Post-CIS Foreign Minister's Meeting Presser: Lavrov's Powerful Answers
The CIS remains the central association for the Post-Soviet Space and has gained more power and relevance over the last 20 years. Russia is this year’s chair and has a very full program of activities planned in addition to its BRICS+ Presidency. At the beginning of his statement, Lavrov notes the existence of the Concept of the Russian Federation's Chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2024 which is linked to and is in Russian naturally. In looking at that document, IMO it needs to be made available for readers so they can better understand what Russia’s goals are for the CIS with which better sense can be made of Lavrov’s statements, presser answers, and media readouts provided by the MFA. While in Minsk, a meeting between FMs of Central Asia and Russia was held to further discuss issues specific to that part of the CIS. The CIS Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Minsk appears to have dealt with some complex and immediate problems as inferred from Lavrov’s remarks. So, what follows is the Concept followed by the Presser:
The chairmanship of the Russian Federation in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, Commonwealth) will be carried out in accordance with the Concept for the Further Development of the CIS, approved by the decision of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS dated December 18, 2020, the Strategy for the Economic Development of the CIS for the period up to 2030, adopted by the decision of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS dated May 29, 2020, as well as other fundamental and program documents of the Commonwealth.
The chairmanship will be aimed at ensuring continuity in the activities of the Commonwealth and achieving the following goals:
further strengthening of the CIS as an integration association, increasing its international authority, development of cooperation between the Commonwealth and other international organizations, as well as interested states;
enhancing the role of the CIS as a representative platform for multilateral political dialogue on a wide range of topics, including the coordination of foreign policy activities and the promotion of joint international initiatives, and the development of the parliamentary dimension of the Commonwealth;
deepening economic integration, including in the context of creating a common economic space, interaction in the field of energy, industrial and agro-industrial cooperation, digitalization, transport and communications, ecology and climate protection, scientific, technical and innovative cooperation;
improvement of mechanisms for joint counteraction to traditional and new challenges and threats to the security of the CIS member states, strengthening cooperation in the military sphere and in the field of border security;
expansion of cultural and humanitarian cooperation;
aligning the activities of the Commonwealth with other integration formats in the Eurasian space in order to form the Greater Eurasian Partnership as a broad integration contour that unites the potential of all states and organizations in the region;
improvement of the legal framework and institutions of cooperation within the CIS.
In the sphere of foreign policy cooperation, special attention will be paid to strengthening the positive image of the CIS as a developing integration association in the international arena and its adaptation to the new architecture of the multipolar world order. Efforts will be aimed at developing consolidated approaches of the member states on topical global and regional issues, their joint promotion at international platforms, primarily at the UN. The practice of adopting joint statements by the CIS states and holding multi-level inter-ministerial consultations on a wide range of issues will continue.
An important area of activity will be the "external" positioning of the CIS, the development of its relations with friendly states, international organizations and associations, in particular, with the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS interstate association, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum and others.
In order to form a single legal space, emphasis will be placed on supporting the work of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States, increasing its international authority, and strengthening ties with other parliamentary associations. It is planned to actively develop other formats of legal cooperation within the CIS, as well as mechanisms of interaction between judicial, law enforcement and other bodies on issues of mutual legal assistance and ensuring the legal protection of personal, property and non-property rights of citizens.
In the trade and economic sphere, priority will be given to the implementation of the Action Plan for the implementation of the first stage (2021-2025) of the CIS Economic Development Strategy for the period up to 2030, the further development of a free trade zone, building the potential of multilateral mechanisms of economic cooperation and stimulating business activity, deepening cooperation in the customs sphere, conducting a coordinated antimonopoly policy and ensuring fair conditions competition, wide application of innovations.
Work will be carried out to expand mutual trade in services and increase the level of its liberalization within the framework of the Agreement on Free Trade in Services, the establishment, activities and implementation of investments of June 8, 2023, the creation of a favorable investment climate for the implementation of investment and infrastructure projects, entrepreneurial initiatives, including youth ones, increasing the involvement of national economies and economic entities from the CIS countries in Eurasian production and transport and logistics chains. Particular attention will be paid to the issues of import substitution and the expansion of commodity exchanges, as well as to the economic aspects of the climate agenda.
