Lavrov's Presser & Maria's Last 2023 Briefing Selections

Lavrov looks stern in this photo, as if he espied an agitator.

After meeting with his Indian opposite Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, a joint presser was held in which Lavrov’s opening remarks ought to help dispel some incorrect notions about India and its intentions as does one of Lavrov’s answers. The presser is short considering Lavrov’s usual standards and will be followed by some selections from Maria Zakharova’s last 2023 briefing and its Q&A session:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We held talks at the level of foreign ministers as part of the visit to the Russian Federation of the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, my colleague and friend Saddam Jaishankar.

Yesterday, the Minister, in his capacity as Co-Chair of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic; Detailed talks were held with the co-chair from the Russian side, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

Today, we noted that a good result was achieved at the talks – specific agreements on further deepening our trade, economic and investment ties and in other areas that are within the competence of the Intergovernmental Commission.

Yesterday's talks and today's meeting confirmed that relations between Moscow and New Delhi are trust-based, based on mutual respect and are not subject to opportunistic fluctuations. They fully reflect the nature of our cooperation, which is enshrined as a special privileged strategic partnership in the documents signed by the leaders of Russia and India.

We spoke in favour of continuing to maintain the high dynamics of the political dialogue. This is necessary to strengthen bilateral relations on a sustainable basis. We paid great attention to building up practical cooperation in addition to the agreements reached yesterday at the Intergovernmental Commission. Today, we agreed on a number of steps that will allow us to expand cooperation, including in the context of the upcoming launch of the International North-South Transport Corridor, the creation of the Chennai-Vladivostok route and cooperation in the development of the Northern Sea Route (this is a promising area).

We agreed on the need to expand the legal framework in bilateral relations, in particular, to speed up the signing of an agreement on the protection of mutual investments. Another important multilateral document is the upcoming agreement on the establishment of a free trade zone between India and the EAEU.

We discussed the prospects for military-technical cooperation, including the joint production of modern weapons. Here, too, there is concrete progress. In this area, our cooperation is of a strategic nature. Its deepening is in line with the national interests of our states and the maintenance of security on the Eurasian continent. We respect the desire of our Indian colleagues to diversify ties in the field of military-technical cooperation. We also understand and are ready to support their initiative to produce military products within the framework of the Make in India program. We are ready to cooperate in this matter.

We reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening cooperation in the energy sector. This is a strategic area of our cooperation, including with regard to increasing the export of hydrocarbons from Russia to the Indian market, as well as cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, primarily the further implementation of the Kudankulam NPP project. This is our practical contribution to India's efforts to meet its needs for clean and safe energy of its own production.

We positively assessed the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of manned space programmes, rocket engine building and satellite navigation.

We talked a lot about regional and international affairs. We paid attention to our cooperation at multilateral venues, primarily at the UN, where Russia supports India's aspirations to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council along with representatives of Latin America and Africa. We also paid attention to cooperation within the SCO and BRICS, where Russia will assume the chairmanship on January 1 next year.

We are sincerely grateful to our Indian colleagues for their desire to take a responsible approach to considering and resolving regional and global problems, focusing on national interests and the interests of equitable, fair and international cooperation. This approach is also characteristic of India's position on the processes taking place in and around Ukraine.

Today, we also discussed other regional issues. This also applies to the situation in the Asia-Pacific region in the context of processes that are developing in parallel and even, perhaps, contrary to the agreements that were previously reached within the framework of ASEAN.

We discussed the situation in Afghanistan. It is our common interest (and there is no doubt about this) that it is important to look for solutions on our vast Eurasian continent and in the adjacent waters that will reflect the balance of interests and will not provoke confrontational approaches, including those sometimes brought in from outside our common region.

I am grateful to my colleague and friend for these talks.

Question: Aide to President Vladimir Putin Mikhail Oreshkin said that the economies of the Global North are becoming increasingly unstable and that the power of the East and South is growing. One of the most promising projects that will help develop transport links with growing economies is the North-South corridor. Against the backdrop of growing pressure from the West, including sanctions, can we expect this project to get a "second wind"?

Sergey Lavrov: Mikhail Oreshkin presented his assessments on the basis of statistical data, which are available in abundance. They convincingly testify to the trend of "regrouping of forces" in the world economy and finance. This process is in favor of a steady increase in the share of countries in the Global East and South and indicates the decline of the Global North, which we are accustomed to associate with the G7 and their closest allies. This is objective statistical information.

The trend will strengthen, including in connection with the expansion of BRICS. The aggregate GDP of the countries of the association in the new composition will significantly exceed that of the G7. This process of natural development of the world economy is also associated with numerous mistakes and unacceptable methods by which the United States and its allies are trying to contain the objective course of history.

Today we talked about the fact that our positions coincide. We do not accept the distortion of the principles of international law, the development of free markets, fair competition, and the inadmissibility of trampling on the postulates that underpin the system of globalization that the West has been promoting for so long. He did not hesitate to part with them, began to abuse the position of his reserve currencies and other mechanisms created with the "advertising" that they serve all of humanity. Of course, trust in the West has been severely undermined. Now there is more reason to rely on the role of the world majority in the development of the world economy. Not to the detriment of anyone, but on the basis of mutual benefit.

We discussed the North-South transport corridor (as well as the Chennai-Vladivostok transport corridor and the Northern Sea Route). He doesn't need a second wind. He's already got it. This project has generated great enthusiasm among all the countries on which its implementation depends. In the near future, the project will be implemented.

Question: India is a country that talks on an equal footing with everyone, both the countries of the "golden billion" and the South, as we saw in the New Delhi communiqué at the end of the G20 summit. How important is this policy for Russia?

