Sergey Lavrov’s press conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2023, January 18, 2023

Press conference by Sergei Lavrov on the activities of Russian diplomacy in 2023, January 18, 2023

00:12 Russian foreign policy

• Russia has identified its key priorities for the foreseeable future, including cooperation with China, India, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
• Russia actively works in the UN, promoting joint initiatives and supporting initiatives of other countries.

10:33 Eurasian projects

• Russia strives to develop economic partnership within the EAEU, SCO, ASEAN and other subregional structures.
• Russia seeks to ensure military and political security in Eurasia, without interference from countries outside the region.

15:26 Protecting the rights of Russians abroad

• Russia gives priority to protecting the legal rights of its citizens abroad who face discrimination in the countries of the collective West.

16:09 International diplomacy and humanitarian assistance

• Russia is assisting in the evacuation of citizens from the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
• Creation of an international Russophile movement and holding an international inter-party forum of supporters of the fight against neo-colonialism.

18:50 Cultural agenda and international events

• Russia is preparing to host a number of major international events, including a youth festival and games of the future.
• Conducting the international vocal competition Intervision.

27:26 Middle East and international politics

• The US is creating military and political coalitions, increasing aggression against Yemen and Israel.
• Russia favors direct dialogue between Israel and Palestine, as well as the participation of the Quartet and the League of Arab States in mediation.

33:40 Discussion of the situation in Palestine

• Russia intends to participate in a special meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Palestine.
• Russia insists on creating a Palestinian state and ensuring Israel's security.

38:12 Prospects for resuming dialogue with the United States

• Russia does not see prospects for resuming the strategic dialogue with the United States.
• The West does not want to take into account Russia's interests and continues to pursue an aggressive policy.

43:20 Consequences of American policy

• The United States launched an all-out hybrid war against Russia.
• The West is pushing Ukraine to use strike weapons and missiles to strike Russia.
• The US has abandoned the agreements and principles that underlie interactions between countries.

50:49 Discussion of Russian-Chinese relations

• Russia and China are discussing issues of nuclear security and strategic stability.
• Russia rejects the possibility of a diplomatic settlement of the conflict with the West.

01:04:31 Issues of Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement

• Armenia and Azerbaijan are discussing the possibility of establishing links between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan.
• Armenia rejects the Zangezur corridor, which was not part of the 2020 agreements.
• Russia supports a tripartite working group to unblock transport links between countries.

01:07:22 Prospects for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations

• Russia is ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine if this will help resolve the conflict.
• The West often offers its advice on resolving conflicts in the South Caucasus, which does not always take into account the interests of the countries in the region.

01:11:04 Minsk agreements and their impact on negotiations

• The West is not interested in negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, which means abandoning Nazi ideology and racism.
• The Minsk agreements were not an interim step, but were supposed to be a final solution to the conflict.

01:21:54 Relations between Armenia and Russia

• Russia and Armenia have never been at the forefront of cooling relations.
• Armenia and Azerbaijan must implement current agreements to achieve real progress on border delimitation.
• The West and Armenia make statements of disappointment in cooperation with Russia and the CSTO.

01:26:18 The need for cooperation

• Russia, Turkey, Iran and the countries of the South Caucasus need to work together to solve the problems of the region.
• History will fix everything, but it is impossible to solve all problems alone.

01:28:31 Discussion of the situation in the South Caucasus

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discusses the situation in the South Caucasus, in particular, President Putin's role in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
• Lavrov also mentions that Afghanistan has emerged from international isolation, and Kazakhstan has removed the Taliban from the list of banned organizations.

01:40:01 Question about the blockade of Leningrad

• Lavrov discusses the issue of paying compensation to victims of the siege of Leningrad, in particular, that Germany pays compensation only to Jews.
• Lavrov criticizes Germany's position and calls for the creation of a special law on victims of the siege of Leningrad.

01:45:18 Germany and the lawsuit between South Africa and Israel

• Lavrov mentions that Germany is a third party in the trial between South Africa and Israel over genocide.
• Lavrov criticizes