Russia's priorities are also to minimise the negative consequences of the use of unilateral coercive measures by individual states and their associations that violate the norms of international law.
Efforts will continue to align the activities of the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union, bring their legal framework closer together, and expand contacts between the CIS Executive Committee and the Eurasian Economic Commission.
The priority tasks in the energy sector during Russia's chairmanship will be: ensuring energy security; efficient use of energy resources and opportunities for international trade in energy resources to increase the competitiveness of national economies; ensuring the scientific and technological development of the sectors of the fuel and energy complex of the CIS member states; development of low-carbon energy; deepening cooperation in the field of training specialists.
Based on the great transit potential of the Eurasian region, the Priority Areas of Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the Field of Transport for the Period up to 2030 will be implemented, including with the aim of developing the Trans-Eurasian logistics corridors "East-West", "North-South" and the ITC "Siberia-South": "Siberia/Urals - Central Asia - South Asia/Persian Gulf".
In order to strengthen the financial sovereignty of the CIS states, efforts will be aimed at expanding the use of national currencies in mutual settlements and the formation of a settlement infrastructure independent of third parties, including the establishment of direct correspondent links between banking organizations and the integration of cross-border payment mechanisms. It is also planned to work out the practical aspects of ensuring uninterrupted servicing of foreign trade contracts, digitalization of financial markets and payment infrastructure, expansion of cooperation in the field of payment and settlement relations, including in terms of organizing mutual acceptance of national payment cards.
It is planned to promote industrial cooperation, the creation of new high-tech industries, the accelerated development and modernization of industrial production in the CIS member states, its technological renewal, and an increase in the volume of production and export of competitive, innovative and science-intensive products with a high share of added value.
It is planned to promote the formation of a single agro-industrial market in the CIS in order to ensure the uninterrupted supply of high-quality food products to the CIS countries and to achieve leading positions in the field of food security, to build up scientific, technical and innovative potential in the agro-industrial complex, and to expand mutual supplies of agricultural machinery.
In the environmental sphere, it is planned to pay attention to the issues of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources, the introduction of "green" and "transitional" technologies, the management of water and forest resources, and the conservation of biodiversity; climate change; creation and maintenance of transboundary and specially protected natural areas; exchange of experience in the field of waste management; approximation of environmental legislation of the CIS countries.
In the field of digitalization and information and communication technologies, efforts will continue to form a digital society, develop a digital business space, artificial intelligence technologies, support the systematic development of digital and geodetic infrastructure, improve services providing electronic services, as well as digital public administration.
In the field of information security, emphasis will be placed on building up comprehensive cooperation between the CIS member states, including in order to promote joint approaches and initiatives at the global level, primarily at the UN.
Mechanisms for joint counteraction to traditional and new challenges and threats, such as terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices, will continue to be strengthened. Particular attention will be paid to the implementation of the Interstate Program of Joint Measures to Combat Crime for 2024-2028, the Program of Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the Fight against Terrorism and Extremism for 2023-2025 and other sectoral documents, as well as the launch of the activities of the International Center for Risk Assessment of Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds from Crime and Financing of Terrorism. It is planned to increase the potential for interaction between the CIS on these issues and the relevant structures of the UN, the CSTO, the SCO, as well as other organizations and associations. The practice of conducting joint operations to identify and suppress drug trafficking and firearms trafficking will continue. In the field of biological safety, efforts will be aimed at strengthening the system for monitoring biological risks, developing common principles and approaches in responding to them, and exchanging information.
In the field of prevention and response to emergency situations, special attention will be paid to the monitoring and forecasting of natural disasters and industrial accidents.
