🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin took part in the 9th Eastern Economic Forum plenary session (September 5, 2024)

Full text of the statement and answers to media questions

💬 President Putin: We have designated the development of the Far East as a national priority for the XXI century. The significance and correctness of that decision have been confirmed by life itself, the challenges we have recently encountered and, most importantly, the objective trends that are gaining momentum in the global economy, when the main business ties, trade routes and the overall development are increasingly shifting towards the East and the Global South.

Our Far Eastern regions offer direct access to these growing emerging markets, helping us overcome the barriers which some Western elites are trying to create worldwide. The most important thing, as I have already mentioned, is that the Far East is a huge area for implementing business initiatives, launching complex projects and creating whole new industries.

❗️ The Far East has become a crucial factor for strengthening Russia’s standing in the world and our flagship in the new global economic reality. The further development of the Far East will largely determine the future of our country as a whole.

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Overall, representatives of more than 75 countries and territories are taking part in the forum’s events. It is extremely important that such discussions are complemented with substantive business dialogues and result in the adoption of investment decisions and trade agreements. I would like to say that over a thousand agreements worth in total more than 10.5 trillion rubles were signed during the previous three forums.

☝️The Eastern Economic Forum has rightfully become a respected venue for establishing reliable business contacts and discussing the strategic development of the Russian Far East and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

Other key talking points

• Russia's economy ranks fourth in the world in terms of GDP by purchasing power parity;

• We and our BRICS partners use national currencies in 65% of trade settlements with each other;

• We did not refuse to settle in dollars, we were denied settlements, and we were simply forced to look for other options;

• More than 30 countries are willing to cooperate with BRICS, and some of them are ready to join the group;

• The new members who joined BRICS this year are self-sufficient, have rapidly growing economies and will make their contribution to the development of the grouping;

• [Kiev regime's Kursk incursion] goal of trying to make us nervous, to relocate our forces, to halt our military adavance in Donbass was not achieved. Our Armed Forces stabilised the situation and stepped up their offensive.

#EEF2024

🎙Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE A.Volgarev «On religious "war" unleashed by Kiev regime against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church» (meeting of the OSCE PC, 05.09.2024)

🇷🇺 Russia has consistently drawn the attention of the OSCE to the worsening situation in the religious sphere in Ukraine, where representatives of the Kiev regime have for many years sought the total eradication of canonical Orthodoxy
 
☦️ Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is being carried out there through a smear campaign launched by the Ukrainian media. The mass seizures of churches by radical nationalists with the complicity of local authorities, special services and law enforcement agencies are shamelessly justified
 
⚠️ As a rule, they are accompanied by violence, mass beatings of clergy and believers. Numerous attempts to seize the largest monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are constantly being made, and their inhabitants are being forcibly evicted
 
▪️Ukrainian security services are exerting direct pressure on the UOC, its episcopate and clergy, including threats, blackmail and the opening of dozens of trumped-up criminal cases on political grounds. Many of its priests are under arrest, imprisoned or have received unjust sentences
 
❌ Local authorities in a number of regions and localities of Ukraine have simply banned the activities of the UOC, forcibly closing its churches, preventing worship services, illegally seizing land plots under its monasteries, churches and shrines
 
▪️At the end of August, V.Zelensky signed the law "On the protection of the constitutional order in the sphere of activity of religious organizations". Representatives of the Kiev regime took a step that may surpass all previous historical repressions against the UOC in its scale
 
▪️The proponents of this treacherous act don't hide that the law is aimed directly against the canonical UOC. Hundreds of monasteries, thousands of communities, millions of Orthodox Christians will find themselves outside the legal framework, losing their property and a place to pray
 
▪️The supporters of the bill ignored the opinion of millions of believers, the position of the UOC itself, the legal community and even the timid criticism of the foreign patrons of Zelensky's regime. Its representatives once again demonstrated their disregard for their own citizens, aggravating the already serious split in society
 
☝️For the first time we have witnessed the banning of an entire religious denomination in the pan-European area, the open violation of the rights of millions of believers, and the brazen and shameless violation of well-known international commitments in the area of freedom of religion, including within the OSCE
 
❗️The blatant silence and complete inaction of R. Polak, Personal Representative of the Maltese OSCE CiO for Combating Intolerance and Discrimination, including against Christians, throughout the entire repressive campaign against the UOC raises questions about her professional competence and suitability for her position
 
📣 We call on representatives of the relevant OSCE executive structures first and foremost the ODIHR, to finally respond publicly to the intensification of repression against the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It is necessary to give a principled assessment of the religious "war" unleashed by the Kiev regime against the canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its followers

🇷🇺🇺🇳 On September 5, Deputy Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Vershinin, along with representatives of relevant Russian agencies and companies, held another round of consultations in Moscow with the UN delegation led by Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

🌾 A detailed discussion took place regarding the current situation in global food and fertilizer markets, and ways to ensure implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum on promoting Russian food products and fertilizers to the world markets. Accumulation of crises in global food security and the increasing threat of hunger were highlighted. In this context, effective solutions to establish stable and unobstructed supplies of Russian grain and fertilizers, which make up a significant share of global exports, especially to developing and struggling countries, are becoming increasingly necessary.

