Russian MFA 🇷🇺

⚡️ Russian MFA in cooperation with the Rosatom State Corporation has issued handbook "Back Home to Russia. 40th Anniversary of the launch of the Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) Unit 1" The copies of the handbook were circulated during the 68th session of the IAEA General Conference, opened on September 16 in Vienna. 📖 Read the handbook in full ℹ️ The history of the Zaporozhskaya NPP (ZNPP) dates back to 1977 when the Council of Ministers of the #USSR adopted a decision on its construction. Site works began in 1979. In 1984, Unit 1 of the plant was put into operation. In 1985-1987, another three units were put into operation, and in 1988 an expansion project was approved for the construction of two more reactors. 🇷🇺 At the ZNPP site, six Soviet-design power units with VVER reactors were constructed and put into operation. Atomenergoproekt (Moscow) acted as chief designer of the project, Kurchatov Institute (Moscow) – was its scientific coordinator, Gidropress (Podolsk, Moscow region) supplied the reactor installations. The equipment for the power plant was manufactured by enterprises in Leningrad (reactor vessels were manufactured by the Izhora Plants) and Volgodonsk (earthquake-resistant refuelling machines). ☝️ Thus, the Russian Federation is the owner of the project and technologies, and has the whole set of documentation, regarding Zaporozhskaya Nuclear power plant. As a result of the referendum held in late September 2022, the Zaporozhskaya region,where the ZNPP is located, has joined the Russian Federation. The plant has come under Russian jurisdiction. Before the ZNPP came under Russian jurisdiction, Ukrainian authorities had carried out a number of questionable experiments involving the use in the plant's reactors of nuclear fuel that was neither in compliance with its engineering design nor initially agreed upon with the Russian organization that had designed the ZNPP. ⚛️ Maintenance and repair at the plant are being carried out in 2024 as scheduled (as previously in 2023). The plant equipment damaged as a result of shellings by the AFU was repaired. <...> Measures were also undertaken to ensure uninterrupted water supply to essential consumers of the systems of the ZNPP power units, as the dam of the Kakhovskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant had been destroyed as a result of Ukrainian shellings. Now the water level in the said pond is stable. Currently, the Zaporozhskaya NPP operates all standard radiation monitoring systems, except for three of them, which were destroyed by the armed forces of Ukraine, and two, which are situated on the right bank of the river Dnepr, controlled by Ukraine. The Russian Side has undertaken compensating measures. Radiation and technological monitoring of basic equipment and technological systems of power units, radiation-dosimetry monitoring of staff exposure, environment radiation monitoring, etc. are ensured. Radiation monitoring data are automatically transmitted to the IAEA Secretariat. ☝️ Russia takes all possible measures to ensure reliability and protection of the ZNPP, its robust operation, to curb threats to its security posed by Ukraine, strengthen its nuclear safety in accordance with national legislation and obligations undertaken, including Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities. The very fact of return of the plant to the Russian nuclear community represents a significant contribution to the nuclear safety and nuclear security of this NPP which is the largest in Europe. ❌ The primary threat to the ZNPP’s security comes from Ukraine that regularly attacks the plant and its infrastructure, and resorts to all kinds of provocations, including against staff of the ZNPP and family members, living in the city of Energodar.

🔴 #LIVE: Briefing by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on topical foreign policy issues "on the sidelines" of the IV Eurasian Women’s Forum in Saint Petersburg 🔴 Ruptly 🔴 Russia’s MFA website

🇷🇺🇾🇪 On September 19, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of the Republic of Yemen Tareq Saleh met in Moscow. The Parties had an extensive exchange of views on the current situation in Yemen and around it emphasising the need for an early comprehensive settlement of the Yemeni crisis by establishing a sustainable and inclusive national dialogue under the auspices of the UN. ☝️ They specifically focused on the developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, as well as the negative impact of the protracted crisis in Gaza on the wider situation in the Red Sea region. The Russian Side reaffirmed its conviction that safety of international navigation in the waters adjacent to Yemen should be ensured exclusively by political and diplomatic methods, and that these efforts should be combined with intensive work to de-escalate tensions in the Palestinian territories. 🤝 The Parties also touched upon several practical aspects of further strengthening the multifaceted Russian-Yemeni ties, which have always been friendly. On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry hosted extensive consultations between Tareq Saleh and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. #RussiaYemen

🇳🇵 Today marks Constitution Day in Nepal. The fundamental law of the Federal Democratic Republic of #Nepal came into force on September 20, 2015. The Constitution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes cast by the country’s Second Constituent Assembly (Parliament) members. The particular importance of this legal document for the Nepalis is reflected in a verbal note submitted by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN to the President of the General Assembly on June 8, 2020:

Nepal’s democratic Constitution is founded on universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, equality, non discrimination and such other principles as an inclusive multiparty democratic polity, pluralism, an independent judiciary, the separation of powers, checks and balances, the rule of law, accountability, proportional representation, periodic elections, representative government and social and economic justice.

