Widespread violations of the principle of the equality of states are the cause of crises and conflicts, Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, told the General Assembly on Saturday. Mr Lavrov added that the founding principles of the UN are as relevant as ever in today's "age of multipolarity."
The veteran politician declared that the principle has repeatedly been flouted by western countries, citing the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition and NATO's military operation in Libya.
"The root of the problem lies in the incessant attempts to divide the world into us and them, into democracy and autocracy, into a blooming garden and a jungle, those who are at the table and those who are on the menu."
Recognition of Palestine: 'Why did they wait so long?'
Turning to Palestine, Mr. Lavrov condemned Israel's use of force against Palestinians and countries in the Gulf which, he said, threatens to "blow up the entire Middle East." He declared that there is no justification for the "collective punishment of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."
As for the recent decision by several Western governments to recognise the state of Palestine, Mr. Lavrov wondered aloud why it had taken them so long (Russia, as part of the Soviet Union, recognised Palestine in 1988), and speculated that they had hoped there would be nothing left to recognise by the time they assembled at the General Assembly high-level week.
West 'sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions'
On Friday, an attempt by Russia and China to extend sanction relief to Iran under a 2015 nuclear deal failed to receive enough votes in the Security Council . Mr. Lavrov claimed that the vote showed that the West has a policy of "sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council " and a desire to "extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure."
Sanctions, continued the minister, are used to "suppress and intimidate competitors in the global economy and politics." He called for Cuban sanctions to be lifted and expressed Russia's solidarity with the people of Venezuela in the face of external sanctions.
Security Council resolutions are being flouted in the Balkans, claimed Mr. Lavrov, citing the unilateral recognition of Kosovo which, he said, was contrary to Resolution 1244 .
Europe 'obsessed with the goal of inflicting a defeat on Russia'
On the subject of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Lavrov justified the ongoing war by claiming that the country is run by a regime which "seized power as a result of an anti-constitutional coup organised by the West in 2014," set out to eliminate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and eradicated the Russian language in education, culture and the media.
Mr. Lavrov claimed that Russia is open to negotiations on "eliminating the root causes of the conflict," as long as the country's interests are guaranteed, and the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in Ukraine are restored.
Moscow, said Mr. Lavrov, has no intention of attacking European Union and NATO countries, despite countries in these blocs "telling their voters that war with Russia is inevitable."
The Russian minister was more positive about the state of US relations, expressing hope that the dialogue begun in Alaska will lead to a resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and develop pragmatic cooperation.
Call for an International Day for the Elimination of Colonialisation
This December marks the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the General Assembly declaration on the granting of independence to colonial peoples and countries. Mr. Lavrov noted the leading role played by the Soviet Union in this process and compared the desire of African and Asian people to live independently to those in Crimea and the Donbas who "refused to submit to the Kyiv Neo-Nazi regime that had illegally seized power" in 2014.
Russia, he said, is calling for a decision to declare the 14th of December the International Day for the Elimination of Colonialisation.
Do not allow a 'palace coup' at the UN
The current balance of global power, argued Mr. Lavrov, is not being reflected at the United Nations, which is why Russia supports the Brazil and India's applications for permanent seats on the Security Council, and Secretary-General António Guterres 's proposed reform of the UN.
The Secretariat, he added, must fairly represent the countries of the world and
"attempts at a palace coup, its privatisation by a small group of countries, must not be allowed."
Russia, noted Mr. Lavrov, looks forward to a constructive discussion of the organisation's development at a special meeting of the Security Council which Russia, as President, plans to organise on United Nations Day on the 24th of October.
'Nazism is rearing its head'
More and more countries, asserted the Foreign Minister, are becoming involved in "confrontational schemes." He claimed that NATO is attempting to surround the whole of Eurasia with a "military ring."
Nazism, he added, is "rearing its head in Europe," and militarisation is gaining momentum, with politicians in some EU and NATO countries talking about a Third World War as a likely scenario.
He insisted that Russia is not agitating for revolution in any country and is simply calling on Member States and the UN Secretariat's leadership to "strictly adhere to all of the principles of the UN Charter , without exception, without double standard."
