Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric

Photo: MFA

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric.

Ms Spoljaric,

We are delighted to once again welcome you in Moscow.

I would like to congratulate you one more time on your election as President of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

We have been maintaining regular contacts that go beyond the Foreign Ministry. I know that you have a packed agenda during your stay in the Russian Federation. These contacts enable us to fine-tune our interactions with an organisation that has our respect, and we want it to be even stronger.

Of course, we want the ICRC to become stronger while adhering to the principles which have been at the core of its operations from the moment it was created. These principles primarily include independence and impartiality. We appreciate the fact that the committee’s executive team has been committed to asserting these principles for many decades now.

This objective has taken on special significance in today’s world considering that our Western partners are not willing to respect the fundamental principles underpinning the ICRC’s operations, which is a huge disappointment. To put it in simple terms, they want to manipulate the committee in the pursuit of their vested political interests.

These attempts have been especially apparent in the context of the Ukraine crisis with Western countries doing everything to whitewash the Kiev regime and justify its actions, while it would not be an exaggeration to say that this regime commits flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity daily.

We are confident that your visit will include a useful discussion of the developments in Ukraine in terms of international humanitarian law.

Let me emphasise Russia’s commitment to honouring its obligations under international humanitarian law despite all odds. We do hope that you will send a similar message to your other partners.

Apart from our meeting here today, you will discuss Russia’s cooperation with the committee on humanitarian matters in its specific aspects, including the situation with prisoners and prisoner exchanges during your meetings at the Defence Ministry, and with Presidential Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova and Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.

Our cooperation with your organisation has not been limited to working on the Ukraine topic. Unfortunately, there is a growing number of humanitarian crises around the world, including in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. We stand ready to discuss your plans in this connection and what we can offer in terms of fulfilling these plans.

We will also discuss Russia’s financial support to your committee and its operations.

I am looking forward to a useful discussion and also expect your visit to the Russian Federation to help the International Committee of the Red Cross achieve its objectives.

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