Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video message to the participants in the 7th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries, Moscow, May 18, 2023

Colleagues, friends,

It is a great privilege for me to greet the participants in the 7th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries. This year, it is being held as part of Russia − Islamic World: Kazanforum 2023.

Your meetings have always stood out for their meaningful agenda, facilitating interested and informal exchanges of views on topical international matters. The fact that the forum brings together a solid line-up of participants, including young members of OIC foreign ministries, as well as researchers, experts and political observers is a major factor of success.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry is ready to support you in all your undertakings. In fact, Russia has a tradition of promoting friendly ties with the majority of Muslim countries. We share a commitment to seeking guidance in our interstate cooperation from the principles of equality, mutually respecting our interests and seeking to balance them. At all times, we have been consistent in championing cultural and civilisational diversity around the world and the right of the people to take ownership of their development models and paths. We share close or converging positions on most topical issues in today’s world and have been quite effective in working together in the UN as well as at other international platforms.

Russian diplomacy prioritises the promotion of interfaith and intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, as well as the consolidation of our efforts to stand up for the traditional spiritual and moral values shared by all world religions, and also combatting Islamophobia, including within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the OSCE. This principled approach has been set forth in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation as approved by President Vladimir Putin in late March 2023.

Friends,

Today’s discussion is titled “Diplomacy for a new multipolar world.” It is rather topical. I have said many times that strengthening the new polycentric world order to make it more resilient, just and democratic has become a major trend. New global centres in Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America have achieved impressive results in various areas by focusing on their independence, state sovereignty, and their unique cultural and civilisational identities, all while acting based on their core national interests and conducting an independent foreign policy.

Russia has been consistent in its belief that confrontation leads international relations into a dead-end. We need to avoid confrontation, unreasonable and extremely dangerous as it is, between the global centres of power. People aspire to reach a new, well-considered balance of interests. It is essential that instead of rule by force, we equip the emerging world order with legal norms and regulations based on the UN Charter, primarily its provision on unconditional respect for the sovereign equality of states. We need to resolve the urgent challenges the world is facing today by working together and coming up with effective solutions. Diplomats can play a pivotal role in this regard.

No matter how daunting, we have all it takes to deliver on this mission as long as we have the political will. And we do have it. We stand ready to work closely with our friends in the Muslim world and all other partners who share our commitment to strengthening the legal and democratic foundations governing international affairs.

I wish you all the best, as well as interesting meetings and meaningful discussions.