Transcript

Sergey Lavrov Interview with Vladimir Solovyov

2014-12-25 RU · EN (source companion, alignment pending) Source Digest Readout

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Русский	English
1 The Year's Main Achievement — Restoring Multipolar, Collective Security
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Kind: captions Language: en Good evening, as usual, we discuss current events with those who make policy, influence policy, and with those who have their own special view on what is happening. Today, in our studio, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov. Good evening, Hello, Sergei Vik. The year is ending. This year is a turning point. This year is a difficult year. This year is tough. We are considering the positions of international relations.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified What has our country managed to do? If we talk about achievements, although we usually evaluate our work not in terms of successes, but in terms of effectiveness. I would probably highlight that we managed to draw attention to the need to build a new multilateral multipolar organization. In fact, it is not so new because it is fundamentally fixed in the mouth of the organization of nations, where the principle of unanimity of leading states within the Security Council is laid down.
2 "You Gained Crimea but Lost Ukraine" — Russia Has Not Lost Ukraine
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified I mean its permanent members, and where the principle of collective security is laid down. The construction of precisely collective efforts to overcome any threats, any risks, any threats that face all of humanity. In recent years, this fundamental principle has been subjected to serious tests.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We have seen and are seeing attempts to solve complex problems in the world through unilateral approaches, through coercion, through intervention. in the internal affairs of a sovereign state in violation of both the UN Charter and the OSCE principles, and the fact that we were able to draw attention to this problem, that this problem is now being actively discussed at international forums, including the UN Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, that our approaches in favor of equal, mutually respectful dialogue on any issues of world politics, the global economy, and the global humanitarian situation are shared by an increasing number of states.
3 Ukraine and NATO — A Danger to European Security, Not Just a Distant Prospect
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified I believe this is probably the most important thing that the Armed Forces have managed to do with a large number of states, but the degree of importance of these states has changed, because, by and large, the Americans say that you got Crimea but lost Ukraine. We can respond to them by saying, "You think so, but you lost Russia, after all, we haven't had such bad relations with America for a very long time, I can't even remember.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified There has been a turn in our policy to the east and southeast, the Americans practically don't want to communicate with us, the European Union doesn't want to communicate with us, that is, what are we winning and what are we losing? We are already living in the era of the Cold War. Well, firstly, I don't agree that we lost Ukraine.
4 Washington's Direct Management of Ukraine — Nuland, the Coup, and Moldova
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This is such a conclusion, you know, from afar, from across the ocean, and this is probably important for the Americans from the point of view Obama recently made a statement during an interview where he began to compare himself and Putin. You know, it feels like this personal aspect is very disturbing and worrying, and I've always said that even now, when the most important issues are determined by some personal sympathy or antipathy, it's probably no longer very productive. I don't think we've lost Ukraine.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified It's impossible for Russia and Ukraine to divorce. We're connected by centuries of history, economy, geography, culture, and in the conv. And I'm convinced that this tragic stage in Ukraine's history will be overcome. That the Ukrainian people will eventually figure out what's happening and what happened in February and is happening now.
5 Cuba, Latin America, and the Meaning of Russian Friendship
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified That the Ukrainian people will want to restore their harmony through national reconciliation through the unity of all parts of Ukraine, not on the basis of the dictates of just one ideology that reigned in Kyiv, but on the basis of compromise, based on a balance of interests, building truly equal relations between all regions. And I'm convinced that in such a Ukrainian state, otherwise, it's hard for me to imagine how Ukraine can survive and be able to exist normally in such a state.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified The Ukrainian state's attitude towards Russia will be excellent and will not mean that anyone has lost anyone. And this will be a Ukrainian state that is already one foot in NATO or a Ukrainian state that will host elements of the infrastructure of the US Armed Forces. They can also directly sign an agreement, that is, what kind of state will it be?
6 The Broken February Agreement and the Absurdity of Abandoning National Unity
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified The Ukrainian state I am talking about should not rely on the aspirations of one part of the Ukrainian elite that is now ruling in Kyiv, but on a balance of interests of all citizens of Ukraine, all regions of Ukraine, both the West and the center and the southeast, and of course, on a balance of interests of all political forces. Under this, the need to build precisely such a process.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And finding precisely such a compromise with the participation of all regions and all political structures was signed by the Ukrainian leadership in April of this year when the famous Geneva statement was adopted, and here they are now trying to impose on Chita this part of Ukrainian society the worldview of only one group of elites. I think that this leads Ukraine to new aggravations and you know, I now want to, you mentioned NATO with one foot or one foot.