#GlobalFoodSecurity

⚡️Reception on the occasion of Russian Chairmanship in BRICS
 
🗓On 5 September 2024, the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU hosted a reception dedicated to Russia's Chairmanship in BRICS. The event brought together heads and senior diplomats of permanent missions of some 55 countries of the World Majority, as well as those of diplomatic missions of regional associations (the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States) and the secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.

💬 In his welcoming speech, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Russian Mission to the EU Kirill Logvinov emphasised:

BRICS has an enormous potential to build a more equitable world order and adapt the existing key global mechanisms to it.

The persisting geopolitical ambitions of the West will not hinder the realisation of the economic, investment, technological and human potential of countries that do not agree with the actions taken in the logic of unipolarity and are united by the pursuit of equal cooperation to overcome common problems.

Today, we all have a unique opportunity to jointly strengthen the foundations of a future world order that will be truly multipolar and mutually respectful.

🖼The local diplomatic corps viewed the exhibition “People of the New Regions” prepared by the Foundation for the Study of Democracy and displayed at the Permanent Mission.

📚The guests received a brochure “25 Questions about Crimea” dedicated to the contemporary development of the Russian region.

📽The participants of the reception watched the movie “Russophobia: History of Hate” produced by RT.

🎶The event featured musical compositions from the project “Songs of the Great Country” supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives and aimed at promoting an objective perception of Russia, its rich culture and age-old traditions of harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, cultures and confessions.

Embassy comment on the most recent spike of the anti-Russian campaign in UK media

❗️ The Embassy has taken note of efforts by certain UK right-wing conservative forces, even though they have been relegated to the local political backstage, to persist in fuelling anti-Russian hysteria in sponsored media outlets.

On top of habitual twisted facts and fictional plots the last few days have seen the increased use of grotesque geopolitical constructs, punctuated with the obsession that Russia must be made to suffer a military defeat and collapse.

The reason for this delusional "episode" is, quite obviously, a combination of bad news for the Kiev regime and its handlers in London.

👉 Above all, the confident offensive action of the Russian Armed Forces in Donbass.

👉 The failure of the Kursk gamble, which has only revealed the terrorist inclinations of the marauding Ukrainian military.

👉 The feverish reshuffle in the Ukrainian top brass.

👉 Finally, the West's inability using sanctions traps and pseudo-judicial simulacra to hold back Russia's accelerating development and the augmentation of mutually beneficial relations between our country and its partners around the world. The Eastern Economic Forum, currently taking place in Vladivostok, provides ample evidence in this regard.

Of particular cynicism against this background are the soundbites produced by certain British politicians who bear personal responsibility for prolonging the conflict, such as former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in support of the total mobilisation of the Ukrainian population, including its youth.

These bloodthirsty exhortations seem to illustrate the determination of the London ideologues behind the "Ukrainian project" to buy time at any cost as it approaches its inevitable finale.

☝️ We are convinced that the British people do not share the irrational Russophobia, misguided exceptionalism and the sense of impunity that encourage certain figures of the local political establishment to incite the Kiev regime to wage a self-destructive "war to the last Ukrainian".

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a question of the Moscow.Kremlin.Putin programme (Vladivostok, September 4, 2024)

❓ Question: So far, reports are coming in only from Reuters, but often such media leaks are eventually confirmed. The United States allegedly intends to supply missiles with a range of 300−900 kilometres for F-16 fighters. How could you comment on this?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I am tired of commenting, and nothing surprises me anymore. The Americans have already passed the “threshold” they set themselves. They are being egged on to it. Zelensky can see this, and he is taking advantage of the situation.

However, they should understand that one should not joke about our “red lines.” They know their location very well.

So far, the obsessive power struggle (when Democrats want to prove themselves “tougher” than the Republicans or vice versa) is leading towards an escalation. I am convinced that there are reasonable people exercising certain sway in the United States. I hope that the interests of the United States will be taken into account.

I would like to note a statement by National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby who said that one should be very careful about expanding support for Ukraine, so as not to start World War III because one would feel sorry for Europe. In effect, their genetic code tells them that no one will dare touch them. This destroys all principles on which Soviet-US agreements on strategic stability hinged; these agreements were later reaffirmed and developed with the Russian Federation. For some reason, their feeling of mutual deterrence is becoming eroded, and this is dangerous.

❓ Question: What are they counting on then? They will supply weapons all the time. Certainly, they should realise that it is impossible to defeat Russia.

💬 Sergey Lavrov: You should ask them.

I do not know what they are counting on. They believe that this “tough” stand on Russia is another argument for obtaining extra votes in the context of the logic of American exceptionalism. Such logic implies that they can do what they want, and no one will dare to offend them. This is what we are seeing today. However, no one, including me, knows what’s on their mind.

You should go to New York City, or tell your colleagues to ask these questions.

🇧🇷 On September 7, the Federative Republic of Brazil celebrates Independence Day.

🗓 #OnThisDay in 1822, Prince Pedro, the son of Portuguese King John VI, pronounced the famous phrase, "Independence or Death", which marked the end of the 322-year-long Portuguese rule.