Our country largely shares the fundamental principles codified in the Constitution of Nepal which is among the reasons for our countries not having any differences or issues, and bilateral relations remaining traditionally friendly. 💬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: Since the diplomatic relations were established in 1956, our interaction has always been based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and consideration of each other’s interests (from the Minister’s statement during a joint news conference with the Foreign Minister of Nepal, Moscow, November 25, 2019). Russia and Nepal maintain a steady political dialogue and actively develop trade, economic, and humanitarian cooperation. With our assistance, Nepal has built a cigarette factory, a sugar mill, an agricultural machinery plant, a hydroelectric power plant, a hospital, and several roads, as well as put a turpentine and rosin factory into operation. Approximately 6,000 Nepalese students have studied at the Soviet and Russian universities. All the assistance to Nepal was provided on a gratis basis. Russia has on many occasions given a helping hand to the friendly Nepalese nation. In 2015, after a devastating earthquake in Nepal, Russia promptly sent a combined team of emergency response and medical personnel, as well as humanitarian aid to the disaster area. Our country vigorously promoted the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on mobilising urgent additional assistance to this South Asian state. 🎉 We extend our best wishes to our Nepalese colleagues and friends on the occasion of Constitution Day and wish them well-being and prosperity. #RussiaNepal

🗓 On September 19, 1943, one of the largest partisan operations of the Great Patriotic War to blow up railway communications behind the German lines, Operation "Concert", commenced. It became a continuation of the "Rail War", conducted in August-September 1943. The partisans were tasked to destroy as many German trains and railway lines as possible to disrupt communications and hinder the delivery of munitions and provisions to the territories occupied by the Nazis. The operation involved 193 partisan units in Belarus, the Baltics, Karelia, Crimea, Leningrad, Kalinin, Smolensk and Orel regions with the total number of 120,615 people. In over six weeks, the partisans blew up approximately 150,000 rail lines, 100 railway bridges and about 100 enemy trains, hindering the delivery of Nazi reserves and allowing the Soviet aviation to attack railway junctions, where Nazis became easy targets, more effectively. ☝️ The operation resulted in the reduction of the throughput capacity of the rail lines the Nazis used by nearly 40%. According to military experts, the partisans’ actions in the operations "Rail War" and "Concert" were more than 11 times more effective than all the raids of the Nazi aviation, which dropped more than 10,000 bombs on the railways in the Soviet rear during the same period. 🌟 Operation "Concert" greatly contributed to disrupting logistics and demoralising Nazi troops and to the preparation of the Red Army’s autumn offensive towards Smolensk and Gomel, as well as facilitated its advance towards the Dnieper and Desna rivers. #Victory79

🇷🇺 Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov at the 68th session of the IAEA General Conference in the form of the right of reply 💬 In principle, Russia opposes the politicization of specialized international institutions and forums, including the IAEA. Unfortunately, our Western opponents hold a different point of view and invariably introduce politically charged attitudes into the Agency's activities. One striking example of this is the Canadian draft resolution on nuclear safety in Ukraine. Its co-authors are attempting to vest the IAEA General Conference and Board of Governors with the powers of the UN Security Council, raising issues of war and peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty, withdrawal of troops, etc. The same politicization took place in the national speeches of Western countries at the current session of the General Conference 💬 In this regard we would like to outline the Russian point of view on the role of the West in the Ukrainian tragedy 💬 After the collapse of the USSR, numerous Western governmental and non-governmental organizations actively engaged in «brainwashing» the Ukrainian population, especially the younger generation, in the spirit of loyalty to the West and hostility to Russia. Over the past 30 years, they have been quite successful in this regard, creating the preconditions for the emergence of a serious conflict situation 💬 In early 2014, Western countries actively supported the coup d'etat in Ukraine. Many probably remember how the US Deputy Secretary of State handed out pies on the maidan, encouraging the opposition to continue protests, and then in a telephone conversation with the US Ambassador in Kiev discussed who should be appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine. This is the attitude towards Ukrainian independence and sovereignty on the part of the United States 💬 At the same time, the foreign ministers of Germany, Poland and France tried to act as mediators between the legitimate authorities of Ukraine and the opposition. They took on the role of guarantors of compliance with the agreement reached between the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition. However, the opposition forces violated this agreement the very next morning, and the so-called «guarantors» simply washed their hands of it 💬 The new Ukrainian authorities immediately began to implement a policy of infringing on the rights of national minorities. The population of Crimea and Donbass resolutely opposed this, standing up to protect the rights of their families. After that, Kiev, in violation of the constitution, began a military operation against its own population in Donbass, which at that time was still part of Ukraine. Over the 8 years from 2014 to 2022, about 14 thousand people died. Among them were 150 children, a monument to whom is located on the Alley of Angels in Donetsk. All these years, Western countries have strenuously pretended that nothing alarming or terrible was happening, thereby de facto encouraging the Ukrainian authorities to continue the war against their own people 💬 At some point, an attempt was made to reach peaceful solutions. As a result of negotiations between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, the Minsk Agreements were developed. However, the Ukrainian side immediately embarked on the path of sabotaging these agreements, and Western countries provided the Ukrainian authorities with political cover, including when discussing this topic in the OSCE. The background was recently revealed by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She admitted that the purpose of developing the Minsk Agreements, in the view of the German side, was not to achieve peace, but to gain time to prepare Ukraine for a major war. Her words were soon confirmed by another participant in the Minsk negotiations, former French President François Hollande 🔗 Read in full