7 A De Facto War Against Russia — and the Million Ukrainian Refugees
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Ukraine is in NATO, I don't really understand when our observers start saying. Well, yes, they accepted. They rejected this law, they refused non-bloc status, they declared that they would join NATO. But in order to just submit an application, prepare their state, their law enforcement system, their military organization for filing such an application, it will take at least 6 years. That is, the logic is that, Well, yes, they will join, but not soon. This is a completely wrong angle for analyzing the situation.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified The very idea of Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO. It is dangerous not only for the Ukrainian people because there is no unity among them on this matter. It is dangerous for European security, we all signed up to the OSCE. And within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council, by the way, under the principle of the indivisibility of security, when no one should ensure their own security at the expense of the security of others, no one should move the dividing lines that were inherited from the Cold War.
8 Western "Bloc Discipline" — Private Understanding, Public Silence
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified On the contrary, the OSCE has set the task of erasing these dividing lines. Unfortunately, they remain in the military sphere, in the economy, and in the humanitarian sphere because there is still no principle proclaimed in the OSCE for a long time, but in practice, the principle of freedom of movement is not implemented.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Therefore, from this point of view, such provocations should be treated, I I ca n't call it anything else when some Western countries want to maintain the crisis in Ukraine, they want to maintain confrontation and escalate the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, including playing into this provocative aspirations regarding membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is exactly what I'm getting at.
9 MH17 — Unanswered Questions and Sanctions Before Investigation
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Because when you talk about Tui Ukraine, which will listen to Russia, but apparently our intelligence officers see its beginnings because while the entire political elite is absolutely oriented toward Washington, a number of members of the Ukrainian government respond directly to Washington's orders, the National Security Council, Washington's national personnel, Washington, where not Moscow's plush. No, Moscow, just give us money, help us and leave us alone, that is, such an approach. Yes, free gas and go away.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We have lost the fight for this international influence. This year, we are constantly being pushed out of the OSCE, we are being pushed out of the Council of Europe, we are being pushed out when Vladimir Vladimirovich goes to the summit, they are practically trying to be rude to us. The diplomatic language has completely disappeared, that is, the feeling that the norms of decency in the world community have disappeared somewhere. That is, it seems to them that Russia is not a great country.
10 The Chronology of Russian Concessions Met With Sanctions
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And so it is unknown who and can be rude to us. and infringe on our national interests, which no one recognizes at all, and how we react. In fact, they know that we are a great country, and they, and all these actions that you described, are aimed at infuriating us, to undermine positions and minimize our influence in this region. And in the world as a whole, this will not work because historically, it has gone through much more difficult trials and emerged from them not only with honor.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But also, having strengthened, you mentioned how the Americans, Washington, influences what is happening in Ukraine, we all know very well thanks to and thanks to open statements. How the Americans, from the very beginning of the Maidan events, tried to act through the European Union. Then Victoria Nuland, in a conversation with her ambassador in Kyiv, directly said how she assessed the effectiveness of the European Union's actions from the point of view of American interests.
11 The Minsk Process and Restoring the Economic Space of Donbass
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Well, we do not swear on air, so we cannot quote. Well, no, yes, as a rule, but everyone also knows that everyone knows that the same Victoria Nuland directly participated in the formation of the very government that came to power after the coup d'état there, candidates were discussed. I'll note in parentheses that the Americans are now also trying to form a coalition in Moldova. This is a generally known fact.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But what you're talking about, listing specific instances of American interference in processes in Ukraine and against the background of what Russia is or isn't doing, in my opinion, is only talking about one thing. In fact, everyone understands who is actually violating the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states established in the UN Charter. Well, we understand, and not bad. And what are we going to do? Well, we went to Cuba and forgave the Cuban debt.