Sergey Lavrov: I believe that this is a policy that is not only important for Russia and all other countries of the world, it is the only responsible policy that will ensure the country's respect, reputation and benefits in cooperation with all countries that also show respect for all members of the international community. It is a policy that embodies the main requirement of the UN Charter, which is (as stated in this document) respect for the sovereign equality of states.

India is one of the most striking examples of the implementation of this principle. Russia is also building its entire policy without any attempts to punish anyone, to show a biased attitude towards anyone. This is not our principle or our manners. We see examples in another group of states, including, as it was said, in the countries of the "golden billion".

You mentioned the G20 summit in New Delhi, which took place this autumn. This was a true triumph of India's foreign policy and multilateral diplomacy, which was made possible to a decisive extent by the fact that the G20 Chair did not allow the final document to be unilateral. The adopted Declaration reflects the balance of interests. This is an example of how to work in the G20, in other multilateral associations, in the UN and its Security Council.

As I said, we support India's candidacy to fill this body.

Question: You said that the Ukrainian issue was discussed today. What is Moscow's attitude to the "settling of scores" in Kiev between the military and political leadership? How can you comment on the leaks of the US media regarding the West's intentions to "freeze" the conflict in Ukraine and present it as a victorious country?

Sergey Lavrov: Regarding the "showdown" in Kiev between the various branches of government and the army command. I will not make any comments. This is an internal affair of a country that has lost its independence and is governed from the outside. Let those who run it take care of this particular matter.

As for the leaks about the West's intentions to "freeze" the conflict in Ukraine and present it as a victorious country. Read these leaks. We are aware of the ability of the West, primarily the United States, to declare "victories." We see how they are "winning" in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses. There, a month later, the "victory of democracy" was declared. 20 years have passed. Where is Iraq now? The same is true of Libya, which has become the subject of special "care" of NATO countries, which brought "democracy" there and destroyed statehood. Nowhere in the countries that have been used by the United States to advance its interests far from their shores have improved.

Look at the Middle East, at what is happening in the Gaza Strip under Washington's blockade for many years, in their "efforts" to create a Palestinian state in accordance with the decisions of the UN Security Council.

If you don't stray far from the American shores, the poorest country in the world is located there – Haiti, which the United States has been "engaged" for more than a hundred years. This is not the first time that the Americans have declared "victories". I think they will formulate it somehow. [My Emphasis]

It’s often forgotten that Russia sees India as it does China—as a Strategic Partner—and has signed documents declaring that reality. Russia is also mature enough to understand that political factions of various types exist within India and vie for control over India’s destiny and that they share an important commonality—promotion of India’s genuine national interests. India is still on the path of discovering its modern identity and has some distance to travel before it reaches the stability of China or Russia. Having to interact with an increasingly diverse number of nations within BRICS+ and SCO ought to help India mature as its behavior at the G-20 indicated.

And now some selections from Maria’s end-of-year briefing, which will focus on Ukraine, Armenia, Serbia, and Outlaw US Empire behavior past and present:

On December 25 of this year, the Basmanny Court of Moscow, at the request of the investigation, arrested in absentia the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, accused of terrorism. He is charged with the preparation and commission of 104 crimes on the territory of Russia under the provisions of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (terrorist act).

Work to investigate crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis will continue. None of them will escape punishment.

In the context of growing fatigue with the Kiev regime in the world and the reduction of financial and military assistance from the West, the Zelensky regime is ready to take any steps to bring the Ukrainian conflict back to the top of the international agenda.

They also remember how they successfully carried out a provocation in Bucha under the dictation of Washington and London. The West has been talking about this for a long time. However, when it came to the facts, everyone fell silent. And in the first months, this was the number one topic. The entire Western international community, including representatives of international organizations, came to Bucha. Western journalists literally every day devoted their newspaper and online editorials to this topic. Reports were being prepared, documentaries were to be released. So far, it has not come to the main thing – "where are the lists of those who died?" Where are the lists of names drawn up for any tragic situation, be it a plane crash, a shipwreck, or a terrorist attack? The names of the dead people are published by news agencies on specialized websites with dates of birth and passport data. For various reasons: to honor their memory, to inform their relatives and friends about what happened to them and, in principle, to confirm the fact that there were victims. There is nothing about Bucha – no names, no dates of birth, no passport data. They simply don't exist. And it wasn't, because it was a provocation.

The Kiev regime has planned something similar this time. It is possible to organise another anti-Russia provocation using Western-made poisonous substances in order to initiate a new campaign in the UN and the world media to accuse our country of allegedly deliberately using chemical weapons. The topic was promoted. Several years earlier, the West had been actively "kneading" the people's anti-Russian positions in connection with the chemical dossier.

According to available information, the Security Service of Ukraine is actively involved in the preparation of such a provocation, which has involved the cooperation of the Kiev-based Ukrainian company Realab, which specializes in the import of chemical reagents and precursors. In October-November of this year, a "small batch" of triethanolamine and nitrogen-containing sodium compounds produced by the American corporation Honeyvel Research Chemicals (Selz, Germany) was purchased in Germany through this company.

What are these substances? Triethanolamine is included in the Annex on Chemicals of the Chemical Weapons Convention and is subject to annual declaration. This compound is a precursor for the synthesis of a blistering poison – nitrogen mustard gas. Nitrogen-containing sodium compounds are highly toxic, and their damaging effect is similar to that of cyanide.

According to Russian experts, these chemicals can be used by the SBU to produce a chemical warfare agent in order to carry out a limited-scale provocative action on the territory controlled by the Kiev regime in the zone of action of our troops.

