participation of Russian athletes in the ALBA Games that begin on April 21, 2023, and opening, in cooperation with the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, a Centre for Russian Language and Pre-University Education in Venezuela.
We discussed the state of affairs on the international arena. Venezuela is one of Russia's most reliable partners. Russia and Venezuela are bound by a close strategic partnership based on a conceptual affinity of approaches to the key issues on the global agenda, mutually beneficial projects, tight links of friendship and mutual affinity between our nations. These relations have been tested by various crises and attempts to exert external pressure. Despite everything, they are developing successfully and will develop regardless of the political situation.
We cooperate closely in international affairs. Both Russia and Venezuela are committed to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign equality of countries and non-interference in their domestic affairs. We are in solidarity with our Venezuelan friends, sharing our support for the protection of the right of nations to determine their own future and fate without external interference, dictate or blackmail, and without attempts to influence them with unlawful unilateral restrictions exercised by the collective West.
As my colleague said, the Group of Friends in the Defence of the Charter of the United Nations has been active in New York at Venezuela's initiative. The number of countries wishing to join is growing. In addition to this New York platform, the group recently held an inaugural meeting in Geneva at the UN's European headquarters. We will develop this practice in other capitals as well. The group will continue to operate. It has been responsible for several joint statements and declarations. Its main goal, as its name suggests is pursuing the defence of the UN Charter in its entirety.
We spoke about the fact that, for many years after the establishment of the United Nations, members discussed which principle of the Charter was the priority: respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity or nations' right to self-determination. We talked about the fact that in 1970, after years of negotiations, the UN General Assembly approved by consensus the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations which, among other crucial conclusions, recognises that every country must respect the territorial integrity of a state whose government represents the interests of all the people living on its territory.
In the same context, we discussed the current situation in Ukraine. How can one hope that the Kiev regime will represent the interests of the residents of Crimea and southeastern Ukraine? It is the reseizing of these territories by force that Western curators demand from Kiev. In recent statements, representatives of Vladimir Zelensky's regime demanded that the peninsula be returned to Ukraine and gladly promised that, as soon as it happens, they will destroy the Russian language and culture in Crimea and establish the dominance of Ukrainian and global culture.
We have seen the deep rifts that are splitting global culture. I am sure that these demagogical statements, as well as their objective and essence, are clear. Today we have called for the Ukraine crisis to be settled, along with all other conflicts of which, regrettably, there are a vast number around the world, based on the UN Charter principles of the sovereign equality of states, the indivisibility of security at the global level, when no country should strengthen its security at the expense of others or pose threats to anyone, and the renunciation of illegitimate unilateral economic measures which our Western partners have taken an unprecedented liking to. In this sense, restoring justice in international affairs means going back to the basics, which is respect for the UN Charter in its entirety.
In this context, we mentioned China's stance on all these issues, which it has recently put forth. We talked about the discussions our delegation held in Brasilia yesterday. All this is very useful because it helps accumulate a critical mass of ideas and analytical views needed for addressing all global issues, rather than only the issues which the West regards as important, discarding other matters because they don't fit the Western "rules." A critical mass of attitudes to the systemic global processes is growing. I am sure that the development of such organisations as CELAC and other regional platforms that are focused on upholding their regions' identity and comprehensive place in discussions on the future of the world is a healthy trend. We appreciate the role of Venezuela, which is actively promoting new positive trends within the framework of CELAC and the Big Motherland initiative of President Nicolas Maduro.
We are sincerely grateful for this meeting. I have invited Foreign Minister Yvan Gil to visit Russia at his convenience. Today we will continue working in other offices in Caracas.
Question: The Russian Government has always upheld the sovereignty of Latin American countries. What is your opinion of the current situation in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua? What can be done to promote their cooperation with Russia?
Sergey Lavrov: The countries you have mentioned are among those in the region that have taken an independent stand and are proud of their history, their forefathers and their achievements, and the results of their liberation struggle. In practical terms, they no longer want to be dependent on anyone.
April 19 is Beginning of the Independence Movement Day in Venezuela. We have congratulated our friends on this day and noted that the struggle for independence is not over. The collective West has been trying to put a stop to independent actions and positions in your region and other parts of the world. That is why it is so important to join forces, including within the framework of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter and other formats, in order to counter attempts at diktat, blackmail and illegal unilateral pressure.
Russia and Venezuela have a busy agenda. We are implementing many practical projects. Today we discussed them in detail. Our cooperation is helping strengthen the foundations of your independent national economy that is immune to the "whims" and blackmail of our Western colleagues.
We have similar relations with Nicaragua and Cuba. We will hold talks with their authorities on April 20 and 21. Economic issues have a large role to play in them as well.
Over the past few years, everyone has seen that dependence on the US dollar and the globalisation principles, which the Americans have been trying to incorporate into the international community for years, can do no good. The Americans and their allies can dump all these principles, including free market, fair competition the inviolability of property and the presumption of innocence, in no time if they want to punish somebody for "disobedience." In their fight for global domination, they want to get rid of their rivals, namely Russia, which they have stated in their doctrines, and China has been identified as the next target. We remember how Latin American and Caribbean countries managed to get rid of the Monroe Doctrine, although several years ago Washington proposed reintroducing it.
Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries - there are more than three countries in Latin America, are defending their region's identity, a right to create their own organisations based on the principle of inclusiveness and equal access despite ideological differences, as well as their legitimate and equal place in the objectively rising system of a more democratic multipolar world. We are developing mutually beneficial cooperation with all of the abovementioned countries, and we will do our best to help them successfully attain their goals in the best interests and aspirations of their people.
Question: The United States recently hinted at the possibility of lifting the sanctions on Venezuela, but later it threatened to increase pressure on it. Can Russia help Venezuela, considering its successful experience [of dealing with sanctions]?