12 Russia's Friends and Allies — Partnership Without a Monolith
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified I naively thought, "Hurray!" Now we'll open a base there. We'll open a powerful relationship there. Suddenly, boom. Obama noted that sanctions against Cuba have been in place for 50 years. What's not good, that is, it feels like political chess. As soon as our influence openly grows in Latin America, the Americans are getting nervous and trying to suppress us. Only we have excellent relations being built with China. Barack Obama is a slob. We're going to India.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified They immediately say, "Be careful with the Russians there, they're keeping a close eye on everything." I somehow missed the point about my wife. What happened to Michelle Obama? Michelle came to China. I spoke with the leadership, you know, Volodya, we are friends with Cuba and other countries in Latin America and Asia and Africa, not so that they do not normalize good relations with America and Europe. Yes, with anyone, and that’s probably the difference.
13 Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Lukashenko's Kyiv Visit
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We, on the contrary, have been calling for the United States to deliberately pursue a senseless policy ultimately, the Cuban people suffered from this embargo, and they are a friendly people to us, and we do not want to be friends with someone to spite someone, or by being friends with someone, to keep our friends from taking steps that meet the fundamental objective interests of their country. But in the case of the same Ukraine, US policy is somewhat different.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Yes, they tell us in words, understand, believe me, the US is not interested in Russian interests in Ukraine or anywhere else being infringed. We do not have any special plans, designs, or any hidden choice.
14 Poroshenko Under Direct Management From Washington
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But our counter question is: What then to do with the coup d'état, which was instantly supported by the declaration of a democratic revolution, and everything that happened after that, a complete violation of the Don which were signed by the opposition leaders who came to power, GBO Yatsenyuk and Klitschko, they signed in February, along with Yanukovych, along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany, Poland, under the idea of creating a government of national unity.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And then, when in the morning all this was torn apart, we were told, well, you see, Yanukovych ran away somewhere, not in his own place, even We ask the Americans and the Europeans, well, the president left Kyiv, although he was in Ukraine and fully fulfilled his constitutional duties, or at least he should have.
15 Washington Compelled Europe — The Facts Against the Denials
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Let's leave this aside, we agreed on what national unity is to create a government of national unity, which will then prepare a new Constitution with the participation of all regions, approve it in a referendum, and then elections will be held. Does Yanukovych's disappearance really cancel the need for national unity? You understand, this is absurd.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But they can't answer us anything about this, so now, if we really think about the Ukrainian people, like the Cuban people, or any other people who are experiencing undeserved trials, then for the Ukrainian people, the most important thing now is to return to this logic, to the logic of national The unity of the constitutional reform is being tried to be swept under the rug, our Western partners do not emphasize this issue in their contacts with Ukraine and the Ukrainian leadership.
16 Central Asia, the Islamic State Threat, and the Tajik–Afghan Border
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And the Minsk process, which has now resumed, presupposes not only a ceasefire, thank God it is now quite stable, not only a solution to the issue of the withdrawal of heavy weapons, but also the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure in Donbass.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified If you want basic services that were interrupted after the signing of the infamous decree of President Poroshenko on the de facto economic, social, financial blockade, the leaders of the DPR and NSTU and, according to the current situation, there is a conversation about restoring common economic and then political spaces tomorrow in Minsk. Because everyone has the feeling that, Lord, I wish peace would come to this land so that they would finally withdraw heavy weapons and begin to take some reasonable steps.
17 Russia Has Not Lost Europe — Historical Memory and Shared Sacrifice
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified That is, well, on the eve of X, in order to ease the situation of the civilian population, it is very important to have this perspective in the very near future to begin talking about the economy, about restoring energy ties, trade ties, about restoring social payments. The DPR and LPR want to stay in the hryvnia zone, they are being artificially pushed out of there. If they are a single people, if the Ukrainian government considers this territory its own, we support this.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Why are they trying to push a huge part of their population out of their economic and political space? You are not a naive person, you are a very wise person, I have known you for many years, but maybe Let's take off the masks, let's tell the truth, a war is being waged against us de facto, everything we do not say is not heard anyway. Now, with the hands of Ukraine, they are trying to create an armed conflict at our borders and drag Russia into it, we are accused of all sins.
18 OSCE Helsinki +40 — Fulfil Old Commitments Before Inventing New Ones
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified As you wisely answered, there are Russian troops there, so why does n't Sin show them? You personally have always had excellent relations with Keri. Here, Psaki, you gave him a pink ushanka, that is. Everything was fine. That moment has not come, purely humanly speaking, I want to say, guys, we are adults. What are you doing? Come to your senses That moment has already come a long time ago, we speak extremely frankly. When they start telling us that you You are waging a war and you have lost Ukraine.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We just remembered this. If we have lost Ukraine, why did about a million refugees from Ukraine head towards the country that is considered an aggressor? Why did we create conditions for these Ukrainian refugees in the Rostov region and in other regions of the Russian Federation, conditions that the UN Refugee Agency recognized as exemplary literally just today, December 25th.