Mustard gas has been known since the First World War. The Germans, who used it in combat conditions, called this substance "Gift der Gifte" ("poison of poisons"). It was not used in World War II, as it was banned by conventions that even Adolf Hitler recognized. However, Ukrainian neo-Nazis intend to go further than their fascist idols.

Vladimir Zelensky's regime continues to zealously carry out the instructions of its overseas masters – to wage war "to the last Ukrainian". They do not care at all what the consequences will be after this provocation, just as they did not care what will happen after the use of shells with depleted uranium, which came to the Kiev regime from Britain. Although they call the lands on which these shells are used their own. In the same way, they will not reckon with the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with people who serve the Kiev regime or are simply broken (in the literal sense of the word) in order to join the banner of Vladimir Zelensky. He and his entire gang "don't care" about the consequences that his population will face if this provocation is carried out. The main thing for them is their own survival in conditions when the whole world has seen what the American-British adventure called the "Kiev regime" and the creation of a bridgehead against our country really is.

There are fewer and fewer people willing to fight for the power in Ukraine, which is rotten due to rampant corruption and nationalism. Over the past year, military commissars managed to put about 40 thousand people under arms, which does not allow covering the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the "counteroffensive".

Amendments to the legislation, which, in fact, turn a significant part of the population of Ukraine into disenfranchised slaves, are designed to achieve the desired result. A real hunt is being prepared for people of mobilization age. The plans include a forced return from abroad and the mobilization of Ukrainian men who fled the war.

This proposal of the Banderites has already been responded to in "democratic" Europe. On December 22, Estonian Interior Minister Leonid Läänemets said that Tallinn would assist Kiev in extraditing draft dodgers. Do you know why? Because those who have sought asylum, shelter or temporary residence in Estonia need to be fed, provided with work and treated. Estonia did not sign up for this. It subscribed to Russophobia (endless information and political attacks against our country), the common Baltic "chorus" in relation to everything related to our culture, history, country, and people. And Estonia did not subscribe to the creation of at least approximately humane living conditions for those who, having heard the voice of the West, came to them. Now she has taken advantage of this "project" voiced by the idea of extraditing Ukrainian citizens to the Kiev regime and will enthusiastically begin to do so so as not to feed them. According to media reports, similar ideas are being discussed in Poland and other countries.

All this once again testifies to the fact that Ukraine and its population are a bargaining chip for the Kiev regime, "cannon fodder." They are ready to sacrifice their citizens in the name of self-preservation and the satisfaction of the paid interests of the West.

On December 19, Vladimir Zelensky held a news conference on the results of the year. What did it demonstrate? We have all seen the Kiev regime's uncertainty about its own future against the backdrop of the West's growing fatigue with their failures. The begging of Ukrainian wards is causing increasing irritation both in Washington and in London and Brussels. In Western society, there is a growing reluctance among ordinary citizens to feed a corrupt regime out of their own pockets.

The sooner the "collective West" realizes that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict provoked by it is possible only through the achievement of the goals of the special military operation, the sooner peace will come.

As you know, in Ukraine, since this year, the celebration of Orthodox Christmas has been postponed from January 7 to December 25 solely for political reasons. They did not hide it – in order to "be closer to Europe". In general, people who believe in God celebrate religious holidays in order to be closer to God. Only in Ukraine is Christmas celebrated to "be closer to Europe."

Schismatics from the OCU tried in vain to organize festive services in churches that once belonged to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Great hopes were pinned on the fact that the center of the celebrations would be the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. However, something went wrong. The Dormition Cathedral of the monastery, usually filled to capacity with believers, judging by publications in the media, was practically empty. Again the "hand of Moscow", "tricks of the Kremlin"? What will they come up with this time? A similar picture was observed in other churches and monasteries in Ukraine.

People are already tired of the endless lies of the Kiev regime, the theft of the Ukrainian authorities, the sacrifice of the interests of the country and the people in the name of another tranche from abroad. Vladimir Zelensky "killed" Ukraine.

Vladimir Zelensky's laudatory statements that Ukraine celebrated Christmas together with Europe for the first time do not stand up to scrutiny. Who believes that? It is worth recalling that historically, the country celebrated this holiday on December 25 only under the Nazis. I understand that this all seems unbelievable, but it is a fact. This was the case in 1941-1944, when Ukraine was occupied by the Nazis. This is what happened under the current Banderites who came to power. Only people made their choice – they did not allow themselves to be manipulated. By the way, this has nothing to do with their political views. In this example, in this fact of their lives, they saw where the truth is and where the lie is.

However, this is not enough for the Kiev regime. They are trying to deprive Ukrainians and their children of the main symbol of the New Year. Santa Claus has been declared the enemy. I'm not kidding. He is presented as a relic of the Soviet past, or almost as an "agent of the Kremlin." Young Ukrainians and their parents are persistently forced to interpret this image in Europe. I don't want to comment on this. But it is impossible not to say and not to take into account. After all, this is an ideology that runs counter to its own history and tradition – it is paid for from abroad.

On the threshold of 2024, we would like to wish Ukrainians to get rid of the neo-Nazis in Kiev as soon as possible, who, in order to please their Western masters, are turning the country into a scorched field, depriving people of historical memory and hope for a better future.

And despite the blood, heresy and lies spread by the Zelensky regime, nothing will prevent them from celebrating the upcoming New Year and Christmas!

Let me say it again. Numerous examples that have appeared in the media that people in Ukraine have not succumbed to another political manipulation with the rewriting of their own religious dogmas testify to a lot.

