Russian Embassy in Lebanon

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Astana, May 20, 2024) 💬 Thank you for setting aside the time for this meeting and the opportunity to meet with you. On May 18, you had a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin. He conveys his warmest regards and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday. You maintain close communication. You have already met in person twice this year (in addition to telephone conversations). Meetings are scheduled to be held as part of #SCO and #CSTO in Kazakhstan. We are also preparing for #BRICS summit in Kazan in October and hope that Astana will accept our invitation to participate in the events for the partner countries. Our respective Prime Ministers maintain regular contacts and will soon meet in Ashgabat at #CIS Council of Heads of Government. Today, I have held talks with Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, both one-on-one and as part of broader talks with the delegations’ participation. Our Foreign Ministries are consistently working to implement the agreements reached between you and President Putin, including the Joint Statement adopted in 2023 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Neighbourliness and Alliance in the 21st century. 🤝 We have a Joint Action Plan for 2024-2026, which fills our relations substantively. We noted the leaders’ commitment to implementing other projects that will make the lives of our people more comfortable and our interactions easier. This is an important area as well. We appreciate our economic and financial relations and look forward to the entire range of our ties that cover almost all areas of human activity continuing to expand steadily.

🔴 #LIVE: Voting on the Russian draft resolution on the prevention of an arms race in outer space 🔴 UN Web TV 🔴 X (Twitter) livestream

Study in Russia 🇷🇺 Let us draw your attention to a Regional online round table for foreign youth, candidates for studying at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN) from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa titled “Admission campaign 2024. Open the world in One University” The webinar will start in just 1 week (May 29, 2024, 15.00 Moscow time) 🚨 For registration, please, visit website 👈🏼 #StudyInRussia

🇷🇺🇮🇷📞 Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber. The President of Russia offered his deepest condolences to Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohammad Mokhber and the entire Iranian people on the tragic death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and a number of other government officials as a result of a helicopter crash. Vladimir Putin stressed that he knew well and appreciated Ebrahim Raisi as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between Russia and Iran. Mohammad Mokhber expressed sincere gratitude for the words of sympathy and support during this difficult time for the country. Both sides emphasised their mutual desire to further consistently strengthen comprehensive Russian-Iranian interaction for the benefit of the two countries. #RussiaIran

⚡️ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on riots in New Caledonia   On May 13, thousands of people took to the streets in the capital of French New Caledonia to protest against France’s colonial policies. The rally grew into island-wide riots that claimed the lives of several local residents and policemen. Dozens of law enforcers were wounded, with hundreds of protesters put into custody. As is common knowledge, interfering in the internal affairs of foreign states is against our principles, as is to give or press advice on how to deal with internal problems or crises. This is characteristic of the West and, not in the least, of France itself, although, instead of mentoring others, Paris should better look at its own deep-down problems. After all, it is clear that the tragic events in New Caledonia are the consequence of long-standing antagonisms and the growing dissatisfaction with their status on the part of the Kanaks, the indigenous people of New Caledonia, who make up almost 40 percent of this French overseas territory’s population. The pretext for yet another surge of public discontent was the consideration by the French Parliament of a bill designed to change the local voting rules, in effect since 1998, and give the right to vote to all those, who have resided on the island for more than ten years. Opponents of this legislation saw it, with a good reason, as an attempt to finally deprive the Kanaks of their fundamental right to self-determination and cut the land from under the feet of those advocating independence. Not accidentally, the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front, one of the leading New Caledonian Parties, branded Paris’ actions as “re-colonisation.” We regard the public and political crisis in New Caledonia as stemming from the lack of finality in the process of its decolonisation and as yet another confirmation that the French policy towards its former colonies, renamed “overseas territories,” is reaching an impasse. <...> ☝️ Currently, France governs 13 overseas territories and is attempting to meddle in the internal affairs of its former colonies across the globe. While occupying dozens of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America for centuries and brutally exploiting the local population, the French have committed numerous military crimes and crimes against humanity there. <...> ❗️ We call on Paris to refrain from an unjustified use of force against the protesters and respect the rights and liberties of the indigenous population of New Caledonia and other overseas territories under its control.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a meeting ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting. 📍 Astana, May 20 #RussiaChina

