VIDEO -- Lavrov Lets Loose at Presser: Talks Ukraine, Kerch Strait Incident and American Overreach

Moscow Disappointed by Content of New US Nuclear Doctrine

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RUSSIA

16:08 03.02.2018(updated 19:04 03.02.2018)Get short URL

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The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on the Nuclear Posture Review, issued by the United States on February 2, naming Russia, North Korea, Iran and China as potential threats to the US national security.

"The content of the new nuclear doctrine (the so-called Nuclear Posture Review) released by the United States on February 2 has provoked our deep disappointment. The confrontational and anti-Russian nature of this document strikes the eye. We can state with regret that the United States explains its policies for a large-scale boost of nuclear weapons by referring to the modernization of the nuclear forces in Russia and alleged increasing role of nuclear weapons in the Russian doctrine statements. We are accused of lowering the nuclear threshold and of conducting some 'aggressive behavior," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Speaking about the US Nuclear Posture Review released on February 2, the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that accusations against Moscow of aggressive behavior, interventions, breaches of arms control agreements, written in the document, have nothing to do with reality.

Conferência de Imprensa de 18: 01: 2018 - Sergei Lavrov: "Os EUA só querem ditar ultimatos" -- Legendado em PT

18: 01: 2018 - Sergei Lavrov: "Os EUA só querem ditar ultimatos"

Na sua conferência de imprensa mais recente, o Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros da Rússia não utilizou meias palavras para definir a política externa dos EUA.

Lavrov holds annual press conference

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Why Were US Photographers Absent at the Trump-Lavrov Meeting?

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POLITICS

16:27 11.05.2017(updated 17:58 11.05.2017) Get short URL

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The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed media hype sparked by the photos from the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and revealed the reason why no US journalists attended the event.

© REUTERS/ JOSHUA ROBERTS

Trump's Watergate? US President Energizes Political Enemies by Firing FBI Chief

A recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sparked intense speculations in the US media as apparently only the Russian side has published the protocol photos made during the event, while no US reporters were allowed into the meeting.

The media hype was further exacerbated by the fact that less than a day prior to this meet-up, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who was conducting an investigation into alleged Russian involvement into the US presidential election.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained that the meeting’s format was set up by its host, the White House.

"There were exactly as many photographers at the meeting as Washington permitted," she said, pointing out that US photo correspondents did attend the event.

Zakharova added that from the Russian side, the meeting was attended by a TASS news agency photo correspondent who was acting as Lavrov’s personal photographer during the latter’s trip to the US, and that all pictures he shot during the meeting were made freely available on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official website and via social media.

"Therefore, to claim that Moscow is once again responsible for a conspiracy in the United States… I believe that in this situation everyone understands that it’s real hysteria in the US media. It can be described as an intellectual agony," she surmised.

Zakharova also remarked that the US media agencies weren’t interested in Lavrov’s visit but rather focused their attention on Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and the firing of FBI Director James Comey, even though it is "absurd" to ask a Russian minister about personnel decisions made in another country.

Lavrov Shuts Tillerson Down After He Tries to Bullshit His Way Out of Serious Question

Lavrov Shuts Tillerson Down After He Tries to Bullshit His Way Out of Serious Question

LIVE: Lavrov, Tillerson hold press conference after talks in Moscow

Lavrov: US will have to negotiate with Russia, can’t act alone on global issues

Published time: 2 Nov, 2016 17:17

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. © Vladimir Pesnya / Sputnik

The US will have to negotiate with Russia on finding solutions to international issues as no state is now able to act alone, the Russian foreign minister said, adding that problems in bilateral relations began to mount long before the Ukrainian crisis broke out in 2014.

The international community should not play by Washington’s rules despite the US being a great power, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday, referring to a recent statement by President Vladimir Putin.

“Two or three months ago US President Barack Obama said it is they who set the rules,” Lavrov said, following a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias.