An attempt to "Maidanise" the political situation in Serbia

A week after the early parliamentary elections in the Republic of Serbia, an attempt was made to "Maidanise" the street protests in Belgrade under the pretext of alleged falsifications. The well-known templates from Western manuals that have been repeatedly used in a number of countries, with invariably tragic results, are used.

The instigators of the tried and tested practice were "activists" mobilized by various structures. They are (no secret) financed and managed from the outside. The provocations, which lasted for several days, peaked on December 24 this year, when a crowd of about 2,000 protesters decided to storm the capital's mayor's office. These are the ones who speak from the position of democracy. The police behaved with the utmost restraint, insistently called on the protesters to disperse, and did everything to prevent the organizers from bringing the matter to sad consequences. It was only when the building suffered significant material damage that the security forces were forced to intervene and begin detentions. As a result of illegal actions, dozens of police officers were injured, some of them are in serious condition.

It is obvious that those who started and were involved in this shameful and illegal attack are charged with destabilising the situation. Elections have nothing to do with it. We have experienced this firsthand. These "figures" are committing violence against Serbia itself, the Serbian people, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other state bodies who are fulfilling their duty to protect citizens. They cynically hide behind the struggle for justice, again talk about human rights, but by their behavior they show a true attitude to the declared values.

The opinion of the majority was expressed in the elections of December 17 of this year: the Serbs convincingly confirmed their support for the current leadership of the country, headed by President Aleksandar Vučić. International observers, including Russian ones, did not find any violations that could dramatically affect the outcome of the expression of will.

The desire to use force, by fomenting anarchy, to achieve a revision of the results of the vote has nothing to do with democracy.

On the 25th anniversary of the illegal military operation of the United States and Great Britain "Desert Fox" against Iraq

To the question of the very history that the West does not like to know. Twenty-five years ago, on December 17, 1998, Operation Desert Fox began, an unsanctioned U.N. and British attack on Iraq. The formal reason for the start of the massive bombing of a sovereign state was Baghdad's alleged refusal to cooperate with the experts of the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM). On December 15, 1998, its chairman, R. Butler, presented a report that gave a distorted picture of the real state of affairs, with an unsubstantiated conclusion about the lack of full cooperation on the part of Iraq, and evacuated all the staff of the commission from the country without consulting the UN Security Council. It was this document that the Anglo-Saxon tandem called the basis for the military action.

According to many experts, the real reason was the domestic political crisis in the United States: the White House (in 1998) tried to divert the attention of the American public from the hearings on the scandalous case of Michael Lewinsky, which could have led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. At that time, what was needed, as they say, was "a small victorious war."

Russia and China condemned in the strongest terms the aggression of the United States and Great Britain against Iraq.

In 73 hours, the Anglo-American air force made 650 sorties, dropped more than 600 bombs and fired hundreds of cruise missiles. According to the Iraqi authorities, as a result of the American strikes, several dozen civilians were killed and more than a hundred were injured.

One of the results of the operation was the disbandment of the discredited UN Special Commission. In January 1999, the media reported that UNSCOM had been used by U.S. intelligence to uncover Iraq's security system and track President Saddam Hussein's movements. It was alleged that CIA engineers, who worked as UN technicians, installed espionage equipment at various Iraqi facilities. In December 1999, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) was established to replace UNSCOM. Its activities, however, did not prevent the United States, with the support of the coalition's allies, from launching an armed invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003, under the pretext of the need to destroy the notorious weapons of mass destruction, which, as is known, have never been discovered. Later, the US side was forced to admit that all these manipulations with Colin Powell's test tubes were not even a bluff, but staged.

The Desert Fox demonstrated to the whole world the essence of US policy – its readiness to solve its domestic and foreign policy problems by all available means, including by unleashing aggression against sovereign states in violation of the principles of international law.

The 65th anniversary of the liberation of Cuba

Separately, I would like to note the upcoming date – on January 1, Cuba will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

The people of this country know better than anyone else the gravity of the path to gaining true sovereignty and, most importantly, its preservation and protection in the face of unprecedented pressure from the United States. We admire the will and steadfastness of the Cuban people, who firmly defend the right to choose their own path of development.

Over the years, the Island of Freedom has become a modern democratic state, in which the constitutional rights of citizens are reliably ensured, which has achieved internationally recognized success in the field of medicine, healthcare, education, culture, tourism and other areas. Cuba enjoys the highest international prestige. Many peoples are grateful to Havana for its assistance in their struggle for liberation from colonialism, for the training of national cadres and for its leading role in promoting the interests of developing countries on the world stage. It consistently and actively advocates the observance of universally recognized principles and norms of international law, the strengthening of multilateralism and the central role of the UN in the global system. During the pandemic (in those terrible months), Cuba, despite the blockade by the United States, did everything to help not only itself, but also others.

We are glad that throughout all these years, despite the thousands of kilometres separating us, Russia and Cuba have been linked by close ties of friendship, strategic partnership, constructive cooperation in a wide range of areas in the interests of our peoples, ensuring international peace and security, and comradely solidarity. Recently, the Island of Freedom has become even closer to us in connection with the launch of direct flights on the Moscow-Havana route by Rossiya Airlines on December 24 this year.

The Russian Federation, together with the overwhelming majority of countries, has consistently insisted on the complete and immediate lifting of the illegitimate, inhumane economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as the removal of this country from the list of state sponsors of terrorism arbitrarily compiled by the US administration (it is even ridiculous to say this every time). These are blatant examples of Washington's use of tools of political blackmail and coercion of dissenters to submit to its dictates.