Based on the provisions of the Concept of Military Cooperation until 2025 and the Program of Cooperation in Strengthening Border Security at the External Borders for 2021-2025, it is planned to deepen cooperation in the military and military-technical fields. Efforts will be focused on the implementation of long-term programs adopted in the CIS for the development of joint military systems, expanding cooperation on military professional training of military personnel, military education, science, culture, sports and other areas of multilateral military cooperation. Considerable attention will be paid to joint work in the field of military-patriotic education and the popularization of common spiritual and moral values.
The implementation of the Concept of Interregional and Cross-Border Cooperation of the CIS Member States until 2030 will be continued in order to strengthen the socio-economic, cultural and humanitarian potential of the regions of the CIS countries. In the field of inter-municipal cooperation, assistance will be provided to local self-government bodies in establishing partnerships with municipalities of other CIS states, intensifying ties between sister cities, and implementing international programs of inter-municipal cooperation.
In the scientific, technical and educational spheres, special attention will be paid to the implementation of the Interstate Program of Innovative Cooperation of the CIS Member States for the period up to 2030, the Concept of Scientific, Technical and Technological Cooperation of October 28, 2022 in order to develop existing and create new high-tech markets for goods and services, infrastructure of scientific, technical, industrial and innovative cooperation, cooperation scientific and technological companies and collectives.
It is planned to promote the interstate exchange of scientific and technical information, the training of highly qualified personnel for innovative sectors of the economy, support for research and development in the field of artificial intelligence, increase academic and scientific mobility, develop interschool and interuniversity relations, promote the practice of network universities, and expand teacher exchanges.
Work will continue to improve the legal framework for cooperation in the field of social and labor relations, migration of the population, and increase the effectiveness of the fight against illegal migration.
In the field of healthcare, efforts will be aimed at increasing cooperation in the fight against socially significant diseases and infectious diseases, including taking into account the experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work will continue on the formation of a single epidemiological space of the CIS member states, strengthening the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases in order to timely respond to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies.
In the cultural and humanitarian sphere, Russia's priorities include strengthening the common cultural and humanitarian space of the Commonwealth on the basis of the Plan of Priority Measures in the Field of Humanitarian Cooperation for 2023-2024, the list of Main Cooperation Events of the CIS Member States in the Field of Culture for 2021-2025, as well as existing strategies in the field of physical culture, sports, tourism and international youth cooperation; implementation of activities within the framework of the Year of the Volunteer Movement announced in the CIS in 2024, the Interstate Program "Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth", the international projects "Youth Capital of the CIS" and "Sports Capital of the Commonwealth". Particular attention will be paid to strengthening such structures as the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States and the Council for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States.
The practice of celebrating memorable dates related to the cultural and historical heritage of the CIS states, implementing projects dedicated to music, theater, fine arts, feature films, libraries and museums, developing contacts between cultural and art figures, as well as holding events that contribute to strengthening cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports will continue in the CIS.
An important area of work will be countering the external destructive influence on the cultural and humanitarian space of the CIS member states, including attempts to "cancel the culture" of a particular people or its contribution to the world cultural heritage.
An important aspect of Russia's chairmanship will be support for measures to combat the falsification of history and attempts to rehabilitate Nazism, as well as to preserve the historical truth about the Great Patriotic War, including the facts of the genocide of the peoples of the Soviet Union. In this regard, special attention will be paid to preparations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight against Nazism, to be held in the Commonwealth in 2025.
Work will continue on joint projects of the CIS countries to protect, support and promote the Russian language as a language of interethnic communication, as well as to launch the practical activities of an international organization for the Russian language, open to accession by all countries that share its goals and principles.
Much attention will be paid to the development of youth cooperation within the CIS, the expansion of existing joint projects and the launch of new initiatives.
In the area of the promotion and protection of human rights, one of Russia's priorities will be to ensure the functioning of the CIS Human Rights Commission and the Commission of Children's Rights Commissioners (Ombudsmen) of the CIS member States.
Work in the information space of the CIS will be built with an emphasis on highlighting the positive dynamics of integration processes, the development of humanitarian and business ties, the popularization of historical commonality and cultural diversity in the CIS countries on the basis of deepening practical interaction between the leading media of the member states, including through the MTRK "MIR", with the wide use of modern technologies and the involvement of authoritative journalists, bloggers, etc. opinion leaders.
