PRESS RELEASE
Lavrov’s UN Speech Highlights Trump’s Statement on National Sovereignty
Sept. 22, 2017 (EIRNS)—In his speech before the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking as leader of the Russian delegation in the absence of the Russian President, highlighted, very much in the beginning of his remarks,, U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion of the importance of the principle of national sovereignty.
As posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Lavrov opened his address by referring to the Resolution passed by the General Assembly on "Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order," which
"clearly stipulated the inadmissibility of interference in internal affairs of sovereign states, non-recognition of coups d’état as a method of change of power, and the need to exclude from the international communication the attempts of unlawful pressure by certain states on others, including exterritorial application of national jurisdiction."
This basically served as an introduction to the Russian Foreign Minister’s highlighting Trump’s defense of national sovereignty:
"Nevertheless, the world keeps changing. It is gratifying to note, as the U.S. President Donald Trump unequivocally stated from this podium last Tuesday, that it is important to comply with the principles of sovereignty in international affairs; it is necessary to ensure leadership by example, and not impose one’s will on other nations; the countries with different values, cultural patterns, and aspirations cannot only coexist, but also work hand-in-hand on the basis of mutual respect. I believe that anyone can sign under these words, especially if the U.S. foreign policy is conducted precisely on this basis."
Lavrov reiterated Russia’s well-known foreign policy concerns. Of note was his slamming NATO:
"NATO aspires to recreate the Cold War climate, and refuses to bring to life the principle of equal and indivisible security across the OSCE area, solemnly declared in the 1990s.... For the last quarter of a century, Russia, no matter the challenges it faced, made in good faith its part of the way to eliminate the legacy of the Cold War, [and] has done a lot to strengthen confidence and mutual understanding in the Euro-Atlantic region and the world....
"This, however, has not been reciprocated by our Western partners, overexcited by the illusion of the ’end of history’ and still trying to accommodate rudimentary institutions of the bloc-to-bloc confrontation era to the modern day realities. The West, in its turn, structured its policy according to the principle of "who’s not with us, is against us," and has chosen "the path of reckless eastward NATO expansion and provoking instability in the post-Soviet space and encouraging anti-Russian sentiments."
On Ukraine, he presented President Vladimir Putin’s proposal
"to establish the UN Mission for the Protection of OSCE observers in Donbass. A relevant draft resolution has been tabled [presented] in the UN Security Council" and he expressed hope that "it will facilitate the settlement of the internal Ukrainian crisis that broke out as a result of the anti-constitutional coup perpetrated by the ultra-radicals. We are looking forward to constructive interaction on those issues with our European and U.S. partners, without zero-sum games."
Slamming the neo-Nazis, presumably in Ukraine and the Baltic states, Lavrov said,
"It is an outrage to use one’s concern for freedom of expression as an excuse to condone radical movements that profess neo-Nazi ideology and stand up for heroization of Nazis and their associates. Consistent efforts are required to put a secure shield against neo-Nazism, revanchism, extremism and xenophobia, and enhance international and intercultural harmony.... We deem it necessary to pay without delay priority attention to this issue at the UN General Assembly and UNESCO, in order to provide for a corresponding legal framework to prevent of such actions. Russia intends to submit relevant proposals."
Also of note is what Lavrov said on Iran: "Today, the world is watching with alarm as the U.S. imposes yet a new set of restrictions against Iran which, on top of all, are exterritorial in nature and threaten the realization of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that became one of the key factors of international and regional stability."
And on the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, he again stressed that relevant UN resolutions,
"all of them, along with sanctions, contain provisions on the need to resume talks. We launch an appeal to stop blocking these provisions. There is no alternative to the political and diplomatic methods of addressing the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula based on dialogue among all interested parties. We call on responsible members of international community to support the Russia-China roadmap contained in the joint statement of 4 July, made by the Foreign Ministries of Russia and China."