We will continue to fight together with Cuba for the speedy lifting of the embargo – this shameful relic of the past – and, in general, against the practice of applying unilateral illegitimate restrictions, which will undoubtedly contribute to the improvement of international relations and the building of a multipolar and fair world order based on equality, mutual respect and compliance with international law.

On behalf of the Ministry, I would like to express my best wishes for well-being, prosperity and peace to the people of this wonderful fraternal country.

Russia's upcoming chairmanship of the CIS

From January 1, 2024, Russia will assume the chairmanship of the CIS. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin approved the Chairmanship Concept, which systematically reflects Russia's priorities for the further development of cooperation within the Organisation.

1. Particular attention will be paid to deepening economic integration, including cooperation in the areas of food and energy security, industrial cooperation, transport and logistics connectivity, ecology, innovation and digitalization. Emphasis will be placed, among other things, on further improving the effectiveness of countering illegitimate Western sanctions, as well as on expanding the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. At the same time, we will proceed from the principle of interconnectedness of the economies of the CIS and EAEU states, the importance of synchronizing decisions at the national and Eurasian levels in order to ensure the stability of these regional integration associations in the new realities.

2. Traditionally, Russia attaches great importance to building up cultural and humanitarian ties, cooperation in healthcare, science, education and sports. Particular attention will be paid to preserving the memory of our common past, combating attempts to falsify history and glorify Nazism. We will help support and promote the Russian language, including the early launch of the International Russian Language Organisation's practical activities.

3. In the law enforcement and military spheres, Russia's priorities include improving mechanisms for jointly countering traditional and new security challenges and threats, strengthening the Commonwealth's external borders, and building the potential of the relevant multilateral mechanisms and programmes of the CIS.

4. The development of ties between the Commonwealth and friendly states and international organizations will also be a priority. At the CIS summit in Bishkek in October this year, the necessary legal framework was created to build this work at a new level – a decision was made to establish the status of an observer and a partner of the Commonwealth. We will continue our efforts to align integration processes in the CIS, in particular, to deepen its contacts with the EAEU in the economic sphere and with the CSTO and the SCO in the field of security.

In the coming days, the text of the Concept will be posted on official Internet resources. The presentation of the priorities of Russia's chairmanship will take place at the CIS headquarters in Minsk on January 23, 2024, with the participation of Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Foreign Ministry also maintains a separate Telegram channel dedicated to our country's chairmanship of the Commonwealth – Briefly About the CIS. We plan to post up-to-date information on the main events within the Organisation there.

Question: Yesterday our website published an article by Doctor of Historical Sciences Konstantin Shevchenko and Doctor of Philology Elvir Popov, on how Ukrainian nationalism and Nazism have become the dominant factors in Ukrainian politics. In early January, Ukraine will celebrate Stepan Bandera's birthday with pomp.

How is it that Ukraine, which only 80 years ago lay in ruins after the invasion of the German Nazis, has turned into a Nazi state in the last 30 years?

Maria Zakharova: This process did not begin a year or five years ago. We have seen this for decades. You've raised a top-notch issue. As you know, on December 4 of this year, Moscow hosted the conference "Ukrainian Nazism in the 21st Century: Roots and Branches", which was attended by authoritative researchers from European countries. They once again cited facts about Nazism in Ukraine and the involvement of Western structures in its penetration into the territory of the former Ukrainian SSR.

Ukrainian Nazism is largely a man-made phenomenon. Initially, it was created by the authorities of Austria-Hungary and the Kaiser's Germany as a tool for splitting the united Russian people "from the Carpathians to Kamchatka" and a weapon against Russia. During World War II, Ukrainian Nazism was an auxiliary tool of Hitler's Germany. His followers burned hundreds of Belarusian villages (not just houses, but people, first of all), exterminated hundreds of thousands of Poles in Galicia and Volhynia, and carried out mass terror of the Ukrainian population, especially Jews.

We are the only ones talking about it to the whole world. Even the very phrase "destruction in large numbers" sounds blasphemous in relation to people. In modern Ukraine, all those who participated in this were heroized. In Canada, they are applauded, while others remain silent. Except for the anti-fascist associations of our country and the CIS, which regularly make political statements on this matter. After the war, many OUN militants and "activists" took refuge from retribution in the United States and Canada.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ruling elites of Western countries contributed to the return of Nazism to Ukraine. And when they saw that there was no one else to protect this country from this disease, they ensured its "introduction" into the educational sphere. The goal is to educate Ukrainians in the spirit of hatred for Russia, to instill segregation of people on the basis of nationality, to make Ukraine anti-Russia. Modern Ukrainian Nazism is a direct successor to the ideology of Hitler's collaborators during World War II, the executioners of Volyn and Khatyn. They don't hide it. Those who are engaged in this have been heroized. Not even their followers and adepts from other historical epochs, but those who were actively involved not in the philosophical understanding of Nazism, but in practical Nazism.

In the context of the 10th anniversary of the Euromaidan, it is appropriate to recall that specially trained groups of Ukrainian neo-Nazis were the "street army" of the coup d'état organized by Western countries in February 2014. That is the "driving force". And the regimes that came to power after him adopted the cult of the "heroes of the OUN-UPA" and consolidated it at the national level. Regimes, because there were a number of governments, which we now call the Kiev regime, but then they were individual politicians, citizens incorporated from the West, America, Canada, and other countries of the European Union.

