Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s comment and answers to media questions following talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Bonn, February 16, 2017
http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/2646441
We have held a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. It was a pragmatic and business-like meeting, which I would describe as productive in that we compared our views on prospects for working together in the areas which our presidents discussed in principle during their telephone conversation on January 28. We reaffirmed the existence of similar or identical interests, primarily with regard to the irreconcilable struggle against terrorism in the context of our cooperation within the political settlement in Syria and other countries where terrorism has taken root. We also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Our American partners have expressed interest in joining the efforts that are being taken to settle these conflicts.
We expressed our willingness to develop contact as soon as the teams working on this issue at the US Department of State and other US departments take shape. It is obvious that we could not resolve all of the problems. I believe it is impossible to settle absolutely every problem in relations between large powers such as Russia and the United States. But we share the belief that we must move forward in the numerous areas where we have similar interests and we must demonstrate the ability of Russia and the United States to play the roles they are destined to play due to their positions in the world.
We discussed bilateral relations, which were seriously damaged by the Obama administration, especially in the last months of its term. Mr Tillerson reaffirmed the resolve, expressed by US President Donald Trump in his conversation with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, to overcome the legacy of the past and to remove obstacles to rebuilding relations, although there will always be issues that need to be discussed and coordinated. All the differences cannot be settled in one meeting, of course.
We have agreed to maintain contact. There will be several opportunities for this in the coming months. We will act on the assumption that President Putin and President Trump will meet when they think it appropriate.
Question: Did you discuss the sanctions?
Sergey Lavrov: No, we didn’t. We believe that this is an abnormal situation, and that those who initiated the sanctions [against Russia] should analyse their effectiveness, whether sanctions can be part of normal relations between states, and whether the artificial desire to politicise certain issues meets the interests of the states that apply sanctions.
Question: Did Secretary of State Tillerson express his opinion about the Astana talks?
Sergey Lavrov: Yes, he said he was willing to support this process. As you know, US Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol attended the January meeting in Astana as an observer, and he is also attending today’s meeting. An invitation to the meeting was sent to the United States. Washington has decided that, during the initial period of the new US administration and the State Department section on the Syrian settlement, the country will be represented by the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, who attended the Astana meetings in January and today, as I said.
Question: What is your first impression of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in his new capacity?
Sergey Lavrov: I have not met Mr Tillerson before. As I said, we had a productive, pragmatic, open and, in my opinion, useful meeting.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s address at a meeting with the students and faculty of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow, February 15, 2017
http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/2642381
We have met today to talk about our foreign policy and the contribution of the Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy that should increase its involvement in achieving our common goals.
I would like to begin by congratulating you on the holiday you celebrated yesterday. As I understand it, you celebrated not only Valentine’s Day but also Academy Day. What a nice coincidence. Once again, I wish success and all the best to the Academy’s faculty and students.
The contribution of the Diplomatic Academy and MGIMO University is especially relevant now, when the world and the global balance of forces are changing so rapidly. We are witnessing the rise of new economic powers with related political influence.
Asia Pacific is growing into the global economic driver. Latin American and African countries, which have considerable human and resource potential, are becoming more active. The cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern world is coming into sharp focus against this backdrop. It is becoming clear that we must make international relations more democratic, safeguard justice and respect people’s right to decide their future. As part of this objective process, the countries of the so-called historical West, primarily Europe, are losing the ability to dictate their will to the rest of the world as they did for the past few centuries.
The discussion of many key issues has moved from the G7 formed by the West to G20, a respected and representative forum of the leading countries from around the world. We see the increasingly stabilising role of associations such as BRICS and the SCO, in which Russia is working actively, including by promoting the initiative advanced by President Vladimir Putin to deepen integration in Greater Eurasia with contribution from the EAEU, SCO and ASEAN economies. In addition, we are working to strengthen cooperation with our CSTO allies. We are also trying to improve the CIS. All of this is part of the ongoing development of a polycentric world order that will reflect new realities. This is an objective trend that will increase stability and predictability in international relations. In this context, diplomacy should play a much bigger role as an instrument for coordinating balanced decisions that will reflect global diversity.