SERGEY LAVROV at the Special UN Security Council meeting on Syria

SERGEY LAVROV 

at the

Special UN Security Council meeting on Syria 

VOLTAIRE NETWORK | NEW YORK (USA) | 21 SEPTEMBER 2016 

Mr. Lavrov (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): It is clear that the region of the Middle East and North Africa is undergoing a period of serious upheaval as a result of the conjunction of inter-ethnic and inter-religious clashes with the unprecedented eruptions of terrorism and extremism that have enveloped Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria and have disturbed a number of other countries, including some in Africa. The potential deterioration of the situation presents the likelihood of increasingly serious threats to international stability and security.This is hardly the first time that such a state of affairs is the direct consequence of the heinous practice of geopolitical engineering, interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States, and attempts to replace objectionable regimes, including by violent means. It is fair to say that the situation in Syria is particularly worrying. Since the very beginning of the crisis, Russia has consistently advocated an exclusively peaceful solution arrived at while respecting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of that ancient nation. We continue to believe firmly that there is no alternative to a political process based on a mutually respectful, inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue without preconditions, while ensuring an end to hostilities, the expansion of humanitarian access and a more effective fight against terrorism.

That complex position has been clearly affirmed in the decisions of the International Syria Support Group and the Security Council’s resolutions, particularly resolution 2254 (2015). In order to fulfil the provisions of that resolution, Russia and the United States, as co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group, arrived at a specific arrangement, which took more than six months to produce and was completed on 9 September, after the Presidents of Russia and the United States, meeting three days earlier in China, had reached final agreement on the last remaining issues to be resolved.

I apologize for referring to documents that almost no one in the Chamber has seen. As ever, Russia is prepared to make them public and distribute them within the United Nations. It is important to note that the Russian-American agreement emphasizes that one of its key priorities is distinguishing the opposition forces from those of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat Al-Nusra, in order to put the ceasefire into effect, resolve humanitarian issues and, most importantly, end terrorists’ attempts to evade punishment by using the pretext of their cooperation with the so-called moderates participating in the ceasefire regime.

PT -- Entrevista do Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Sérgio Lavrov, ao Canal da BBC – World News, Moscovo, 30 de Setembro de 2016

30  de Setembro de 2016 às 21:18h

Entrevista do Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Sérgio Lavrov, ao Canal da BBC – World News, Moscovo, 30 de Setembro de 2016 

1784-30-09-2016

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RUSSIAN

SPANISH

Pergunta: Excelente. Bem, muito obrigado por se juntar a mim na BBC World News. Penso que tenho de começar esta entrevista, discutindo a situação em Aleppo. Observamos o bombardeio feroz, os vossos aviões de guerra a manobrar juntamente com os aviões dos militares sírios. Mais de quatrocentas pessoas foram mortas, incluindo muitas crianças. O Enviado Especial da ONU diz que há provas de que podem ter sido cometidos crimes de guerra. Por que motivo estão a fazê-lo?

Sergey Lavrov: Bem, penso que para compreender o que está a acontecer, tem de recuar um pouco na história sobre como tudo começou. Faz hoje, precisamente um ano, que o Presidente Putin, a pedido do Presidente Assad, concordou enviar a nossa Força Aérea para ajudar a combater os terroristas na Síria. E desde o início, propusemos uma coligação liderada pelos Estados Unidos, para dar início à coordenação dessas operações e para separar a oposição, que estava a cooperar com a coligação liderada pelos Estados Unidos, do Nusra, do ISIL e de outros grupos terroristas. Os americanos estavam preparados apenas para evitar um conflito, como você sabe e penso que lhes levou vários meses, pelo menos um par de meses, até que em Dezembro criaram o Grupo Internacional de Apoio à Síria e comprometeram-se solenemente a ter como prioridade a obrigação de separar a oposição do grupo terrorista Nusra. Apesar de muitas promessas e compromissos repetidos, eles ainda não são capazes - ou não dispostos - a fazê-lo. E temos muitas razões para acreditar que, desde o início, o plano era poupar a organização Nusra e mantê-la, apenas, caso fosse necessário,  para o Plano B ou para a Fase 2, quando fosse o momento de mudar o regime. Falando de Aleppo só me lembro que em Agosto deste ano, a oposição, em que mais de 50 por cento pertencia ao Nusra, como foi confirmado pelas Nações Unidas, tomou o subúrbio do sudoeste de Aleppo, cortando um milhão e meio de pessoas e, basicamente, organizou o cerco, impedindo-as de obter todos os fornecimentos pela via mais fácil e disponível. E não houve nenhum ruído, nem nenhumas declarações histéricas. Os ocidentais que, tanto quanto percebo, organizam esse espectáculo, pensaram que este momento seria um prelúdio para Aleppo ser tomada pela oposição. Agora a situação é diferente e escutamos todos estes ruídos. 

