Putin and Lavrov's Addresses to the Participants and Guests of the XI Moscow Conference on International Security

This conference is held during the week of the Arms Expo with this year’s theme being “Realities of Global Security in a Multipolar World,” which is readily apparent in Putin’s short but very pointed speech. Here’s a good synopsis of the affair:

Over 800 delegates from 76 countries, including defense ministers, deputy defense ministers and chiefs of the General Staff, will participate in the XI Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-2023) starting on Tuesday, organized by the Russian Defense Ministry. Its theme is "Realities of Global Security in a Multipolar World".

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will also be felicitated. Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin will report on key issues of global security in a multipolar world. The Russian military department also reported that views and assessments of the current situation will be presented in speeches by the defense ministers of China, Belarus, the deputy chief of the General Staff of Iran, as well as the heads of defense departments of about 20 other friendly states.

As you read, this isn’t some isolated meeting of just a few of Russia’s stalwart allies. Sputnik has published a recap of what it thought were the important points stressed during the days presentations. I find that such recaps miss important material which is why supplying the full documents is paramount. So, first we’ll explore Putin’s short but important speech, then we’ll take in Lavrov’s contribution. All emphasis is mine:

Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, Dear foreign guests,

I welcome you to the XI Moscow Conference on International Security.

Representatives of defense departments, diplomats and experts gathered again in Moscow to discuss issues on the global and regional agenda.

Such open, honest, unbiased discussions are extremely important and in demand today, because all of us, the entire world community, will have to build the contours of the future together and on equal terms.

We see how the formation of a multipolar world is progressing consistently. Most States are ready to defend their sovereignty and national interests, traditions, culture and way of life. New economic and political centers are being strengthened.

All this can become an important basis for stable and progressive global development, for a fair and, most importantly, a real solution to social, economic, technological and environmental problems, and for improving the quality of life and well – being of millions of people.

At the same time, hotbeds of long-standing conflicts are being inflated and new ones are being provoked in different regions of the world. The goal of those who do this is obvious: to continue to profit from human tragedies, to pit peoples against each other, to force states into vassalage within the neocolonial system, and to mercilessly exploit their resources.

NATO member states continue to build up and modernize their offensive capabilities, make attempts to transfer the military confrontation to outer space and information space, and use military and non-military means of pressure. And all this is happening against the background of the destruction of the arms control system.

The United States seeks, among other things, to reformat the existing system of inter-State cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The promotion of the so-called Indo-Pacific strategies, in fact, is aimed at creating military-political associations controlled by Washington.

We do not rule out that they will lead to the full integration of NATO forces with the structures of the AUKUS bloc that are being created.

Hotbeds of tension are simmering in other regions of the world. And although the security challenges in each of them have their own characteristics, I repeat, in fact, all of them are generated by geopolitical adventures, selfish, neocolonial actions of the West.

For example, countries in the Sahara-Sahel region, such as the Central African Republic and Mali, were directly attacked by numerous terrorist groups after the United States and its allies unleashed aggression against Libya, which led to the collapse of the Libyan state.

What this policy of adding fuel to the fire leads to is clearly seen in the example of Ukraine. Pumping billions of dollars into the neo-Nazi regime, supplying it with equipment, weapons, ammunition, sending its military advisers and mercenaries, everything is being done to further inflame the conflict and draw other states into it.

I repeat, today it is obvious that it is possible to reduce confrontation at the global and regional levels, neutralize challenges and risks, strengthen trust between States and open up broad opportunities for their development only by combining the efforts of the international community.

We have always been and remain firm supporters of a multipolar world order based on the priority of the norms and principles of international law, sovereignty and equality of States, creative cooperation and trust.

I am confident that the XI Moscow Conference on International Security will contribute to the development of constructive cooperation between our peoples and States.

I wish you success and fruitful and meaningful discussions.

Thanks for your attention.

As you read: matter-of-fact; no mincing of words; direct and to the point; no real need for evidence or examples; while contextually Putin noted the roots are deep, he stressed that all nations wanting to be their own master must join with their likeminded neighbors to make the Multipolar World a reality that finally defeats Neocolonialism.