19 Sanctions Will Not Break Russia — Gorchakov, Concentration, and Modernisation
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified At a meeting of the Russian government, nine regulatory acts were approved by the Federal Migration Service, which are aimed at making the stay of Ukrainian displaced persons refugees on our territory even more comfortable. We are doing more than anyone else, both in terms of alleviating the humanitarian suffering in the southeast and in terms of solving the problems that the central authorities in Kyiv are facing. I mean our extremely flexible position on resolving the gas problem.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified He understands this, I am sure that everyone understands everything and I will not name names, Volodya, but how can I not name him? In my one-on-one individual contacts with many Western partners, they express a full understanding of what is happening, but they refer to the bloc. discipline according to which they are prohibited from publicly making rich remarks addressed to the Ukrainian authorities. That's all. What kind of world is this, that is, a world where there is no truth, where there are no lies?
20 Russia's Global Reach — Partners on Every Continent
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And it doesn't matter that he is a scoundrel. But he is my scoundrel, and I will not speak about my scoundrel. This is even harsher than the discipline that was in the Warsaw Pact. Yes, but at the same time, you talk to people without naming them. Say what Rava does about this. It is necessary to find out the truth about this downed Dutch plane. You immediately declared us guilty and imposed insane sanctions. What are you telling us about the peace process when only Minsk initiated Vladimir Vladimirovich?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified You are again imposing sanctions, that is, what are you doing? They don't answer you either. I was talking with one of my colleagues about this when I was talking about this topic. This is what you just mentioned about the Ukrainian crisis. When the future agreement was initialed on February 21 and its signing was being prepared, our representative, sent by President Putin, was Vladimir Lukin. He signed the agreement and everyone ran away.
21 The Machinery of Foreign Policy — Doctrine, Directives, and the Living Word
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified The capitals were deciding on signing it, and we were invited along with the ministers of France and Poland as witnesses to this agreement between Yanukovych and the opposition, since in this agreement, President Yanukovych renounced all his constitutional rights, refused to declare a state of emergency, and refused to use the army and police in general, from any actions to protect law and order.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We considered that such a capitulation, in general, was not very correct from the point of view of the powers of the head of state. Therefore, we decided that we would not sign as witnesses along with the European ministers.
22 "Do Russians Want War?" — The Closing Assurance
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified There were special calls at the highest level and we were told, “Well, okay, you’re not signing, but speak out in support of this agreement.” We went along with it and said, “Yes, this isn’t quite the ideal solution.” But this is a step towards ending the bloodshed, towards national unity, because it was written there that a government of national unity must be immediately created.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We went to Nare, and a day later, this agreement was dissolved, as you know, then there was a situation and it turned out that Yanukovych is not an Aldi at all. Well, yes, then there was the situation with the referendum in In the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, we were urged to postpone it so as not to do this on the eve of the Ukrainian presidential elections. President Putin publicly called on the authorities of these republics to refrain from holding this referendum and postpone it to some later date.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified That is, we again met the call of our Western partners, who urged that this would help prevent the split of the Ukrainian people. Well, we were not heard, but we did this through the mouth of the president. Then there was a long discussion in connection with the presidential elections in Ukraine scheduled for the end of May. We were urged not to interfere with these elections. We had no intention of interfering.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Then we were urged to recognize their results and recognize President Poroshenko as the head of the Ukrainian state, and we did this. We recognized the election results, we recognized Poroshenko, and immediately in early June, we established direct contact with him in Normandy. When the meeting between Putin, Poroshenko, Merkel, Hollande took place, then there were the Minsk agreements.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We were urged to facilitate the achievement of an agreement on a ceasefire, and largely on Putin's initiative, the Minsk meeting took place there, by the way, the Minsk Protocol of September 5, it states. that this protocol was drawn up on the basis of Poroshenko's initiative and Putin's proposals, and as you said, absolutely correctly, immediately after the signing of the Minsk Protocol, a new wave of anti-Russian sanctions was put into effect, just like all our other positive steps.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Since February, it not only did not contribute to calming our Western partners, but was accompanied by further portions of sanctions pressure, and as you quite rightly pointed out, the most severe sectoral sanctions, from the point of view of the West's desire to influence us, were introduced a few days after the Malaysian Boeing was shot down, and this is a very dark story, as soon as we present any kind of our Ministry of Defense and the Federal Air Transport Agency presented to Specific facts A few days after this tragedy, and asked very specific questions that fit perfectly with international practice in investigating such cases, Western partners remained silent, saying that it was the rebels who did it with Russia's help and imposed these sectoral sanctions.