Sergey Lavrov to BBC World News Channel, Moscow,September 30, 2016

30 September 201621:18

Interview of theRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to BBC World News Channel, Moscow,September 30, 2016

1784-30-09-2016

Question: Excellent. Well, thank you very much for joining me on BBC World News. I think I have to start this interview by discussing with you the situation in Aleppo. We’ve seen the ferocious bombardment, your warplanes working alongside those of the Syrian military. Four hundred and more people have been killed, including many children. The UN Special Envoy says that there is evidence that war crimes may have been committed. Why are you doing this?

Sergey Lavrov: Well, I think to understand what is going on, you have to get a bit back into the history of how it all started. Today is exactly one year since President Putin, at the request of President Assad, agreed to send our air force to help fight terrorists in Syria. And from the very beginning, we proposed to the American-led coalition to start coordination of these operations and to separate the opposition which was cooperating with the coalition led by the United States from Nusra, ISIL and other terrorist groups. The Americans were only ready for deconfliction, as you know, and it took them, I think, several months, a couple of months at least, until in December we created the International Syria Support Group, where they pledged solemnly to take as a priority an obligation to separate the opposition from Nusra. In spite of many repeated promises and commitments, they still are not able – or not willing – to do this. And we have more and more reasons to believe that from the very beginning the plan was to spare Nusra and to keep it, you know, just in case for Plan B or for Stage 2 when it would be time to change the regime. I can only recall, speaking of Aleppo, that in August this year the opposition, where more than 50 percent were Nusra, as confirmed by the United Nations, has taken the southwestern suburb of Aleppo, cutting off 1.5 million people and basically organizing siege, preventing them from getting any supplies by the easiest and most available route. And there was no noise, no hysterical statements. The Western people who, as far as I understand, run the show, thought that this would be a prelude to Aleppo being taken by the opposition. Now the situation is different, and we hear all these noises.

LAVROV MAKES HISTORY: 'Ceasefires' were bogus, nixes future 'unilateral measures' [VIDEO]

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/09/lavrov-makes-history-ceasefires-were.html

LAVROV MAKES HISTORY: 'Ceasefires' were bogus, nixes future 'unilateral measures' [VIDEO]

September 22nd, 2016 - Fort Russ News -
- Nasteva Twitter and RT - text by J. Flores

Lavrov at today's security council meeting - Video below after text

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov made history today at the UN's meeting of the Security Council, declaring that future unilateral pauses couched as 'ceasefire agreements' are off the table. He has skillfully referred to the mounting factual evidence of the US's continued flagrant violations on any number of points of agreement over the course of this conflict. 

These include primarily the violations of the ceasefire itself, in conjunction with officially leaked elements of the 'secret text' of the recent ceasefire which evidence that the US has been unable to reign in a number of groups signing onto previous ceasefires, let alone those groups the US claims to be moderates but did not sign onto the ceasefire, both of which continue to work closely with either ISIS or Jabat Al-Nusra. Russia has no doubt pointed out successfully that several of these groups are fictional entities, and are but operational synonyms of Al-Nusra (formerly called Al-Qaeda of the Levant), itself. 

The impossible to ignore context here naturally is the ceasefire ending US joint attack alongside ISIS upon the Syrian Arab Army position at Deir ez-Zor which was sustained and lasted over an hour, despite calls from the Russian coordinating hotline which existed pursuant to standing agreements on deconfliction. 

The other defining circumstances included the response of the US State Department at the emergency session of the UN Security Council a few nights ago, in particular the behaviour and callously undiplomatic remarks of representative Power, and the US's following attempts to blame Russia for the attack on the Red Crescent aid convoy several days later, which increasingly appears as the result of either Al-Nusra militants on the ground or a US predator drone attack using an incendiary device.   

Analysts and activists have long debated the utility of the ceasefire agreements. It had been noted, at times passionately, that the ceasefires were observed unilaterally by Russia and had the effect of allowing the US backed terrorist groups, whether organized under the 'moderate' banner or not, to rearm and regroup. Aid convoys had long been used as a backdoor to smuggle in needed dual-use basic supplies for repairing weapons, such as nuts, bolts, wiring - and even munitions and new weapons. It had long been documented that first aid and medicines intended for affected civilian populations generally wound up used by terrorist fighting groups inside of occupied parts of Aleppo. 

Now this chapter comes to end, and it is revealed that Russia understood clearly all along that this was precisely the case. What was needed was a pretext, a consensus building show-and-tell to the security which provides Russia and its allies on the Security Council and in the international community that 'we tried Ceasefires - and this is what happened. 

