MOSCOW, February 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s responsibility for ensuring peace and security increases amidst fuelling inter-civilised and inter-religious contradictions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
“The world is becoming more competitive. We’re concerned over turbulence in several areas on the planet and the attempts to use force in order to resolve different issues,” Lavrov said on Diplomats’ Day.
“Thus, Russia’s responsibility for ensuring peace and security on the planet increases considerably. Simultaneously, the demand on our weighty responsible policy, which is based on the solid base of international law, and the need to promote fairness and democracy in international relations continues to grown,” the minister said.
The Foreign Ministry is guided by the concept of Russia’s foreign policy that was approved by President Vladimir Putin and his decree of May 7, 2012. “Based on these documents jointly with our partners we succeeded in achieving positive results in key directions of world politics last year,” he said.
“We’re trying to continue the traditions of our predecessors and do everything possible in order to create favourable and safe external conditions for the dynamical development of the country, for its social and economic growth and prosperity of Russian citizens,” Lavrov said.
“Any problems should be solved by compromise based on the balance of interests. This is the corner stone of our foreign policy. We promote it and it involves more and more supporters,” the minister said.
He mentioned a famous phrase: “The success of external policy depends on the success of internal development. Today there is no sphere that would not be subject of international discussions. This is the priority task because foreign policy regards any issues: social, economic, humanitarian issues, the climate change, the environmental protection, information technology influencing states’ actions to promote the interests on the international arena, Arctic problems and space. These are issues where the states promote their interests and compete for influence”.
February 10 was chosen as Diplomats’ Day because the first embassy was set up under the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1549. “This is a kind of jubilee - the 465th anniversary of our state’s diplomacy,” Lavrov said.
Putin decreed the holiday in 2002 as the recognition of the merit of the generations of Russian diplomats and their contribution to ensuring Russia’s national interests, the minister said.