Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 2, 2017

2 March 201718:49

Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 2,2017

406-02-03-2017

Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj

Sergey Lavrov will meet with Fayez al-Sarraj, Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya, today in the afternoon.  After the meeting, we will inform you about its content and results.

Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov will be in Russia on an official visit on March 6-7 at Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s invitation. The visit comes in the lead up to the April 4 celebrations marking the 25^th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.

The foreign ministers will hold talks, and Mr Mammadyarov will also meet with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, and Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov. The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan is also expected to deliver a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

During the talks in Moscow, the foreign ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan will discuss a wide range of issues on the bilateral, regional and international agendas.

The official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry will publish an update with more details about the talks and the content of the meeting.

Sergey Lavrov to attend photo exhibit opening ceremony for the establishment of Russian-South African diplomatic relations

On March 7, an exhibit of archival documents and photos devoted to the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Africa will open with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation. The exhibit features materials related to the different stages in the history of friendly ties and cooperation between the two countries.

Representatives of the Federation Council and the State Duma, Russian ministries and agencies, business and expert communities, diplomatic service veterans and serving officials and representatives of the South African embassy in Moscow, the South African business community and students have been invited.

Sergey Lavrov’s talks with German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel

On March 9, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks in Moscow with German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel.

The ministers will discuss the schedule of upcoming political contacts, the current status of bilateral relations and a number of practical issues on the bilateral agenda, including the implementation of particular trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, historical, and memorial projects.

They will exchange their views on current international issues with a focus on multilateral efforts to resolve the Ukraine and Syria crises and normalise the situation in Libya.

More detailed information on the upcoming talks will be posted on the ministry website.

Russia’s priorities during China’s BRICS presidency

On February 23-24, a meeting of BRICS sherpas and sous-sherpas took place in Nanjing, China, the first such meeting this year, in the course of which the proposals and vision that the Chinese presidency introduced into the group’s 2017 agenda in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, as well as related priorities, were considered. Russia was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister and BRICS Sherpa Sergey Ryabkov.

This meaningful and substantive exchange of views confirmed that the approaches proposed by the presidency lay a solid groundwork for furthering strategic partnership in the group of five member countries. They are fully in sync with the Russian line. We welcome and share our Chinese friends’ commitment to strengthening the role of BRICS as a major factor in the formation of a new polycentric world order. We support the focus on the continuity of efforts and the institutionalisation and consolidation of cooperation mechanisms.

We believe it is important to continue working together to strengthen solidarity within the framework of BRICS so that the “group of five” can speak in a “single and strong voice” on topical issues of international politics and economics and so that this voice and our coordinated position can be heard in the world and at key international platforms: the UN, the G20, the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank and other multilateral organisations and forums. We are willing to work together along these lines.

We praise the Chinese presidency’s proposals on deepening cooperation on the Middle East between the foreign ministries, on foreign policy planning, peacekeeping, the fight against corruption and cooperation between law enforcement agencies. Our priority is to counter the terrorist threat which has reached a global level and requires a collective response.

We share our BRICS partners’ evaluations regarding the importance of stepping up cooperation in the financial and economic sphere. There is a sound, solid foundation here: the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership. We welcome Beijing’s desire to give high priority to its implementation. We will work through concerted efforts to further strengthen financial cooperation mechanisms: the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

We value China’s proposals to expand BRICS humanitarian dimension, which are based on the solid foundation of the traditional cultural values of our five countries and are designed to enrich the cultural and civilisational diversity of today’s world.

These are only some of the wide-ranging multilateral cooperation mechanisms that are based on the solid foundation of similar or identical approaches within BRICS toward what is, without exaggeration, a majority of topical issues on the international agenda. It is impossible to address all areas of cooperation during a briefing, due to time constraints, especially since many of them fall within the jurisdiction of other ministries and agencies. We will keep you up to date on Russia’s efforts within this association.

Russia is ready for the closest possible cooperation with the Chinese presidency and other BRICS partners to ensure that the upcoming 9^th BRICS summit in Xiamen in early September can become another meaningful step forward in consolidating five-nation strategic cooperation.

To be continued...