✉️ President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi ✍️ Please accept our deepest condolences in connection with the great tragedy that befell the Islamic Republic of Iran – a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and several other prominent government leaders of your country. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving his Motherland. He enjoyed the well-deserved respect of his compatriots and high prestige beyond his country. As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good neighbourly relations between our countries and made great efforts to advance them to the level of strategic partnership. I have had the privilege of meeting Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on multiple occasions, and I will always cherish the fond memories of this wonderful man. Please convey my heartfelt condolences and support to the family and friends of the late President, as well as to all those affected by this tragic incident. I extend my wishes for strength to the Iranian people as they navigate through this challenging and irreparable loss. Vladimir Putin

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a question from the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin programme (Moscow, May 19, 2024) 💬 Sergey Lavrov: It’s high time for the Kiev regime to accept the reality “on the ground”. I hope that this message, which has been repeated many times, will be heeded and that the West will understand that it’s time to stop sacrificing Ukraine for its absolutely hopeless goals. ❓ Question: President of France Emmanuel Macron made a surprising statement, saying that he's afraid that if Russia wins then the Russian military infrastructure will be closer to Europe and Russian missiles will be closer to Europe. However, President Vladimir Putin has been saying for 20 years that Western infrastructure is approaching us. And the West has told us not to worry and relax. What would you advise the West to do now? Sergey Lavrov: Let them relax too, if they can. We know very well what we are capable of, including in terms of all possible scenarios for the further development of the situation in Ukraine.

✉️ تعازي الرئيس الروسي فلاديمير بوتين إلى آية الله السيد علي خامنئي المرشد الأعلى لإيران عزيزي السيد خامنئي، أرجو أن تتقبلوا تعازينا العميقة فيما يتعلق بالمأساة الهائلة التي حلت بشعب جمهورية إيران الإسلامية وهو حادث تحطم الهليكوبتر الذي أودى بحياة فخامة الرئيس سيد إبراهيم رئيسي بالإضافة إلى حياة عدد من رجال الدولة البارزين الأخرين في بلدكم. كان سيد إبراهيم رئيسي سياسيا بارزا كرس حياته كلها لخدمة الوطن الأم.  لقد تمتع بحق باحترام كبير من مواطنيه وسلطة كبيرة في الخارج.  ونعتبره صديقا حقيقيا لروسيا، فقد قدم مساهمة شخصية لا تقدر بثمن في تطوير علاقات حسن الجوار بين بلدينا وبذل جهودا كبيرة لوصولها إلى مستوى الشراكة الاستراتيجية. لقد أتيحت لي الفرصة للقاء سيد إبراهيم رئيسي عدة مرات، وسأحتفظ إلى الأبد بأعز ذكرى لهذا الرجل الرائع.  أرجو نقل كلمات التعاطف الصادق والدعم لعائلة وأصدقاء الرئيس الراحل وجميع الذين قتلوا في هذه الكارثة الرهيبة.  أتمنى لهم وللشعب الإيراني بأكمله الثبات العقلي في مواجهة هذه الخسارة الصعبة التي لا يمكن تعويضها. مع خالص الاحترام، فلاديمير بوتين، رئيس روسيا الٳتحادية

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s condolences to the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran 💬 We are deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death in the helicopter crash of President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and those who accompanied them. ▪️ We will always remember these outstanding political figures as genuine patriots of the Islamic Republic, who firmly upheld the interests of their country and gave their lives in selfless service to their Motherland. President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were known in Russia as real and reliable friends of our country. Their role in strengthening beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation and trust-based partnership is invaluable. 🕯 We offer all those near and dear to the victims and the entire friendly people of Iran our sincere condolences. Our thoughts and hearts are with you in this hour of grief. SERGEY LAVROV