What Putin was terse in explaining, Sergei Lavrov will be expansive in his speech to the Conference. One important point Lavrov makes clear is the fact of policy continuity by the Outlaw US Empire, that it hasn’t been just one president’s policy but Deep State/Swamp policy that’s been ongoing since the USSR’s fall and even preceded that event, for example the Empire’s use of Terrorists in its geopolitical aspirations which continues today. One rhetorical change from his past speeches is the more direct accusations aimed at the Outlaw US Empire for its past deeds and present actions, that it’s not merely NATO but the Empire using NATO as a tool that it hopes to expand. Intro completed, here’s Lavrov with all emphasis mine:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

It is a great honour for me to address the Moscow Conference on International Security once again. It is gratifying that this time its participants from various countries came to us, despite the fact that with regard to their participation, the most active attempts were made by well-known Western circles in order to prevent our communication with you.

Today, there is a special demand for intellectual and practical conjugation of efforts in order to improve the situation on the world stage, to develop effective responses to the numerous threats of our time. We are all witnessing large-scale, truly epoch-making shifts. We are witnessing a more just, sustainable world order based on cultural and civilizational diversity and a balanced balance of interests of members of the world community.

This is a long process that takes on a variety of shapes. Suffice it to mention the search by the countries of the World majority for ways to ensure their interests outside Western mechanisms. The gradual de-dollarization of the world economy and trade is also becoming a sign of the times - today an increasing number of states are consistently reducing their dependence on the dollar and the euro, switching to national currencies and alternatives to Western payment systems in mutual settlements.

The very possibility of the dominance of one country or even a group of states is fading into oblivion. No matter how hard EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell tries to declare Europe a "blooming garden" around which he sees only a "jungle" that needs to be "civilised", this once again shows the impasse of such a mentality, which allowed the West to rule the whole world for several centuries. Now on the agenda is the task of forming a truly democratic multipolar world order based on universally recognized international legal norms, primarily the principles of the UN Charter, starting with the main thing - respect for the sovereign equality of states, i.e. the natural and inalienable right of every people to control their own destiny.

The objective tendencies of the modern world cause almost reflex rejection among the countries of the "collective West" led by Washington. In an effort to maintain their elusive dominance, Western ruling elites use a wide range of "dirty" tools - from coercive pressure and unilateral economic sanctions to "defamation" of dissidents in the global information space. The "cancel culture" of everything and everything that does not fit into the Western vision of history and modern processes has flourished.

In violation of the UN Charter, the Americans and their NATO satellites are trying to tell other countries with whom and how to develop interstate relations. Thus, they are denied the right to national interests, to an independent foreign policy. Westerners demonstrate blatant intolerance of dissent, seeking to usurp the prerogatives to shape the global agenda in all its aspects.

In various regions of the world, Western geopolitical engineers directly provoke crisis situations - in the spirit of the concept of "controlled chaos", in order to then "fish in troubled waters". There is a lot of evidence of this, including campaigns to destroy Iraq and Libya, plant separatism in Syria, and much more, including the bloody coup d'état in Kiev orchestrated by Washington and Brussels in February 2014. This is a gross violation of such a principle of the UN Charter as non-interference in internal affairs.

Look at how "unanimously" the West is now reacting to the coup d'état in Niger, demanding the restoration of democracy by almost any means.

Then, in February 2014, the removal of the legitimate president through a bloody coup d'état, a day after an agreement was reached on a settlement under EU guarantees, did not cause any negative reaction in the West. I remember that at that time, US Secretary of State John Kerry said a few days after the coup d'état that there was a legitimate president, and people supposedly withdrew support for him, so it turned out to be such a "manifestation of democracy." Such examples of hypocrisy and double standards can be cited endlessly.