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And when the system was established, here is the information that is now widely disseminated in our media, which our Investigative Committee began to deal with, they tell us it's fake, that's all, you understand, that is, we still have no answers to our questions. Where is the data from the American satellites that saw this area on that tragic day? Where is the data from the American Avalanche aircraft that flew over this area?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Where is the testimony of the Dnepropetrovsk people who monitored this section of the sky over Ukraine? We also, what is important, have long asked to see the flight log of Ukrainian combat aircraft based in this area. None of this has been done, they just tell us that Russia is to blame for everything, the rebels are to blame for everything, and all these questions are aimed at confusing the investigation.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified People, but we are already sentenced in this case Yes, even if everyone turns up and gives 100% testimony that it wasn't us who shot it down, the whole world will still say it's all a fake, Russia shot it down, they don't want to hear the truth, I'm not naive at all But I'm still convinced that the truth will make its way As you know, it's impossible to pretend not to understand, very specific questions are being put forward, they will have to be answered, and if the investigation doesn't go smoothly, not Valka, then here are the facts that are now being revealed, including facts from an eyewitness who worked at the airfield from which the fighter planes took off, these facts are very stubborn and we have already opened a criminal case, this process will be impossible to ignore for many years You deservedly consider him one of the most popular Russian politicians Whenever they have the opportunity to see you, people drop everything and run and turn on their TVs I trust you very much, this level of trust is not only from our viewers but also, apparently, from the partners with whom I will go to make things happen up there, you're trying to maintain a human relationship now, nevertheless, we have come to some strange situation when just recently President Obama told Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev that I should tell my friend Vladimir that everything will be fine when the elections are about to take place several years ago.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This was a few years ago, and those in Ukraine were almost impossibly direct aggression against Russia. We found ourselves in a new reality, in this reality, when it is clear that we can no longer count on America as a partner. We have friends, we have countries on which we can rely, which will lend a shoulder in conditions when they are trying to strangle us with sanctions, moreover, for the first time with sanctions aimed at ...
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Is there anyone in this world who will say, " Russia, we are next to you," these sanctions are openly announced as aimed at worsening the state of the Russian economy in order to arouse public discontent with the authorities. This is an open official position, of course. Absolutely unprecedented, that is, inhumane sanctions. You know, in the world, we have a lot of friends, and I would say that most countries in the world are our friends.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We have already spoken today about such time-tested friends as Cuba in Latin America. We have very warm, close relations with the overwhelming majority. states and I will add their various multilateral regional structures and, of course, our closest friends are the allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, which is being created and is already entering into force on January 1, 2015.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Everyone probably remembers how the EAU and CSTO summits went the other day in Moscow. Many Western observers began to gloat so much that they openly splash out their disagreements and divergences. You know that there is never complete unanimity in any structure, and there is none in NATO and in the European Union. They simply try to drive any dissent into closed discussions and not let it spill out.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Look, the Hungarian Prime Minister made several statements so publicly and attacked them so much that it will seem like a lot. What kind of pressure is currently being put on Turkey? You see, as soon as you show even the slightest independent position on foreign policy and on other matters, they immediately begin to call you to order and quote you, after all, in our country. After the Warsaw Pact experience, the monolith is indestructible.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We have a slightly different approach to building alliances, to building strategic partnerships, and in general, to relations with any state. Yes, we have economic advantages, our partners also have some interests, and we need to find a balance of these interests. This is the essence of the approach we are promoting, both in the military-political sphere in the post-Soviet space, and in the economic and humanitarian spheres, and I do n’t see anything wrong with that.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We don’t hide the fact that we don’t agree 100% on everything. Pshe koriš is a close friend, but sometimes you listen and think, “So wait, either I don’t understand Belarusian well, or I’ve forgotten Russian. It seems like we’re not very popular anymore. You know, President Lukashenko constantly emphasizes that Belarus has no one closer to Russia. Therefore, I repeat, the manifestation of differences on certain current issues is absolutely normal. And maybe even more so on such an important issue.