A separate task for the Russian Chairmanship is to improve the activities of the CIS bodies and increase their efficiency. In this regard, initiatives will be proposed to introduce modern information technologies into the work of the CIS bodies. Increased attention will be paid to strengthening the role of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives to the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth, as well as sectoral cooperation bodies.
During its chairmanship, the Russian Federation is ready to cooperate closely with other CIS member States and the CIS Executive Committee. [My Emphasis]
As you read, many plans were already laid, while new plans are made to enhance and extend many. The CIS will always be a Russiancentric organization since it’s the largest member and primary economic engine. Initially, the CIS was centrifugal in its nature as the West greatly wanted the Post-Soviet Space to fracture even more so it could be used as Ukraine’s being used and Moldova’s being primed for. Now that’s changed over the past ten years with the CIS becoming more centripetal as Russia’s regained its power, particularly its economic power. There’s plenty of work to be done within the CIS and between it and EAEU, BRICS+ and SCO, which collectively have enabled the CIS’s improved collective nature despite the troubles being brought by the West. The four organizations mentioned above have much greater future prospects than the EU, which Moldovans and Armenians can hopefully see and ignore EU/NATO propaganda. Now we’ll move onto Lavrov’s presser:
Dear Colleagues,
The meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS member states has concluded. This is the first of the events planned for the current year through the statutory bodies of the Commonwealth. Our work has traditionally been trusting and frank. The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere, was informative and productive.
I would like to once again thank our Belarusian friends and personally Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik for their hospitality and excellent organisation of our meeting. At the same time, we note (and everyone has talked about it today) the work of the Executive Committee headed by Sergei Lebedev, which, as always, has prepared draft documents in an exemplary manner.
Russia holds the chairmanship of the CIS this year. Our main priority is to ensure the further development of integration ties in all areas, including in the economic sphere, in the field of security and law and order, as well as in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. To achieve these goals, a large-scale plan for the implementation of the Concept of the Russian Federation's Chairmanship in the CIS was prepared. It includes more than 150 items.
Today's meeting provided an excellent opportunity to exchange views on issues on the international agenda. We paid great attention to cooperation in the field of security in the CIS and on the Eurasian continent, including the joint fight against various threats and challenges. In this context, certain aspects of cooperation in the field of migration were considered. During their speeches, all our colleagues reaffirmed their solidarity with Russia and its people in the face of the threat of terrorism, including in connection with the heinous terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.
We summed up the results of the implementation in 2023 of the Plan of Multi-Level Inter-Ministerial Consultations in the CIS format and the Action Programme on Enhancing Partnership between the Foreign Ministries of the CIS Member States.
Traditionally, we paid special attention to the cultural and humanitarian component of our cooperation. We approved the draft decision of the heads of state on the establishment of a jubilee medal on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. We approved the decision to declare the city of Ganja (Republic of Azerbaijan) as the sports capital of the Commonwealth in 2025 and the city of Almaty (Republic of Kazakhstan) in 2026.
We look forward to further fruitful cooperation with the CIS co-chairs, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as all other partners in the implementation of the agreements reached and the ambitious tasks facing the organisation this year. We share the conviction that the development of multifaceted cooperation in the format of the Commonwealth meets the interests of all its members.
We will be glad to receive our friends at the next meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Moscow on October 7. It is important to note that today we have adopted two joint documents reflecting common approaches: "On Ensuring Safe Conditions for the Professional Activities of Journalists" and "On Cooperation between the CIS and the UN".
We informed our friends that this year will be rich in major international events for Russia, not only within the framework of the Commonwealth. I would like to mention the recent Games of the Future in Kazan, in which all the CIS countries took part, along with other delegations, and the World Youth Festival in Sochi. In June, Kazan will host the BRICS Sports Games, to which all CIS members are invited. In September, the World Friendship Games will be organized in Moscow and Yekaterinburg. We are preparing to host the first Intervision International Song Contest in Russia.