In order to politically and ideologically cover up their neo-colonial, racist line, to consolidate their own hegemony, Western capitals are stubbornly striving to replace international law, which they hourly violate with a "rules-based order." Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly assessed these actions. Most recently, on July 28 of this year, at the plenary session of the second Russia-Africa summit, he said: "In general, it is not clear what these rules are, by whom they were created. It is clear that they are used by individual countries in their own selfish interests and change due to political expediency. I would like to add that they are trying to apply these rules to their advantage, as God wills, when it suits their interests in the sphere of world trade, the global financial system, within the framework of international security obligations and in many other areas of interstate communication. There is such a tendency as a persistent attempt by the Western minority to privatize the secretariats of international organizations, including the UN, the Bretton Woods institutions, the WTO, and the OPCW. We observe a similar thing in the activities of international sports organizations.”

At the same time, Washington and its allies are not embarrassed by the fact that by their illegitimate actions they undermine global stability, create new risks, undermine supply chains, food and energy security.

By building up their military presence near the Russian borders, NATO members for many years ignored the specific political assurances given to the Soviet leadership about the non-expansion of the alliance. They grossly violated the commitments made at the highest level within the framework of the OSCE to observe the principle of equal and indivisible security, not to strengthen their own security at the expense of others, and not to allow the domination of any party or organization in Europe. This is what the Organization signed up to in 1999 in Istanbul and in 2010. in Astana.

The United States has "derailed" a number of key agreements in the field of arms control and non-proliferation. There are also fears that they are now ready to encroach on one of the cornerstones of the global security architecture - the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Such risks are created as a result of blatant attempts to withdraw the Anglo-Saxon nuclear "project" from the procedure of this Treaty within the framework of the new AUKUS military bloc, into which the Anglo-Saxons are already luring Japan and South Korea.

This includes the refusal of the Americans and NATO members to honestly discuss the initiatives put forward by President Vladimir Putin in December 2021 on legally binding security guarantees. This "list" can be continued indefinitely.

Today, the "collective West" – under the slogan of "saving" the neo-Nazi and Kiev regimes – has unleashed hybrid aggression against Russia – in the military-political, legal, economic, and humanitarian spheres. Numerous facts unequivocally confirm that the Anglo-Saxons and their henchmen have been preparing the Kiev regime for war for many years, pumping it with weapons and sabotaging the unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolution on a peaceful settlement by taking into account the legitimate interests of the inhabitants of Donbass. On the contrary, the West silently and even approvingly looked at how the Kiev regime founded by the putschists legally banned the Russian language in the spheres of education and culture, in the media and in everyday life. Ukrainian officials publicly threatened to destroy Russian citizens, calling them "non-humans." What is the statement by Vladimir Zelensky in an interview in the fall of 2021 that if someone in Ukraine feels involved in Russian culture, then for the sake of the future of their children they should go to Russia. At the same time, the regime, with the active support of its Western curators, was preparing to seize territories by force, which, according to the aforementioned UN Security Council resolution, were to receive a special status, primarily the right to their native language. Under those conditions (as President Vladimir Putin emphasised), the recognition of the independence of Donbass in full compliance with the right of peoples to self-determination and the conduct of a special military operation on the basis of Article 51 of the UN Charter was a forced, but uncontested step to eliminate the threats to our security created by NATO members, to protect Russians and Russian-speaking people from extermination on their historical lands.

Now Kiev and its Western sponsors are trying by hook or by crook to "engage" other countries to support Vladimir Zelensky's "peace formula", the essence of which is an ultimatum demand to return Ukraine to the borders of 1991. I would like to urge everyone who is being lured into this "game" to remember that the Kiev regime has openly declared the task of destroying everything Russian in the territories that are not under its control now. This is what the demand for the return of Ukraine to the 1991 borders means for these people.

We appreciate the sincere interest of China, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, India and other countries of the Global South in promoting a just and realistic settlement. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the leadership of our country have spoken about this more than once. It is of fundamental importance that the relevant proposals of friends from the developing world are based on a clear understanding of the true causes and nature of what is happening, as a consequence of the West's undermining of the principle of indivisibility and security.

Today, the United States, NATO and the European Union, in order to save their geopolitical project to "contain Russia" and split the Russian world, are pumping Ukraine with more and more modern weapons, fueling the conflict more and more and provoking the uncontrolled spread of weapons around the world. A lot of facts have been presented in this regard. Their adventurous and irresponsible line significantly increases the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers. All our sobering "signals" are ignored or grossly distorted for propaganda purposes.