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified I received an invitation from Poroshenko to show the way to the European Council. I thought not long ago they called it a European. Lukashenko is Europe's last dictator. And now, to tear him away from Russia, they're ready to bring the GAKS Tribunal, or Geneva, a little further to the left. By the way, about these contacts, when, on the eve of the CSTO and Eurasian Economic Union summit in Moscow, the presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan stopped in Kyiv, the West began to gloat.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified So, they're deliberately making such public gestures to show their disagreement with Moscow's policies. How does the West know what was going on there? The conversation in Kyiv, if it's just offensive, say so. If you're just perceiving the television picture, they met. And that means it's against Putin. Well, you understand, simplicity is worse than theft. We are all interested in our friends, in this case, Kazakhstan and Belarus, helping build a normal process for resolving the Ukrainian crisis.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But when Poroshenko was in America, he directly told correspondent C, who didn't choose to interview a journalist, that we are under de facto direct control from Washington. But do you really doubt that Poroshenko wrote down what he said and reported, word for word? You know, after all, one figure, even such an important one. How can a president solve all the problems and address the issues of movement and development of a state like Ukraine?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified There are the Ukrainian people, and now, after all, we have such a stubborn line, you know, to remind people of the need for a general criminal law. You know, water wears away a stone. But in this case, of course, we have to deal with this. The Ukrainian authorities are opposing it, but nevertheless.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Recently, almost today, there was an interview with the French ambassador to Russia in which he expressed disagreement with what I said when I was interviewed by correspondents in France, FN2, where I said that Washington forced Europe to submit to its will regarding sanctions, and so on. He disagreed with this and said that Europe is taking an independent line. Well, perhaps it is important for French public opinion to hear this from his ambassador to Russia, but the facts say otherwise.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Joe Biden publicly stated that if it weren't for the United States, we wouldn't be for Europe. Europe wouldn't have agreed to these sanctions. President Obama said the same thing when he held his final press conference, where he called Washington's main foreign policy achievement in the past year that they We managed to build the West around Ukraine, so denying the obvious is probably not very correct.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But I am convinced that ultimately we will achieve the beginning under which all Ukrainians will live in one state with full respect for their rights. As rights in relation to language, culture, traditions, history and, of course, economic decentralization is absolutely necessary.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This can really only be done if Moscow and Washington sit down at the negotiating table, because otherwise, whatever agreements, no matter what the shares of the Armed Forces, it will be too early for Washington to be behind us or not, that is, it is better. Honestly, all players should come out of the bushes, sit down and agree on the fate of the Ukrainian people who began to say that Ukraine is Europe and not Ukraine.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Ukraine, we have been doing this from the very beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, including in our relations with the Americans. I already mentioned the Geneva statement of April 17, which was signed by Carrie Ash on behalf of the European Union by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, your humble servant, where Kyiv's commitment is to immediately begin constitutional reform with the participation of all regions and all political forces of Ukraine.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We are hitting this point and while our Western partners have not found any counterarguments, we have developed a special relationship with the former Soviet, now free, Central Asian republics. Probably, a significant role is played by the fact that the danger coming from the Islamic state is very clearly felt. There is an understanding that year and year, even if the Kursk troops and units succeed in temporarily initiating an armed conflict.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This can be more or less brought within some limits, but still, this Islamic terrorist factor will be very important and will destabilize the situation. Does this mean that we have a chance to return to very close relations with the Central Asian republics, to build a completely different line of relations with them, to create, if you like, a joint service to protect the population of republics that are still very close and fraternal to us from the terrible threat that is approaching them?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Will this lead to the creation of some new geopolitical structures much more powerful than it seems to us? Now this work has never ceased, and the Central Asian states are our close neighbors, our friends, our partners in the CSTO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Commonwealth. At the CSTO summit held recently in Moscow, the implementation of previously adopted decisions of the Collective Security Council at the level of heads of state on strengthening, say, the Tajik-Afghan border was discussed.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This is indeed a very intensive, large-scale program that is being implemented through the CSTO in addition to what Russia is doing bilaterally, helping Tajikistan defend the positions of our Central Asian neighbors. Well, you know, there was some hesitation at some point when they thought they could more effectively defend themselves by shifting their focus to military cooperation with the West, including border protection.