For many years, we have been drawing the attention of the world community to the growth of this evil, not only in Ukraine. Even earlier, in the Baltics. And now all over Europe. We regularly prepare materials on the crimes of Ukrainian Nazism, the Nazi nature of the Kiev regime's policy towards Russians, Hungarians and other indigenous peoples and national minorities in Ukraine, and repressions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We disseminate these materials on international platforms and pass them on to our foreign colleagues.

Ukraine today is the center of world Nazism, and this problem goes far beyond even the Eastern European region. Many have understood this, while others do not want to understand. They know that there are facts, but they do everything not to see them. In the same way, the Western powers were not afraid of the militarization and Nazification of Germany after Hitler came to power.

In order for the truth to reach broad public circles, it is necessary to coordinate the efforts of all healthy anti-fascist and anti-Nazi forces. Scientists, historians, and specialists in this field play a significant role in this. At the above-mentioned conference, a proposal was put forward to create international scientific structures for the study of Nazism, including its modern forms. It deserves attention and support at the level of the state, civil society and each individual citizen of his country.

We will continue to do everything in our power to convince the international community of the need to fight this evil together.

Question: Does Moscow have any concerns about Armenia's chairmanship of the EAEU in 2024 against the backdrop of tense relations with Russia? Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that the EAEU is an economic association that should not have a political agenda. But Yerevan's "attacks" against Moscow are often observed.

Maria Zakharova: Russia's cooperation with the Armenian side within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union is based on a pragmatic and mutually beneficial basis. From year to year, we observe high growth rates of Armenia's economic indicators. We see that Yerevan receives significant dividends from its participation in the Union. Despite some ambiguous statements by representatives of the republic, we are building a constructive depoliticised dialogue with our Armenian partners, as well as with other EAEU member states.

From January 1, 2024, the chairmanship of the Union bodies will pass to Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St Petersburg on December 25, stated Yerevan's commitment to the systematic implementation of tasks within the EAEU in the medium and long term.

We support our partners' commitment to further fruitful work aimed at strengthening and developing Eurasian economic integration.

Question: A document has been published on the Albanian-language Internet that is presented as a draft charter of the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, the same document that was handed over to Belgrade and Pristina by representatives of the EU and the United States two months ago. How can you comment on its content?

Maria Zakharova: We have read this publication. If the text is genuine, then the state of affairs with Western mediation in the Kosovo settlement is deplorable. We see in it the absolute impotence of the United States and the EU, which are unable to resolve the problem in essence and are forcing Serbia to a deliberately unacceptable solution at the cost of abandoning its fundamental national interests.

The above-mentioned "project" is purely nominally similar to the basic Brussels agreements signed by the EU in Belgrade and Pristina in 2013 and 2015, and negates the principles laid down in them, without which the security and well-being of the Kosovo Serbs are unattainable. The document contains mutually exclusive references to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the "constitution" of Kosovo, and prescribes respect for the "independence" of the self-proclaimed republic. But it's either a UN Security Council resolution (binding on everyone) or the "constitution" of Kosovo and the independence of the self-proclaimed republic. These things are mutually exclusive.

It is proposed to build the community of Serbian municipalities into the Kosovo Albanian system of power, subordinate it to flawed local "legislation", thereby depriving it of significant executive powers. The Pristina "elite" will have the right to block any decision of the Community, which makes it non-functional and simply meaningless. In addition, its property rights and financial autonomy are severely limited, and the use of official symbols is allowed only in conjunction with Kosovo's quasi-state designations.

Recall that on May 2 of this year, in accordance with the agreements reached under the guarantees of the European Union, the Steering Group of Kosovo Serb experts presented a draft charter of the Community of Serb Municipalities of Kosovo with reliable guarantees for the protection of Serbs. In Pristina, however, it was immediately rejected. In response, Brussels only shrugged its shoulders, and now they have made up their own version. Once again, the EU has defiantly violated its commitments. This kind of improvisation by the Westerners on the Kosovo issue – and this is far from the first one – is postponing compromise and undermining the situation in the region. There is no viable alternative to the current international legal framework for a settlement, primarily UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Question: Russia has clearly and concretely supported Serbia in the context of current events and the contestation of the election results by the part of the opposition that has the open support of Western countries. In this context, how does Moscow assess the West's messages to Serbia that the period of "balancing" must end, i.e. that Serbia must make a choice in favor of the West and against Russia? What are Western countries ready to do to achieve this goal? How can/should Serbia react to this?

Maria Zakharova: It seems to me that the period of "balancing" of the West must end. What is this period? Balancing on the basis of balancing on the basis of balancing with standards.

If Serbia is a sovereign state recognized as such by the West, then it must respect the decisions of Serbia as a state and the Serbs as a people. I am referring to all Serbs and representatives of other nationalities who live in Serbia, citizens of Serbia.

If the West does not respect Serbia as a sovereign state and the Serbs and citizens of Serbia as a people, then it must give up the fact that democracy and freedom are inviolable for it. If it is a democracy, then the will of the people must be carried out. In the context of existing laws, it has a full legitimate basis and should be respected as a decision of the country by all external players. Or what is "democracy" from the point of view of the West?

It is not Serbia that is "balancing", but the West. And it does it dangerously. Where acute phases of conflicts or anti-constitutional coups begin, we see that this is precisely the reason for the fall of the West, which has failed to cope with this "balance," which is in fact manipulation. These are dramatizations of respect for the sovereignty of states. This is the manipulation of consciousness.

Look at where the West started in the context of its attitude towards modern Serbia. Let's take the last decade. At first, Western countries, Washington, and the European Union told Serbia that it was either with the West or with Russia. A bad, illegal, unfair formulation that does not take into account the sovereignty of Serbia as a state. But then it got even worse. Then Washington and Brussels told Serbia literally the following: "Only the West, no Russia." But this was not the limit for them.