Among the major political and economic events planned for 2024 in Russia are: the EAEU summit, the BRICS summit, which our country also chairs this year, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Energy Week and many others.
We will be glad to see our friends in the Commonwealth at these events. We will work to ensure that all today's agreements have resulted in practical draft documents for approval by the heads of state.
Question: Not so long ago, politicians called the CIS a "club for a civilised divorce." How would you characterize the Commonwealth now?
Sergey Lavrov: If we take this image, it often happens in life that when people break up, they begin to feel the value of mutual ties more and understand the need for mutual support more acutely than in marriage. It seems to me that the situation when, after a breakup, spouses maintain good relations and, I emphasize, begin to appreciate them more, we are witnessing something similar now.
Almost all the CIS countries spoke about the importance of this unification, emphasizing the new nature, level and quality of our relations not in a single state, but within the framework of the Commonwealth. This word is not an empty phrase. It really reflects the essence of our association.
Question: Yesterday, our presidents discussed a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has proposed returning to the draft Istanbul Treaty. I would like to note that the three rounds that led to a certain result were held on the territory of Belarus. Given that Ukraine was ready from the very beginning, is it possible to revive the negotiation process at the current stage? What exactly did the "Istanbul Accords" mean?
Sergey Lavrov: It was not about a specific document as a basis for possible agreements. The draft agreement, which was ready and initialed in Istanbul, reflected completely different realities.
It was about the principles on which the dialogue should be conducted. At that time, the Kiev delegation was still negotiable. The principle was to realistically assess the situation, each other's legitimate interests, security in a broad sense, and to conclude agreements.
Unfortunately, the principle of the parties looking for mutually acceptable solutions directly without outside interference was undermined in Istanbul. After initialing the document, which reflected the realities at the time, the West intervened (including in the person of then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson) and forbade Vladimir Zelensky to finally sign this agreement, saying that it was necessary to continue the war.
If the inability to negotiate, which now clearly characterizes the Kiev regime, persists, it is difficult to imagine a situation where anything can be done. Instead of a direct dialogue, without any ultimatums, the West is imposing the Copenhagen process and preparing a conference in Switzerland, at which they want to formulate and "finalize" the notorious ten points of Vladimir Zelensky's "peace formula". Then "present" it to the Russian Federation. That this is a road to nowhere, to put it mildly, is obvious to any normal political observer.
President Vladimir Putin once again clearly stated our position during his conversation with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. I have nothing to add. We do not see any desire either in Kiev or on the part of its "masters" to conduct an honest business.
[Here’s the excerpt from the Putin/Lukashenko talk Lavrov referred to, Putin’s speaking:
“As you know, later, under pressure from the West, the Ukrainian side abandoned these agreements. Let me remind you that at that time we were told that it was impossible to sign a document, that Ukraine could not sign a document "with a gun to its head", that it was necessary to withdraw its troops from Kiev. We did it. Immediately after we did this, our agreements were thrown into the trash.
“Now, as you know, the idea of holding a conference in Switzerland is being promoted. We are not invited there. Moreover, they believe that we have nothing to do there, and at the same time they say that it is impossible to solve anything without us. Since we are not going there – this is already a bit of a freak show - they say that we are refusing to negotiate. We were not invited, but they say that we refuse.
“It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Once again, I want to emphasize that we are in favor. Just not in the format of imposing on us any schemes that have nothing to do with reality. Why do I say that? Because if the need arises, I will allow myself to contact you, maybe we will continue consultations with you in this area.”]
Question: To what extent do you think it is possible to implement China's peace plan under the current circumstances? We know that there is a battle going on in Switzerland for China to participate in this conference. If China sets a condition that the Chinese peace plan be discussed along with Vladimir Zelensky's formula, will we accept the invitation in Switzerland, if, of course, such an invitation is received?
Sergey Lavrov: They are not going to invite us. They frankly stated that first it was necessary to issue a "collective ultimatum" to Russia. But this negates any chances of any success of this Swiss "venture".