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified I am now convinced that they have realized that Russia is the most reliable partner in helping them defend against these threats, including the drug threat and the terrorist threat from Afghanistan. You see, here, in addition to historical ties and such comradely duty, there is pure pragmatism here. Because if we don't help them do this on the border with Afghanistan, then through them it will be a direct route to our territory. So, Here is a combination. If you want moral and purely pragmatic.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified It's strange that this is suddenly Central Asian. Is it possible that nothing has been done to them? The fate of the President of Egypt, the fate of Libya, the fate of Syria, the fate of Afghanistan. Did they really not like the democratization in these countries? I think that in many ways this played such an important instructive role. You know, I would say that we have lost Europe for a long time, or will we still be able to overcome this. The Crimean crisis is the genius of Lavrov.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We will be able to win over the French to our side by sowing in them a slight mistrust of Germany's strengthening position. We will be able to understand why Mrs. Merkel, not long ago, suddenly turned from such close friends into such a rabid enemy. We will be able to attract European politics. As Russia has often done subtly. Cleverly and very gracefully. Well, we have not lost Europe, we cannot lose it. Europe without Russia is Europe. Russia has repeatedly saved Europe from Europe itself.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified When, during the Napoleonic Wars, an attempt was made to forcibly unify the European continent under an iron fist. The Second World War, the same thing was attempted, not The French and the Germans. And the First World War, the sacrifices that the Russian people made, and made for nothing, ultimately only receiving colossal upheavals.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified They are now being remembered by our European colleagues, and I am convinced that historical memory, forgive the tautology, must be constantly reminded of it, and what is being done to perpetuate the memory of all those who died for the liberation of the Motherland, for the liberation of Europe, is not just celebrations that are designed to somehow raise the prestige of the state, this is a colossal, crucial work to preserve Europe based on European values, and work to affirm the role of Russia in Europe.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This is the second thing that we cannot forget. What are you talking about?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We are ready and continue to openly interact with all the countries that inhabit the European Continent, even with those who publicly speak out quite harshly, and I would say arrogance with almost any other European country, and contacts are being carried out at the highest level, and by the way, when the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was in early December in Switzerland, I had There have been about two dozen meetings with the foreign ministers of European countries, and everyone emphasizes their interest in quickly overcoming this anomalous period that we are currently experiencing.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified What needs to be done to achieve this is to abandon attempts to impose our point of view. We long ago put forward a proposal through the president to begin building a single economic and humanitarian space between Russia and the European Union, and within the OSCE, a single security space in accordance with the principles laid down in the statutory documents of the OSCE.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Now, many European politicians are also talking about this publicly, and they speak as if it just dawned on them that such an idea could help create a material and humanitarian base, a military-political base to ensure that there are no dividing lines. For God's sake, we do not claim authorship. But this is an objective task. The so-called Helsinki P-40 process is currently underway within the OSCE.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act. 1975 was then the Cold War, but détente has already begun. tensions and so the two opposing blocs agreed on the principles that are enshrined in these documents, first of all, non-interference in the internal affairs of respect for the right of peoples to self-determination, respect for the integrity of the state, respect for human rights, and so on.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Later, within the framework of the OSCE, the principle of indivisibility of security was added and it was said that security should be equal and indivisible. This is not the case. Yes, therefore, now when they tell us, let's come up with something new within the framework of the Helsinki process, P-40, we say no. Guys, let's first implement what we agreed on about the World Cup, that's what we wrote down then years ago, let's do it anyway. We wo n't achieve it.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified You know, maybe in order to achieve it, we just need to create a military bloc again, something like the Warsaw Pact. Because it feels like we are only heard when we are wildly feared. Throughout the nineties, we were so sweet and tame, you could stroke our fur behind the ear, and no one took us into account at all. As soon as Russia became independent, from its point of view, they began to openly humiliate us, but there are only nuances. The eighties.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Whatever We weren't bad, we were economically independent, but now suddenly you look at something and fear arises. Can we pursue an independent foreign policy until we build a diversified economy? Perhaps one could characterize some of the actions of some of our partners as an attempt to humiliate us, but the problem for them is that we do not humiliate and will not humiliate ourselves. You know, when they think that we are now imposing sanctions?