🗓 On September 18, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held an annual meeting in Moscow with the ambassadors of Caspian states traditionally dedicated to International Caspian Sea Day. The Parties had a keen exchange of views on a broad range of issues of multifaceted cooperation in the Caspian region and closer interaction in the five-nation format, including preparations for the upcoming regular meeting of the Caspian states’ Foreign Ministers in Turkmenistan. 🇦🇿🇮🇷🇰🇿🇷🇺🇹🇲 #CaspianStates

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov’s video address to participants in the 9th BRICS Legal Forum (Moscow, September 19, 2024) 💬 I would like to cordially greet the organisers and participants in the #BRICS Legal Forum, being held in this format for the ninth time. Over the years, the Forum has asserted itself as an influential international platform that provides professional jurists with an excellent opportunity to exchange experience and applied knowledge in the field of regulating various spheres of public life and interstate collaboration. This makes it possible to better understand the specific features of BRICS member states’ legal systems in the interests of strengthening comprehensive legal cooperation between them. I am noting with satisfaction that the Forum’s central theme, Law: Safeguarding a Fair World, meets the current agenda. It is common knowledge that countries of the US-led collective West strive to destabilise the existing system of international law and to replace it with their own pro-Western rules-based world order. For its part, Russia is firmly committed to the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection. We believe that unconditional compliance with the norms of international law is a highly important component of forging a more equitable multipolar world order heeding the cultural and civilisational diversity of nations worldwide and their sovereign right to decide their destiny. 🤝 I am delighted to note that our position enjoys the broadest support among like-minded BRICS countries and other states of the Global Majority. Your meeting has a rather packed agenda. You will discuss a wide range of topical issues, including the international justice system, the legal dimension of international trade, as well as legal aspects of sport and energy cooperation. I am confident that the Forum will take place in a constructive and creative setting, and that it will contribute to more effective legal collaboration and to charting common approaches towards the regulation of various aspects of cooperation within BRICS. I wish you productive discussions. #BRICS2024

💬The European Commission's State of the Energy Union Report 2024, as well as Mario Draghi's report on European competitiveness, utterly expose the failure of EU energy policy in recent years. ◾️ Electricity prices in Europe are now 2 to 3 times higher than in the US, and natural gas prices are 4 to 5 times higher ◾️ EU has been unable to compensate for decreased imports of Russian pipeline gas, with European LNG terminals operating at only half capacity in 2024 ◾️ Europe's industry is in decline, and the economy is stagnating amid high energy prices ◾️ EU is on track to miss its 2030 renewables and emissions targets ❗️By imposing sanctions on Russia's energy exports to Europe and global markets, EU not only undermines its own energy security and competitiveness but also poses serious risks to the sustainable development of the Global South, world economy as a whole.

🎉 On September 18, the Grand opening of the Russian Language Center at the largest higher education institution of Sri Lanka - University of Sri Jayewardenepura - took place. The project has become reality through collaboration with the Ural State University of Economics (Yekaterinburg, Russia). 💎 The center offers comprehensive almost 1-year Russian language courses. Henceforth young passionate Sri Lankans who desire to delve into the world of Russian culture can start their journey now. They can undergo these courses in order to join higher education in Russia or use the new learnt skills for their future activities in Sri Lanka. Taking into consideration the average share of Russian tourists on the ever-green island, the center graduates will definitely benefit the Sri Lankan economy with immediate effect.