7 March 201917:25

Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 7, 2019

480-07-03-2019

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take part in the opening ceremony for the exhibition, To the Shores of Latin America

The grand opening for the exhibition of rare books and manuscripts, To the Shores of Latin America, ​​from the collection of the main national library will be held in the Greater Hall of the Pashkov House on March 11. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Director-General of the Russian State Library Vadim Duda are expected to take part in it.

The exhibition features about 60 book artefacts, a series of engravings and manuscripts devoted to expeditions to Latin America by Russian and Soviet researchers, explorers, diplomats, travelers, poets, journalists and artists in the 18th-20th centuries.

The memoirs and diaries of outstanding Russian figures who visited Latin America over the span of 150 years are precious as historical sources and evidence of Russia's many years of cultural and scientific interest in these countries.

Heads of the Latin American diplomatic corps stationed in Moscow and representatives of government, academic and cultural circles will attend the opening ceremony.

Russian and foreign media are welcome to attend.

For accreditation contact Daria Khokhlova, press service of the Russian State Library + 7 916 828 24 07, dr@rsl.ru

Accreditation will last until 10 am, March 11.

Foreign Minister of the Republic of Austria Karin Kneissl’s working visit to Russia

Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Karin Kneissl, will come to Moscow on a working visit on March 11-12.

During the talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov scheduled for March 12, the officials will have a substantive discussion on a wide range of bilateral issues, analyse the state of and prospects for promoting practical bilateral cooperation, and exchange views on pressing international matters of mutual interest.

The ministers will focus on the schedule of their political dialogue in 2019, the promotion of diverse cooperation projects in the trade, economic and cultural spheres, in particular, the Year of Youth Exchanges-2019, which has just started.

A Joint Ministerial Statement on creating the Sochi Dialogue Russian-Austrian Public Forum will be signed as part of the meeting. It’s a new mechanism for civil society interaction, which is being established in accordance with the agreements reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna in June 2018.

There will be an exchange of views on the most important foreign policy issues, in particular, the Syrian settlement, including humanitarian aspects, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, countering international terrorism, and prospects for resolving the domestic Ukraine crisis.

The ministers will touch upon the current state of the Russia-EU dialogue, coordination of interaction within the OSCE and other international platforms. They will also compare notes on disarmament, the formation of new European security arrangements, in particular, in light of the United States withdrawing from the INF Treaty, the preservation of the multilateral agreements on the Iranian nuclear programme, and the situation surrounding Venezuela.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Turkey

On March 12-13, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a working visit to Turkey (Antalya) to take part in the seventh meeting of the Strategic Planning Joint Group (SPJG) chaired by the foreign ministers of the two countries. The group is acting under the High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) headed by the Russian and Turkish presidents. The previous, sixth meeting of the SPJG took part in Moscow on March 14, 2018.

The participants plan to verify their positions on all issues of the bilateral agenda with a view to preparing for another meeting of the leaders of our countries and the forthcoming HLCC session. They will focus on the further expansion of Russia-Turkey trade and economic cooperation in various areas, consular issues and promotion of cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the context of conducting a cross year of culture and tourism in our countries this year.

During forthcoming contacts the sides plan to conduct an extensive exchange of views on a broad range of international and regional issues, including settlement in Syria, cooperation in countering terrorism and organised crime, and the developments in the Middle East and North Africa, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and the Black Sea region. They will also discuss ways of enhancing the efficiency of cooperation at international venues.

The sides plan to sign a plan for foreign ministry consultations in 2019-2020 within the SPJG framework.  

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take part in the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

On March 14, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to take part in the ministerial segment of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna. This event represents a landmark because the results will help shape the future of the interstate drug control system. The Russian delegation intends to take a clear line on the need to consistently implement the provisions of the three UN anti-drug conventions and on preventing the legalisation of so-called light drugs. As before, special attention will be paid to the drug situation in Afghanistan that does not seem to improve.

Mr Lavrov intends to urge the international community to pool efforts in countering modern challenges such as drug distribution via the internet, the appearance of new psychoactive substances, and the funding of terrorism by drug trafficking.  Proceeding from the relevant provisions of President Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Federal Assembly, the Foreign Minister will inform the international community about Russia’s efforts to improve the palliative care system, including the access of patients to pain killers.

The consolidation of the status of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) will require special attention. The board is monitoring compliance of states with their anti-drug commitments under the relevant conventions. In this context, the Russian delegation is going to submit a draft resolution that, we hope, will receive broad support.

The participants plan to hold an event on the sidelines of the commission’s session under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in order to further consolidate their efforts in countering narcotic drugs.

To be continued...