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Well, a couple of months, well, six months, well, a year, and the Russians will break. But you have to be completely naive and not know history, the Russian people, and everything that the Russian people did for Europe and what they did in order to preserve their independence, and the period required for this awareness to penetrate the minds of politicians. It probably takes a little longer than a few months, six months, or, well, with Cuba, it took 50 years.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Well, these are still not European politicians in Europe. I think this enlightenment should come much, much earlier. You mentioned the period between the two Crimean wars. Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov His phrase after the Crimean War, meaning the first Crimean War, that Russia is not angry, it is concentrating, we are now doing roughly the same thing and Well, then the concentration led to a wildly industrial boom in Russia.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Russia has transformed itself over the last 15 years of the 10th century and has become one of the most powerful industrial powers. But the decisions that are now being made by the president and the government are aimed precisely at this and the fact that in many ways the current situation is associated not only with external factors, sanctions, market conditions, but also with the need to sharply increase efforts to modernize the economy.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified This is recognized, it has been officially stated and I have said this more than once, but I am sure for some reason that this time it will not remain just words. Well, for Gorchakov and for Russia, it took somewhere around 20 years, this process of concentration and then the triumph of the second Crimean War. I am convinced that there will be no war now and that this concentration in which we are immersed will nevertheless spread to our European partners.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified They need to concentrate in order to understand all those realities and this The process is already underway, the views of major politicians are being openly published in Germany, such publications have already taken place, which contain a call to stop escalating confrontation and start looking for agreements that would take into account the interests of all Europeans, including, of course, the Russian Federation.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Sergey Tvich, this year you didn’t count how many hours you spent on the plane, I didn’t count, well, at the end of the year, my assistants usually show me statistics, it’s clear to me that you were in Russia. Well, about 20 days, the rest of the time at work, you don’t have the feeling that I’m never in Russia at all. You, let’s say, always have Russia in your heart, but for work you are forced to travel all over the world [applause].
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified We really have many partners, and I listed our closest friends and allies, the Eurasian Economic Union, there is also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, there is BRICS, and there are bilateral relations with states on all continents, and of course, we also have strengthening and expanding ties with integration associations in the Asia-Pacific region, in Latin America, and in Africa, so we have a broad agenda.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Ours The foreign policy concept presupposes openness to any contacts with any countries that are ready to cooperate on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and this is our interest. Moreover, now it is very important for our businessmen to have a good political framework in those regions that are promising. This is all that I listed, and the Asia-Pacific and African Latin American regions, and of course, more and more of our citizens are starting to travel around the world. Now there is a slight decline.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified For obvious reasons, this trend will still return to the positive. And this also requires contacts, requires resolving issues of organizing their vacation and generally ensuring the safety of our citizens abroad. But how is the subtle management of politics carried out? You are constantly on the phone when you travel with the President of the Russian Federation, you can fly in, the situation has already changed. That is, before starting negotiations, you contact the President and coordinate negotiations back.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Here you can immerse yourself in the world of internal technologies. We have a fairly extensive block of fundamental documents, including foreign policy concepts and the doctrine of the security of the Russian Federation and specific directives on the areas of our interaction and geographical and essential directions. They are regularly updated in an interdepartmental format. The President approves them and they provide a vector that allows. Well, in most cases, action is taken in accordance with the vector.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified But the living word is present. Well, how is it that all people are living? Paper will never work until a person starts doing this, because it is clear when the President speaks that international policy issues are very close to him and they are very interesting to him, that is, a feeling of constant contact and the fact that his finger is on the pulse.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified Well, we have regular meetings within the framework of the meetings of the permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, where everything is discussed in detail, without laying a solid foundation for practical work on a daily basis. Of course, we have a brilliant Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I think that our intelligence may regret having lost such a brilliant figure who, even under torture, the Armed Forces will still not answer anything about the subtle issues of search technology.
Matching Russian passage has not been identified	Cached English source — passage alignment not verified And in conclusion, there is a question that I am asked more and more often by the Armed Forces because it is alarming that there will be no war. Remember the song "Do the Russians want war?" We never wanted it. We do not want it and we will do everything to prevent war not only on our immediate borders but also in other parts of the world. This is one of our main tasks.