A movement for Brazil’s independence originated long before that landmark day. In the late XVIII century, Brazilian revolutionary and national hero Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, became the leader of a clandestine group in Minas Gerais whose goal was to create an independent republic. Although their plot was exposed, Tiradentes has become the symbol of the Brazilians’ struggle for independence.

The Brazilian national liberation movement gained momentum amid Napoleon’s expansion in Europe in the early XIX century, the proclamation of independence by Spanish colonies, and the 1820 bourgeois revolution in Portugal. It ultimately led to the establishment of the Empire of Brazil and the declaration of its independence from Portugal.

A respected member of the international community, modern Brazil is rightfully regarded as a leading political and economic force on the international stage with a major role in dealing with many current issues on the regional and global agenda.

🤝 Diplomatic relations between Russia and Brazil were established on October 3, 1828, but their development began back in 1811, when Emperor Alexander I appointed the first Russian consul general to Rio de Janeiro.

🇷🇺🇧🇷 Today, Russian-Brazilian relations are developing sustainably in the atmosphere of trust, friendship and mutual understanding based on the similarity of views on many global issues. Our two countries are closely cooperating within the UN, #BRICS and #G20.

💬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: The further strengthening of friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Russia and Brazil meets the interests of our peoples, facilitates the maintenance of international security and makes a tangible contribution to resolving global development problems.
(from the remarks at the opening ceremony of an exhibition on the 195th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Brazil, Moscow, November 27, 2023).

🎊 We extend our heartfelt greetings to our Brazilian colleagues and friends on their national holiday and wish them well-being and prosperity!

#RussiaBrazil

🎙 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's interview with RT at the 2024 Eastern Economic Forum.

Key points

• NATO doesn’t care about Ukraine. NATO countries are only interested in a “strategic defeat of Russia”, not the safety or security of the region;

• Sanctions against RT is another step towards freedom of speech destruction by the US, a sign of a deep crisis in the US democratic system;

• Durov's detention in France should be a sobering example for those who believed that freedom of speech matters [it doesn't] to the West.

Full video 👆
You can also watch the interview in full on Odysee or Rumble

#JournalistsSolidarityDay

🗓 September 8 marks the International Day of Solidarity of Journalists, established in 1958 by the decision of the IV Congress of the International Organization of Journalists in memory of the Czech correspondent Julius Fučík, executed by the Nazis in 1943.

💬 Maria Zakharova (from the briefing of the official representative of the Russia's Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova dated September 4, 2024):

This date serves as a reminder to the global community that a true journalist’s duty is to impartially and honestly present the real state of affairs to the public. Journalists are often at the forefront of crises and conflicts, sometimes risking their own lives to report on unfolding events and provide objective coverage rather than engaging in propaganda. This challenging and noble profession has long been defined by a strong international camaraderie with its own ethical standards and code of honour.

❗️We now witness a significant void where there should be statements, petitions, and declarations condemning the murders and terrorist attacks against Russian journalists, including those killed by the Kiev regime.

👉 Look at the far from complete list of politically motivated repressions against Russian media on the web portal of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the past 30 years, Westerners, being on the verge of interfering in our internal affairs, have been following the fates of Russian journalists and demanding that the Russian authorities take steps to investigate and protect them. Instantly, Russian journalists were transformed in the West from those who needed protection into those who should be persecuted, expelled, segregated and “marked.”

Speaking about Western unions of journalists, individual Western journalists and elites engaged in the harassment of their Russian colleagues, this is based on the fear of competition and the inability to withstand it (to say nothing about winning).

When Russia Today TV channel began broadcasting in German, the audience in Germany, Austria and other German-speaking countries felt it like a breath of fresh air, an alternative point of view, an opportunity to compare and make a choice in favour of their traditional media or subscribe to one more information resource.

❌ However, the interest in the Russian media broadcasting in German rose so much that became a challenge for German journalists who asked the FRG authorities to take measures against Russian journalists.

The conditions for media pluralism and free access to information keep on degrading in many “advanced democracies” and a worthy rebuff from Western media professionals is nowhere to be seen. The Baltic states actively continue to persecute unwanted journalists who dare to doubt whether the authorities’ policies are correct and express their point of view.

The Maia Sandu regime is following the well-trodden Russophobic path of the Baltic states, where they have deliberately deprived Russian-speaking residents of the country’s last sources of information by shutting down the broadcasting and rebroadcasting of Russian television channels and media outlets.

☝️ The permissiveness of the neoliberal pseudo-democracies is only gaining momentum against the background of solidarity inaction of not only relevant human rights organisations but also the journalistic community of the West itself.

Hopefully, there will be someone who will not only recall all the above problems on International Day of Solidarity, but also write and stage rallies in support of their colleagues and journalism.

***
Despite everything, on this day we congratulate all correspondents, editors, photo operators and other media industry workers who remain faithful to the ideals of journalistic solidarity, who are always ready to help the colleagues, even if their opinions differ.

🤝 For our part, we will continue to defend the rights of our journalists and call to account those who have illegally given themselves the authority to set rules and punish dissenters.