Sergey Lavrov: I will be brief. Everyone knows that the United States can deceive you any moment. It more often deceives than fulfils its promises and initiatives. You remember the story with Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, who were assured that NATO would not enlarge, and so on down the list. It would take too long, and everyone knows about it anyway.
We wholeheartedly support the stance of our Venezuelan friends. It is their country, their hydrocarbons and their economy, which have been placed under massive illegal sanctions. They themselves will decide what to do and how to develop their state. We will do our utmost to help the Venezuelan economy become less dependent on the whims and geopolitical games of the United States and other Western players.
I am sure that our Venezuelan friends can make use of our experience, because we are the champions in terms of the number of sanctions adopted against us. We are accumulating a lot of experience, and we will share it with our Venezuelan colleagues.
Question: The United States has issued visas to the Russian delegation for attending UN events, but has been dragging its feet when it comes to visas for the media. Since there is not much time left, it seems that there will be no visas. Is this an attempt to pressure our country, especially considering the fact that Russia currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council?
Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, we received our visas. However, the country hosting the UN Headquarters grossly abused its position in the process, as usual. They kept us waiting for quite some time and ended up issuing the visas, although not all members of the delegation received them. Some of our staff members did not make it onto the list. And the journalists did not receive their visas either. There was no explanation. That said, I am not surprised.
If you look at the way the United States and almost all Europeans approach media freedoms in practical terms, you will see that this is a one-way street for them. Many of the media outlets present here today had to close their offices in Western countries or face various forms of discrimination, which is quite sad.
We have been raising this issue with the relevant institutions, primarily UNESCO, where there is an agreement on freedom of access to information. There is also an agreement to this effect within the OSCE. Looking at the way the Western media covers developments around the world, we can come to a firm conclusion that what they show boils down to the perspective imposed by the official Western propaganda on people from various countries.
But not to worry. We will stand up for our rights. The clock may be ticking, but there is some time left. I do not know how this will end. We will keep you updated on what comes of our efforts.
Question: You have mentioned the multilateral agenda. What role will Russia and Venezuela play in a new world?
Sergey Lavrov (speaking after Yvan Gil): Together with Venezuela, we are part of a large group of states, which advocates bringing more democracy into international relations by ensuring full compliance with the UN Charter in all its diversity.
The fact that the United States and its allies came up with new terminology was not a coincidence. Instead of "international law," they are now talking about a "rules-based order." But what kind of rules? When Crimea held a referendum, they refused to recognise its results. However, when Kosovo declared independence without a referendum, and the UN International Court said that this could be done without the consent from the central government, the West was fine with that.
Only recently, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was asked about what was happening in the Falkland Islands and whether it was time to reach an agreement with Argentina. "What for?" was his reply. People voted in a referendum there and chose to be with the British crown.
These are three examples where you can see double and even triple standards, all contradicting one another. This describes the position adopted by the West on every issue, even the smallest one, in today's international relations.
Our goal is to ensure full compliance with the UN Charter so that no one tries to overemphasise the right to self-determination when the West needs it or to unilaterally prioritise territorial integrity when some people living in a given territory are being exterminated. This is what happened in Crimea and especially in eastern Ukraine. I quoted what Kiev regime's officials have been saying when they promised to rid Crimea of the Russian language, culture and in fact, everything Russian as soon as they conquered Crimea. Before the special military operation there was still hope among us that we could reach an agreement based on the UN Security Council Resolution approving the Minsk Agreements. But long before that, in August 2021, Vladimir Zelensky, who now enjoys everyone's support and receives awards as the "planet's utmost democrat," said that those who believe that they are Russian while living in Ukraine had to pack and leave for the Russian Federation for the sake of their children and grandchildren. Has anyone responded to this? How does this rhyme with the way the West interprets the UN Charter?
As for the integrity of the UN Charter, it sets forth the requirement to abide by all Security Council resolutions. Not a single Western country planned to honour the resolution containing the requirement to abide by the Minsk Agreements. They recognised this quite frankly in 2022.
By the same token, the West does not intend to implement a whole trove of UN resolutions, including those relating to bringing the decolonisation process to an end. The UN General Assembly resolved that many countries in Africa belonging to France and the UK had to acquire independence. I will not even mention the way the West complies with Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, for example, on the Middle East peace process when it comes to establishing the State of Palestine.
If there are people in the West ready to stand up for the truth, we need to be firm when dealing with them and demand that they answer all these questions, and I have mentioned just a few of them right now.
Question: What is your opinion on what the United States said about President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva regarding Ukraine?
Sergey Lavrov: Are you referring to the comment that Brazil is making a mistake by supporting Russia and China? Is this what you mean?
If so, there is nothing to comment on here. The United States believes that it has the right to deliver verdicts on any matter, while remaining unaccountable to anyone, as the US thinks it is. I strongly believe that the ongoing emergence of a just multipolar world order, which is currently gathering momentum, will definitely benefit the overwhelming majority unless the West wants to be part of this process. This is an objective process but it will take some time. We are living in an age preceding the emergence of a polycentric world order.
Question: Where do the Venezuelan banks stand in terms of their efforts to integrate Russia's payment and financial systems? What are the prospects for the MIR cards being accepted in the country? Have you discussed this during today's talks? What is the timeline for this process?
Sergey Lavrov: We raised this matter today when we spoke about the need to give a political impetus to our ministries to deliver on the agreements and follow up on the discussions within the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. We did not discuss and could not discuss, for obvious reasons, a specific timeline or mechanisms for delivering on these objectives to shield our economic cooperation from the Western dictate. The relevant agencies are working on these matters, primarily the finance ministries and the central banks. They are the ones in charge of contacts on financial messaging services, as well as the opportunities and mechanisms for using the MIR payment system.
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