It is obvious that painstaking daily work is the only path towards compromises on numerous issues. Reliance on hegemony and exceptionalism has only added to instability and chaos and must be thrown on the garbage heap of history.
The situation in the Middle East and North Africa is an example of the consequences of illegal unilateral actions that have been taken in the past few years. The attempts to export democracy have not brought prosperity but have thrown the region into anarchy and provoked an unprecedented growth of terrorism and extremism. The results of this are terrorist atrocities around the world and the migration crisis in Europe. To change this, we must take energetic measures to create a broad counterterrorism front, which is already developing in Syria thanks to Russia’s consistent actions. At the same time, we should help people in the region to launch the political and socioeconomic rehabilitation of the Middle East and North Africa.
Another example of irresponsible geopolitical experiments is the coup in Ukraine, which was provoked by external forces and has thrown the country into a deep crisis. This crisis can only be overcome through the full and unconditional implementation of the Minsk Package of Measures. People in Donbass must have the right to local self-government and the use of their native tongue, in full compliance with the European and global practice. We hope that our partners in the Normandy format and the United States will cut short Kiev’s efforts to sabotage the implementation of the Minsk Agreements and stop Kiev’s destructive actions that are only deepening the internal Ukrainian conflict.
Friends,
Russia is conducting an independent and pragmatic foreign policy, defending national interests and promoting equal cooperation with everyone who is willing to reciprocate. A growing number of countries share Russia’s approach to settling the key problems through collective actions and respect for international law. The role of Russia as a balancing factor that is helping strengthen global stability and security is finding broader recognition.
We do not advocate confrontation or isolation. Guided by the Foreign Policy Concept, which has been approved by President Putin, we will continue to promote a positive forward-looking agenda in relations with our partners, including the United States and the European Union.
Washington and European capitals are increasingly recognising the need to restore confidence and resume dialogue with Russia. We appreciate this approach and hope to see practical steps towards its implementation.
Whatever happens, Russian diplomacy will do its utmost to reliably and effectively protect Russia’s interests and Russians and to create favourable conditions for national development.
As I have said, contribution by the Diplomatic Academy and MGIMO University, as well as by other Russian organisations that are concerned with international issues, is a major asset. We hope that your work will become even more effective and result-oriented.
KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIĆ The Munich Security Conference
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Meeting US Pence. Glad we share same enthusiasm about working together for our countries and strong Croatia-US relationship
https://twitter.com/KolindaGK/status/832872850562412545
Constructive and forward-looking talks with Minister Lavrov on bilateral relations, situation in SEE and global security
https://twitter.com/KolindaGK/status/832906017272905728
Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov to speak at Munich Security Conference
http://tass.com/world/931616
MUNICH, February 18. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov is to speak at the Munich Security Conference and to take part in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Normandy format (Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine) He will also have a number of a bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference.
Security challenges
The Munich Security Conference traditionally brings together the heads of state, government, international organizations and influential experts. Russian representatives have taken part in it since the late 1990s.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a report titled "Russia’s role in international politics" at the conference ten years ago. In his speech he stressed that attempts to establish the unipolar world order system pose threat to global community and that NATO had violated its promises not to expand the bloc to Russia's borders.
A year ago speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."
This year, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will present the Russian view of the main international security issues. By tradition, after his speech Lavrov will answer questions from panelists. The discussion will obviously focus on the strengthening of NATO's position in Eastern Europe, Russia's relations with the United States under President Administration Donald Trump, the prospects for the European security system recovery. Most likely, the Minister will be asked about Russia's plans in the Syrian settlement and the situation in Ukraine.
Normandy format
The Ukrainian crisis will be discussed in detail at the meeting of the Normandy format on the level of foreign ministers, which will take place on the sidelines of the conference. The parties are expected to focus on reduction of tension in Donbass (east of Ukraine), which escalated again in the early 2017.
The Foreign Ministers of the Normandy format met in Munich in 2016. Then negotiations took less than an hour. The parties confirmed the need to observe the Minsk agreements, but failed to achieve any significant results.
In bilateral format
In Munich Russian Foreign Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with Croatia’s President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea Yong Xie Bin and Director General of the IAEA Yukiya Amano.
https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/16599-president-and-foreign-minister-to-attend-munich-security-conference