It is obvious that the attempt to "break" Russia with the hands of Ukrainian neo-Nazis is an element of their strategic course to resuscitate the unipolar world order. The same goal is pursued in other regions, where any dissent is subject to threats and blackmail in order to remove an obstacle to Washington's "hegemonic" plans. What is the Indo-Pacific strategy promoted by the United States, which has an openly declared anti-Chinese orientation.

Having proclaimed the indivisibility of the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific region, NATO members crossed out all their previous spells about the purely defensive nature of the alliance, officially declaring that from now on they will continue to be engaged not only in protecting their own territory, but also in promoting their dominance in this part of the world, in the Asia-Pacific region.

A course has been taken to destroy the inclusive and consensus-based ASEAN-centric security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, to create military blocs there, and to promote NATO's infrastructure there. An example of the highest cynicism is the West's position on Taiwan. Without a shadow of shame, they declare their commitment to the concept of "one China", but at the same time they firmly demand that everyone not violate the "status quo". And it means (as we can see from practical actions) the attitude towards Taiwan as an independent state and pumping it with modern weapons, as is done in relation to the Kyiv regime.

Another example of the detrimental influence of the United States on affairs in this region is the constant escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula, the pulling of Japan and South Korea to its tough, negative and aggressive position, and the rejection of an equal dialogue with the participation of the DPRK, which Russia and China are ready to support.

In the spirit of the notorious "Monroe Doctrine", the United States is trying to dictate how and by what standards Latin America should live. At the same time, one gets the impression that the current American elites consider not only Latin America, but the whole world as their "backyard". US allies take this for granted and do their best to help the "senior comrade". This is manifested in the growing pressure on many states of the post-Soviet space. The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus spoke about this today.

It is unlikely that the Western ruling circles will abandon their destructive policies in the foreseeable future. Obviously, they will not be able to reverse the course of history. The world has changed dramatically: there is a demand for alternative methods of ensuring global stability through the creation of security mechanisms beyond the control of Washington and its satellites, through the formation of zones of pragmatic cooperation and development in various regions of the planet.

Relying on multilateral platforms that work on an equal footing and on a constructive agenda can accelerate this process. We see good prospects in using the potentials of associations operating in Eurasia, including the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the CSTO, the EAEU, the CIS, the SCO, ASEAN, and the GCC. The pairing of their work program, and this process is already beginning, will certainly contribute to the formation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership, help to find ways to ensure security throughout Eurasia without interference from extra-regional powers.

In the global context, I would like to note the rapid growth of the authority and attractiveness of BRICS, within the framework of which countries with different political systems and original value platforms set an example of multipolar diplomacy aimed at agreeing on an equal basis effective forms of trade, economic, investment, humanitarian cooperation, forms protected from outside dictates.

Foreign policy coordination is also growing. One of the key issues on the agenda of this month's summit in Johannesburg will be the expansion of BRICS, which will significantly strengthen this association and increase its weight in world affairs.

Colleagues

The current geopolitical situation makes it difficult to combine efforts to neutralize threats common to all mankind, including the fight against international terrorism, especially with the intensified jihadist organizations - ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and associated extremist groups that (we should not forget this) have arisen over the past decades as a result of military adventures of the United States and its allies.

There must be an end to the use of terrorists for geopolitical purposes, whether in Afghanistan, Syria or elsewhere. The unrelenting threat to security in the Sahara-Sahel region was a direct consequence of NATO's aggression against Libya, which led to the destruction of its statehood and the transformation of the country into a "transit zone" for terrorists, which they continue to actively use.

Everyone should learn from the tragic consequences of the wars unleashed by the United States and its allies.

We believe it is important that the UN, which has recently calmed down in this area, take the initiative and step up its efforts in the field of counterterrorism without any double standards.