The Chinese twelve-point plan and the Swiss formula are incompatible. The Swiss formula, as I have already said, is to pull as many countries as possible to an ultimatum to Russia by hook or by crook. The Chinese idea is to first deal with the systemic problems in the field of security in our common space, with the root causes of the current situation in Ukraine, which reflects the hybrid war that has been prepared against us for a long time and eventually unleashed by the West with the hands and bodies of Ukrainians, and now also Ukrainian women. Only by addressing these root causes, the Chinese approach says, can we seriously consider an agreement that would take into account the legitimate security interests of all parties. This is roughly the same as what we proposed back in December 2021: to agree on the indivisibility of security and how it will be embodied in practical steps of non-expansion of NATO, the necessary guarantees and everything else.
Our initiatives have been known since 2007, when Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the Munich Conference on Security Policy and warned the West against the temptation to conquer more and more geopolitical space with an openly anti-Russian approach. We repeated this in 2008 and in 2010, when we agreed on the indivisibility of security within the framework of the OSCE. At the highest level, the West made a solemn commitment that no country or organization in the Organization's space would claim dominance. In fact, NATO was engaged in exactly this kind of dominance.
China and Switzerland have incompatible approaches. The Swiss "initiatives" are only fulfilling the "order" of the United States and its allies. I don't see how you can put a hedgehog and a trembling doe in the same harness. It's hard to imagine. China's approach is absolutely in line with our common philosophy, including in the context of the heated discussion on how to ensure Eurasian security throughout our continent: in its European part, in Central Asia, in the Caucasus and in other regions of the continent where the situation is turbulent and conflicts are flaring up.
Question: The British Foreign Office advises its citizens to refrain from any travel to Belarus. How would you comment on this?
Sergey Lavrov: They are afraid.
They are afraid that His Majesty's subjects will see how Belarus really lives, what a beautiful people Belarusians are, and after seeing this, they will understand all the lies of Western propaganda.
Question: The United States is trying to hinder integration processes in the post-Soviet space. Did the Council of Foreign Ministers discuss the issue of interference by external forces in the affairs of the CIS member states?
Sergey Lavrov: It was discussed at a meeting in a restricted format. Everyone understands everything perfectly.
The United States and its satellites are trying to invade all regions of our common space and are trying to undermine the agreements on stabilising the situation in the Caucasus, in particular in the South Caucasus. They do not want to allow the implementation of the agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were reached with the assistance of Russia. They are actively trying to penetrate Central Asia. They are creating various formats aimed at the Russian Federation. They publicly declare the need to ensure the real sovereignty of countries in the post-Soviet space and for them to "come out of the shadow of the Russian Federation." Such a policy is being pursued in relation to Moldova and in many other places. Our allies and strategic partners, who remain committed to all the basic principles on which cooperation within the CIS, the CSTO, the EAEU and the SCO are based, are under great pressure. I am sure that strategically, the West's line is doomed to failure. By means of blackmail, ultimatums and threats, they can extort some actions that do not help to develop cooperation within the CIS. But these are one-off situations that do not predetermine the general movement towards getting rid of Western diktat. This is a historical process. It concerns not only our space, but also the global situation as a whole. [My Emphasis]
Indeed, one must add ASEAN to the above list of organizations and in a few more years, there’ll be an African representative. As Lavrov said, all are being pressured as the Outlaw US Empire fights to retain its undeserved status. Lukashenko’s reply to Putin was that he and Belarus agree 100% with Russia’s position and again offer their good offices if negotiations ever occur again. Do note that neither Lavrov nor Putin echoed what Russia’s UN rep said about unconditional surrender, although I’m rather sure hos comment was okayed in advance. As for the CIS as a whole, IMO it can become a far more powerful entity than the Soviet Union was for a wide variety of reasons, primarily economic. The key IMO is to eliminate poverty completely within the CIS as that will remove one of the key breeding grounds for extremists and outside provocateurs. Yes, Russia’s being very ambitious because it can and because it must. As Putin constantly invokes, There’s lots of work to be done.
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