The next demand for Serbia was formulated by the West as follows: "Only the West against Russia." What's next? I can tell you. I know how the West's next demand to Belgrade will be formulated: "Only the West against Serbia." In the future, they will no longer be satisfied with the implementation of national interests and the interests of the citizens of Serbia. They will be satisfied only with the implementation of the interests of Washington and Brussels on the territory of Serbia.

The problem is that they are not only pursuing some kind of illegal, anti-democratic course towards Serbia, but that they are expanding the number of illegal demands against Belgrade. The most terrible thing is that all this against the backdrop of the failure to fulfill their own promises that they made to Belgrade.

Understand? After all, they promised everything – economic and financial assistance, investments, special treatment, etc. But no, they did not fulfill anything. They only change the degree of illegal demands.

Imagine what would have happened if Serbia and its leadership had succumbed to this pressure from the West at some stage and adopted, for example, partial or full anti-Russian sanctions? Now Serbia would be an absolute hostage. Not even as hostages of the West, but as slaves. It would cut off its own relations with Russia. It would deprive itself of the financing it receives or the profits it earns from the stable supply of Russian energy resources. It would deprive itself of all this, and it would not receive help or support from the West, but only new demands. This is important to understand.

I know that there are a large number of young people in Serbia who no longer feel so much pain for their country, for their Fatherland in connection with the NATO bombing of Belgrade. They didn't experience it because they were born in a different era. For them, it's all history, textbooks. But the Serbs must understand that they are already being deceived by making promises that are not kept. At the same time, they make demands to Serbia and Belgrade, which deliberately turn them (if they are fulfilled) into Western slaves.

Question: The Israeli media reported that the United States has sent 20 ships with weapons and 230 planes to Israel since October. How would you comment on this possible US assistance? Can the U.S. be considered complicit in Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people?

Maria Zakharova: You know how the US military-industrial machine works in search of commercial dividends, including in the framework of supplies to the Middle East and other crisis zones. The subordination of the foreign policy of a country like the United States to the interests of military companies leads to destabilization and the accumulation of conflict potential in various regions of the world.

In building the geography of arms exports and strengthening its military presence, the United States deliberately ignores the time-proven axiom that crises in the Middle East cannot be resolved by force. Instead of encouraging a Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, efforts should focus on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the search for a diplomatic settlement in accordance with UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. This is the position we are advocating at international venues and within the framework of our bilateral contacts.

What is happening once again testifies to the deep militarization of the foreign policy of the United States and its allies. An additional illustration of this conclusion is the fact that the United States and a number of European states are increasing the presence of their navies in the Eastern Mediterranean, and now, under various pretexts, in the Red Sea. This increases the already exorbitant degree of tension in this part of the world and increases the risks of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict becoming regional. Regrettably, no conclusions are drawn from the devastating consequences of the military adventures of Washington and its satellites in countries such as Iraq (which we spoke about again today because of the anniversary date), Libya, Afghanistan, Syria and many other places.

Question: I join in congratulating you. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that Russia "could not become a nation" and called for the mobilization of all resources, because, according to him, Russia poses a threat to all of Europe. This is similar to Hitler's rhetoric before World War II. What do you think about these statements?

Maria Zakharova: This is a statement by an illiterate person who obviously professes elements of racist and nationalist ideology. Or, perhaps, having problems of some medical nature. I can't rule it out. I can't say that this is clear information. There is only an opportunity to read another terrible statement from Josep Borrell and see a picture of his vague expression of some thoughts that really smack of nationalism and racism.

He has already become "famous" around the world for his racist rhetoric, comparing the European Union to a "beautiful garden" and the rest of the world to an "encroaching jungle."

His current statements regarding our country, which he calls a "great power", can only be described as outright envy. We see that the European Union has tried to become a geopolitical player in a multipolar world. He succeeded in many things – his own currency and cooperation within this association. But, unfortunately, the loss of its own sovereignty under pressure from the United States did not make it possible for the EU to join the ranks of major world players. They weren't on the threshold (I'd even say the really strongest players inside), but they all lost it. The reason is obvious – the subordinate role of the European Union in the policy of the United States and NATO.

As for the label of a "dangerous neighbor," Western countries have been actively and for a long time using the myth of an external threat to justify the expansion of NATO to their confrontational line against our country. It is the United States and its European allies that have consistently destroyed the international security system in recent years. Let me remind you that it was planned, conceived and implemented as a set of treaties and institutions. They did not support any of our substantive initiatives. They refused to ratify the adapted CFE Treaty, swept the Treaty on European Security (2008), did not discuss the draft Agreement on the Fundamentals of Security Relations between the Member States of the Russia-NATO Council (2009), and avoided providing guarantees that the missile defense system would not be directed against the Russian Nuclear Deterrence Forces. The Americans withdrew from the bilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty under far-fetched pretexts, repeatedly violated the Open Skies Treaty, and made it impossible to continue the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms between Russia and the United States with their confrontational actions.

The U.S. and NATO have rejected key elements of our proposals to provide Russia with long-term, legally binding security guarantees. We proposed this joint work in December 2021, but the adoption of these measures and documents would make it possible to divert the situation in the Euro-Atlantic region from the dangerous line, to strengthen not only our security, Russia, but also the security of all member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Now the hyping of the thesis about "threats from the East" is also used to divert attention in the run-up to the 2024 elections to the European Parliament and in individual EU countries. What are they diverting the attention of the population from? From the pressing problems – the stagnation of the economy (its destruction as a whole in a number of EU countries), falling incomes, energy shortages, record inflation, growing domestic political instability, a terrible situation with internal disunity, manifestations of Nazism and racism within their own countries.