The issue of biological security has become particularly relevant, primarily in the light of the facts of uncontrolled military-biological activities of the United States and a number of its allies in various regions of the world, which our Ministry of Defense regularly informs about in detail. These activities are contrary to the obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and the Convention should be strengthened more urgently by establishing a legally binding, transparent mechanism for verifying programmes implemented by States parties.

Increased attention should be paid to preventing the militarization of outer space. Russia has consistently advocated the preservation of outer space as a space for exclusively peaceful activities by all States on an equal footing, and the development of a legal instrument that would be comprehensive in nature and aimed at preventing an arms race in outer space, including guarantees against the deployment of strike weapons systems into near-Earth orbit. A good basis for such work is the Russian-Chinese draft treaty. We call for increased support for it.

Challenges in the field of information and communication technologies are growing. I would like to remind you that Russia submitted to the UN the concept of a future treaty on ensuring international information security, as well as a draft convention on combating cybercrime. We urge you to support and become co-sponsors of our initiatives.

Dear colleagues,

Russia will continue to work in favour of consolidating the efforts of the international community in countering global and regional challenges and threats, promoting a positive agenda, contributing to the strengthening of international security and stability, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, and ensuring that the principles of the UN Charter are put into practice, but, I emphasize, not selectively, but in their entirety.

The Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, established two years ago, formed at the initiative of Venezuela, has become a useful platform in this area. Now it includes 20 states, interest in it is growing. We will continue to strengthen both this association of like-minded people and other structures that are working to democratise international relations. To this end, as Russian President Vladimir Putin noted at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June this year: "We are certainly open to equal partnership with all countries – with all those who, like Russia, value their national interests and are ready to determine their own future."

Armenian media reported part of what Belarus’s Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in his presentation:

The West is trying to introduce disagreements into the unions of states and to tear the countries from each other. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Belarus, Viktor Khrenin, at the XI Moscow Conference on International Security, reports BelTA.

"In the framework of such aspirations, our allies are offered various alternative formats of cooperation, economic and financial preferences," Khrenin added, in particular.

"I will not repeat how dangerous the violation of unity in the CIS [(Commonwealth of Independent States)], CSTO [(Collective Security Treaty Organization)], SCO [(Shanghai Cooperation Organization)] formats is in the long term. The current situation in the world leaves no doubt that we must stay together. It is obvious that only those who will remain united will be able to pass with minimum shocks the difficult phase of the formation of the new world order. That's why we are talking more and more about the need to deepen integration," the Belarusian defense minister concluded.

Bribes, coercion, and every other type of tool are employed in the attempt to divide and rule. Often it devolves to a mafia-like Protection Racket where the Outlaw US Empire/NATO say join us or we’ll bomb you, with escaping the bombing being the only benefit. That sort of strong-arming was supposedly done to Saudi Arabia back in the 1970s —price your oil in dollars or else. Now the Saudis are trying to wiggle out of that pickle. And of course, the Saudis aren’t the only nation that’s been threatened in that manner. Being capable of resisting that threat is why all like-minded nations must stand together as the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO vassals can’t attack the entire world regardless of their desire to do so.

Finding specific info about China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu’s presentation is tough as most reports are generalizations, even Global Times report lacks any direct quotes, which is unusual, although it was keen to report the Outlaw US Empire’s propaganda:

Western media has been hyping the military cooperation between China and Russia, with the Associated Press claiming in a report on Monday that "Li's attendance at the conference further underscores the drive by China and Russia to align their foreign policies in a bid to undermine the Western-led liberal-democratic world order."

There is nothing wrong with China-Russia cooperation, and the West's opposition to it reflects the hegemonic thinking of the West and their forcing of other countries to take sides, Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Supporting Russia in cooperation is not equal to being anti-West, Cui said.

Of course, there’s nothing liberal or democratic within the Western world, but do note that phrase was first coined back in the late 1940s. And do realize how much genuine history is thrown under the bloody rug with such a pronouncement, for example the Genocide of the Southeast Asian peoples in their struggle to gain independence. And people kidnaped and held against their will at Gitmo still remain there in violation of every so-called liberal principle and rule of law. And after this Conference we move on to the BRICS Summit which will add more members as one of its highlights.

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