This set up the footwork for the final proverbial 'flying mare' that launched US foreign policy and its media hologram over the Russian bear's shoulder and onto its back. 

A real corner has been turned. We invite our readers to watch twitter user Navsteva's several minute long clip, below, which was truly the highlight of the longer Russian presentation and today's historic Security Council meeting. 

These are truly interesting times, fraught with danger, as the chance of total war looms overhead. We ask our readers to be especially vigilant as events are escalating, and help our important mission and work here by sharing these articles across your social networking platforms. 

‘Mutual mistrust reduced’: Lavrov & Kerry agree on concrete steps to ease Syrian conflict

Published on 27/08/2016 at 15:00 h UTC

Progress towards settling the Syrian crisis has been made, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced after wrapping up key talks. According to the diplomats, experts from both countries will meet in Geneva in coming days to clarify the details of what has been agreed.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society’s website, Moscow, July 25, 2016

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society’s website, Moscow, July 25, 2016

1361-25-07-2016

Question: Mr Lavrov, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society has historical ties with the Middle East, the people living in this internationally significant region – the land of three global religions. The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society has always pursued noble goals and sought to strengthen Russia’s position in the Middle East. June 3, 2017 will mark 135 years since this ancient society was founded. What do you think of its current activities, including its friendly ties with Middle Eastern people, its contribution to cultural, historical and spiritual heritage, and mainly the phenomenon of “Russian Palestine”? Why do you think the Society has been so long lasting and instrumental in the Middle East as the oldest non-governmental organisation in the over 100 years of its history?

Sergey Lavrov: To begin with, I’d like to congratulate all Society members on the upcoming 135^thanniversary of the day Alexander III decreed the founding of the organisation following the initiative of many prominent personalities and public figures of the time. This society was designed to promote friendly relations with the people of the region, particularly to create favourable conditions for pilgrims. However, it didn’t just seek to make it possible for Russian people to travel to the holy sites but also to ensure Russia’s presence in the Holy Land, to create the “Russian Palestine” you mentioned.

Since then, the society has been pro-actively working in the Middle East. It has purchased a lot of land in this holy place for all Christians, Jews and Muslims. The society has implemented many educational, humanitarian and enlightening missions and has acquired an authority and a stable, reliable reputation in the region.

The fact that we are energetically restoring the society’s position after the Soviet-era pause is, I believe, meeting the fundamental interests of the Russian state and the noble goal of preserving the continuity of our history. Apart from the spiritual aspects, “Russian Palestine” today is an essential instrument for consolidating Russia’s positions, which adds another dimension to our diplomacy in this important area.

To be continued...

Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions at the Terra Scientia Youth Educational Forum July 22, 2016

22 July 201619:04

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions at the Terra Scientia Youth Educational Forum on Klyazma River, Vladimir Region, July 22, 2016

1359-22-07-2016

Thank you for inviting me. This was my second invitation to the Terra Scientia forum. I see that the majority of people here are experts on ethnic and inter ethnic relations, an issue that is gaining prominence in global politics. Nearly all crises on the international agenda are concerned with inter ethnic or religious differences. We must take this into account in our daily politics.

The developments in the Middle East and North Africa are a direct result of an incompetent and unprofessional treatment of the situation, a trend that is becoming widespread. The objective development of a polycentric world order, with more than one centre of power and influence, is coming into conflict with the desires of the Western countries, which set the tone in international relations for centuries, to preserve their domination at all costs and by all means. Of course, no one has succeeded in attaining this goal, as you had to negotiate the terms rather than simply dictate your will even in the colonial period. This has become even more difficult to do now, when the bipolar system of Soviet-US confrontation has been laid to rest along with the Warsaw Treaty Organisation and ideological differences, and when Europe and the United States have new economic rivals – the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil, as well as the African continent with its rich natural resources. We see the rise of new centres of economic growth and financial influence, and economic might and financial influence provide the basis for political influence.

Unfortunately, our Western partners, seeking to preserve their domination, acted like a bull in a china shop. They overthrew the government in Iraq, which was invaded by US and NATO forces under a false pretext. Pretending to search for nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, they overthrew the Iraqi president, which was unwise even though he was a highly authoritarian ruler. There was no terrorism or ISIS [in the region] at the time. ISIS developed only after the United States invaded Iraq. As former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who supported US President Bush in the intervention of Iraq, recently admitted, the 2003 invasion of Iraq played a part in the rise of the Islamic State.