They are silent about the fact that the current crisis in Europe is the result of the short-sighted policy of the current EU leadership, which is obsessed with unilateral sanctions against our country, the very EU leadership that has fallen victim to pressure from Washington, which has become tainted by support for the Nazi regime in Kiev.

The greatest danger to Europe is not Russia, as Josep Borrell is trying to portray, but Brussels with its European bureaucrats and personalities such as Josep Borrell and Ursula von der Leyen.

Question: The election campaign has begun, and with it the Western media have launched their smear campaign. Is there a plan to counter it, or will it be part of a counter-reaction?

Maria Zakharova: The anti-Russia disinformation campaign was launched by the West long before the elections scheduled for 2024.

I don't even know when it started. It's always been there. Different degrees and scales. Now nuances are being added to this anti-Russian information campaign.

You have probably noticed that some opposition is already being waged by the Central Election Commission of Russia. A number of Russian politicians and public figures have given incriminating assessments. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has created a Commission for the Organization of Elections Abroad, which, among other things, directs our Russian Foreign Affairs to carry out appropriate information and explanatory work among compatriots and foreign audiences. We will promote and step up these efforts at various venues of the Ministry and in the speeches of the Ministry's leadership. Such work is already being carried out on a planned basis. We are engaged in disavowing, refuting, promoting real information, but life makes its own adjustments. Probably, we will have to resort to crisis response. Not everything can be foreseen. But we are ready for this. We have been living in such conditions for a long time. We already have a set of methods by which we can protect ourselves and ensure our own safety.

Question: Given the upcoming New Year, what would you wish to Armenia and the Armenian people?

Maria Zakharova: I believe that it is the prerogative of the leadership of the country in question to appeal to the peoples with wishes and congratulations. Or as a symbolic act, it is the prerogative of the leadership at the highest level of another state.

I can say unofficially that the past year was not easy for many countries and peoples of the world. It was not easy for Armenia and friendly people. We see attempts by external forces to drag Yerevan into even more dangerous geopolitical games. The West is absolutely indifferent to the fate of the Armenian population, the people of Armenia. They use their feelings, their historical memory, their pain and suffering exclusively for their own interests.

Taking into account the allied nature of relations, we are ready to contribute in every possible way to the peace, stability and prosperity of Armenia. For us, this is indeed of the utmost importance for a number of reasons: our history, the interpenetration of peoples and cultures, regional stability, common challenges and problems that are easier to solve together.

Thanks to trade and economic ties with Russia and other EAEU member states, Armenia's economy is showing impressive growth. For our part, we are committed to the further implementation of all the planned projects in key areas of cooperation.

We see good prospects for the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku on the basis of the 2020-2022 trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (1,2,3,4). There are prerequisites for the establishment of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

We are interested in reducing conflict in the South Caucasus and unlocking the region's rich potential, which could be facilitated by expanding cooperation within the framework of the 3+3 Consultative Regional Platform. This is our basic position.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish the people of Armenia peace, prosperity in the New Year and, if possible, fewer problems than those faced in the outgoing year.

Question: Summing up the results of the outgoing year, what significant events could you highlight and what have been achieved this year? And what are the priority plans to be implemented in 2024?

Maria Zakharova: At the last briefing, I already answered a similar question to Radio Saga from Iceland.

I can only repeat what I have already said, because it is hardly possible to remember anything cardinal in a week. Of course, this is the adoption of a new version of Russia's Foreign Policy Concept. For us, this is a groundbreaking document. The expansion of BRICS, the Russia-Africa summit, real opposition (with demonstration of results) to the isolation of our country announced by the West, overcoming sanctions through internal structural restructuring of the economy, a large number of concrete results in the field of multipolarity.

Even from today's briefing, it is clear that we are participating in a large number of integration projects, in bilateral and multilateral formats in various parts of the world, efficiently and effectively with concrete results for the country and for the people.

Let me remind you once again that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will sum up the results of the foreign policy year. Much will be said tomorrow during the Minister's interview with Dmitry Kiselev on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

And the global summing up will take place during Sergey Lavrov's big news conference in January 2024.

Question: Maria Vladimirovna, what would you personally wish to Russians in the New Year?

Maria Zakharova: I usually end each briefing with wishes for well-being. It's a "broad" word. Everything here, both material and spiritual, is different.

To this traditional parting words I would add a wish for love in all its best manifestations in the New Year. Love within the family, love for loved ones, love for loved ones, love for life, love for the world around you. The very love that a person should live by, with which he is fully endowed and which he must realize both for himself and for the benefit of the world around him. This is what I would like to wish.

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If we don't have any more questions, let me congratulate you on the upcoming holidays. In each state, in each nation, these holidays have their own traditions. They are different, similar in many ways, but also have their own national features.

I wish everyone to celebrate these holidays with dignity and beauty. Make the most important wishes for your life, for our entire globe.

We all want the same thing – peace and prosperity for our future generations. Prosperity to countries and peoples who should and can live in peace and harmony with each other.

I wish you in the new year to achieve just that, as well as all your innermost desires that you make.

Happy new year! Merry Christmas for us, as well as for so many people around the world. Happiness, well-being, fulfillment of desires.

Thank you, see you in the New Year!

I certainly second all of Maria’s wishes for the world in the new year. Russia’s long past history contributes to its reverence for the New Year to he point where the giant decorated fir that’s annually displayed is called the New Year Tree. In closing, here’s an image that shows the two holiday icons side-by-side:

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