Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the 16th Assembly of the Russian World, Moscow, November 2, 2024

Colleagues,

Friends,

I am delighted to extend my greetings to the organisers, participants, and guests of the 16th Assembly of the Russian World.

It is profoundly symbolic that your forum traditionally convenes on the eve of National Unity Day, a day on which we commemorate our people's victory in the struggle against foreign invaders.

On January 1, 2024, the Foreign Ministry assumed the sole founding role of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. This represents a significant honour and responsibility for us. I wish to assure you of our continued dedication to enhancing the Foundation's potential and influence.

Over the years, your gatherings have distinguished themselves as a unique platform that brings together all those engaged in the multinational and multi-faith Russkiy Mir: prominent public and political figures, academics, Russian language scholars and compatriots. We highly value your contribution to the promotion of our Motherland's rich cultural and historical heritage and the advancement of international humanitarian cooperation.

The Russian language remains a critical element of our shared identity. This year, we celebrated the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin's birth, whose works laid the foundations of the modern literary language. I would like to express my gratitude to all those who organised numerous vibrant and significant events, both within our country and abroad, commemorating the life and creative work of the great poet. Your endeavours to foster global interest in studying the Russian language are greatly appreciated. The address by President Vladimir Putin, recited by Yelena Yampolskaya, underscored the heightened relevance of this Assembly's theme – the spiritual and moral values of the Russian World. This is particularly significant in the context of the Year of the Family held in our country.

Love for our country, respect for centuries-old customs, honouring the older generations, and nurturing young people in a spirit of continuity, among other values, are shared by representatives of all peoples and faiths in Russia. There can be no doubt about this. All reasonable people recognise that deviation from basic moral standards, permissiveness taken to absurd lengths, and tolerance pose a threat to the moral health of society.

We shall preserve our traditional values and safeguard the cultural and historical heritage of the diverse peoples of the Russian Federation. This goal is unequivocally reaffirmed in the new Foreign Policy Concept, which Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed in March 2023. It characterises Russia as a unique country-civilisation with over a thousand years of history.

The situation in Ukraine illustrates the potential consequences of willingly forsaking the spiritual and cultural roots bequeathed by our forebears. Following the bloody state coup in 2014, the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev embarked on a systematic campaign to eradicate all that is associated with the Russian World. Russians, Russian speakers, and individuals simply affiliated with Russian culture came under assault. With the tacit approval of the collective West, the UN Charter has been egregiously violated. Its first article stipulates that all states are obliged to respect the rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals, without discrimination based on race, gender, language, or religion.

In Ukraine, the use of the Russian language is legally prohibited across various areas, from education and media to daily life. In late September, yet another law banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church was passed. The West is not just keeping silent, but is vocally proclaiming its support for Ukraine which allegedly upholds European values. They are clearly enjoying it. Historical parallels come to mind when I look at this. Most of the collective West countries have cobbled up a coalition to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” in order to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia on the battlefield by supplying Ukraine with weapons, mercenaries, and instructors. This is their officially proclaimed goal.

This has happened more than once in history. Most of the European countries’ armies fought for Napoleon and Hitler. Both of them sought – even though the term did not exist back then - to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield. We know well how it ended. We are confident that the ongoing “crusade” against our country and people will meet the same fate.

Notably, protecting the rights and freedoms, as well as the legal interests of the Russian people and Russian speakers should be an integral part of a political settlement in Ukraine, alongside ensuring Ukraine’s non-aligned, neutral, and non-nuclear status, and eliminating any and all threats to Russia’s security that may come from within its borders. Acknowledging the actual state of affairs on the ground is of paramount importance. President Putin has repeatedly made this clear.

The longer the Ukrainian leadership, with Western support, keeps scuttling one agreement after another, the less territory remains under its control. Had they honoured their commitments in February 2014, nothing would have happened, and Crimea would still be part of Ukraine. However, they chose to break the agreement because they couldn’t wait to seize power. Had it honoured the Minsk Agreements in February 2015, Ukraine would have still kept all its territories within its borders, including all of Donbass (Crimea was already gone by that time). They chose not to implement these agreements and not to grant a special status to a portion of Donbass, which was primarily about confirming the right of the people who live there to speak their native language. All of that was ruined. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel and other signatories to the Minsk Agreements later proudly admitted that none of them planned on fulfilling them. All they wanted to do was buy some time in order to flood Ukraine with weapons. Their third chance came up in Istanbul in April 2022. President Putin spoke in detail about it at a news conference following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.

Without a doubt, today looks quite different that April 2022. This Russophobic regime is not smart, either. Those at the helm can hardly claim the title of wise or far-sighted politicians.

Friends, the path of creation and unity that we have embarked upon enjoys broad support internationally. Even in the countries that are making unfriendly moves against Russia, many people sympathise with our country. We are aware of it and we appreciate it. This is why, on August 19, President Putin signed an Executive Order on providing humanitarian support to the people who share Russia’s traditional spiritual values. Once implemented, it will open the door to Russia for residents of the countries whose governments impose destructive values on their citizens.

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and World War II. The heroism of the Red Army soldiers and officers, as well as the home front workers, who did much to bring the end of the war closer, is a crucial pillar of our national identity that inspires the younger generations to be raised in the spirit of patriotism. We see this legacy now taken up and embodied by the heroes of the special military operation.

The “vaccine” against the Nazi virus has largely worn off in the West, and the hate-fueled ideology in the form of neo-Nazism and now Russophobia is being used in the hybrid war against Russia and all things Russian, such as language, culture, media, and religion. Considering these genuinely dramatic circumstances, it is vital for the people to mark this upcoming anniversary at the highest possible level and in the most dignified manner, to celebrate veterans in Russia and abroad, and to hold memorial events dedicated to Great Victory and its heroes who are shrouded in glory. Thanks largely to their unparalleled feats Russia continues to exist as an independent and free country that is open to the world.

We will continue working alongside our like-minded partners to shape a fairer multipolar world order that relies on civilisational diversity of the modern-day world. We will keep pursuing our independent foreign policy and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with every country that is willing to cooperate on the basis of equality, trust, and an honest balance of interests, thus contributing to an atmosphere of mutual understanding among nations. Without a doubt, each one of you has a part to play in this.

I wish you every success in your work and all the best.