Developing versus “under-developing” – Newspaper Kommersant No. 29 (7474) of 02/16/2023

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday spoke at the “government hour” in the State Duma. He spoke about the intrigues of the “Anglo-Saxons and the collective West”, reported on the revision of obligations to international organizations “discriminating” the Russian Federation and replenished his vocabulary with the new term “underdeveloped countries”. Having adopted a resolution approving the work of the Foreign Ministry, the deputies immediately switched to practice, denouncing the Convention on Criminal Liability for Corruption. On Thursday, the Duma’s foreign policy offensive will continue with the denunciation of two dozen Council of Europe treaties and the adoption of an appeal to the UN calling for an international investigation into the Nord Stream explosions.

Sergey Lavrov started his performance with a desire to hear advice from the deputies, and for the seed he himself designated the enemies and friends of Russia

“The Anglo-Saxons and the collective West are trying at any cost to impose their dictate in order to continue to control the external conditions of human development for the sake of their dominance throughout the world,” the minister explained.

Part of this course, according to him, is the long-term containment of Russia, so one of the main goals of the updated Russian foreign policy concept is to end the monopoly of the West, Mr. Lavrov noted.

The words of ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and ex-President of France François Hollande that the Minsk agreements (these countries were guarantors of their implementation) were needed in order to give the “Kiev regime” time to build up military potential, the head of the Foreign Ministry called the “appearance with guilty.” “To put it simply, everyone lied to us, as they now hide the truth about the explosions at Nord Stream,” Mr. Lavrov explained.

The minister also said that the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East “do not want to live under a Western-centric order.”

Therefore, according to the minister’s calculations, three-quarters of the world’s states did not join the anti-Russian sanctions and “took a balanced position”, perceiving the events in Ukraine as a consequence of the aggressive course of the West. Russia is developing a strategic partnership with these countries.

The Foreign Ministry also focuses on the fight against the falsification of history and the spread of Nazi ideology, Sergey Lavrov continued. He recalled that Russia annually introduces a resolution at sessions of the UN General Assembly on the inadmissibility of glorifying Nazism. This year, Germany, Italy and Japan voted against the document, which caused the minister “deep concern”. In this regard, he questioned “the sincerity of their repentance for the mass crimes committed against humanity during the Second World War.” In addition, the head of the Foreign Ministry named the protection of Russian citizens abroad and the strengthening of the position of the Russian language among the priorities of the work, and also noted the transfer of settlements into national currencies as a positive trend in the economy.

Then the deputies moved on to questions and, as the minister asked, advice.

Nikolai Kolomeytsev (KPRF) proposed to denounce a number of agreements with Norway, the USA, and Finland.

In response, Mr. Lavrov said that Russia is now conducting a radical review of all its obligations to international organizations – primarily those that have shown a “discriminatory attitude” towards the Russian Federation, including by adopting “anti-Russian resolutions.” At the same time, Moscow delays the payment of dues in organizations where its interests are “infringed”.

Non-factional deputy Oksana Dmitrieva asked why the foreign policy course is not supported by “the same decisive measures in the economy” and what diplomatic consequences could come if Russia withdraws from the World Trade Organization (WTO). Sergei Lavrov called the WTO “one of the pillars of the system of globalization invented by the West” and noted that now the organization is in a “big crisis”, and Russia should “seek the creation of favorable conditions for its development”, cooperating with the “world majority” within the BRICS and SCO , along with ASEAN and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations.

The deputies continued to give advice to the Foreign Minister in speeches from factions. So, Dmitry Novikov (KPRF) reproached the Russian authorities that at one time they tried to support “the wrong politicians” in Ukraine, ignoring local communists led by Petro Simonenko, and “we are reaping the consequences of this policy now.” “Russia does not protect pro-Russian left politicians, although the left is precisely the main allies of Russia in the formation of a multipolar world,” the communist said.

Aleksey Chepa (Fair Russia – For Truth) lamented that “the United States has increased the number of diplomatic corps in our friendly countries,” but “no such actions have been taken” on our part.

Sangadzhi Tarbaev (“New People”) proposed to actively develop tourism, simplify the visa regime for “friends” and think about introducing a medical visa.

Finally, Vyacheslav Nikonov (United Russia) advocated that, as part of getting rid of “colonial dependence”, they should also abandon the dictionary, which “still is used by both deputies and diplomats.” “Why are we talking about third world countries, developing countries? China, India, Latin American countries are developing centers of power, and the United States is a receding center of power,” the deputy explained. Sergey Lavrov especially liked the last wording, and he proposed calling the Western countries “more developed.”

Then the Duma unanimously (382 in favor) adopted a resolution approving the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We have one party – Russia,” summed up the speaker of the chamber, Vyacheslav Volodin.

The denunciation of the Convention on Criminal Liability for Corruption also confirmed the unity of the Foreign Ministry and the Duma. Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov, who presented the bill, recalled that as a result of the ratification of the treaty in 2006, Russia automatically joined the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), but in March 2022, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe terminated Russia’s membership in GRECO, “with the exception of the last assessment of the implementation State obligations arising from the Convention. Thus, Russia “is being transformed from a subject of monitoring into an object,” the speaker stated. 337 deputies voted for the denunciation, four were against, two abstained.

On Thursday, the Duma plans to continue its diplomatic offensive by terminating 21 international treaties of the Council of Europe with respect to Russia at once.

In addition, the deputies will appeal to the UN to “immediately conduct an international investigation” of explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. True, judging by the fact that the title of the draft appeal speaks of “a crime committed by the United States,” everything is already clear to the Duma itself with these explosions and without an investigation.

Ksenia Veretennikova