MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the G20 summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro on November 18-19, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
"On November 18-19, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the next G20 summit. On the instructions of President [Vladimir Putin], Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will head our country’s delegation at the event," the diplomat said.
Zakharova noted that Lavrov is scheduled to speak on November 18 at plenary sessions addressing inequality, hunger, and poverty, as well as the reform of global institutions. Additionally, the Russian foreign minister will hold a series of bilateral talks and meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
According to Zakharova, Russia plans to announce its intention to join the Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative led by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during the G20 summit. The Russian delegation will also advocate for inclusive ideas that support sustainable development, accommodating diverse national economic models and strategies. This includes "approaches for the rational implementation of energy transitions, the maintenance of open, non-discriminatory international trade, and the creation of market mechanisms beyond the opportunistic and narrow interests of certain countries, in line with the spirit of the BRICS Kazan Summit decisions."
Zakharova stated that Russia aims to further depoliticize the G20 and condemn Western double standards, including "the West's redefinition of norms, the silence of the US and its allies regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the use of economic tools as means of confrontation, suppression of dissent, and neocolonial exploitation." She highlighted that Russia welcomes the G20’s return to issuing ministerial declarations without geopolitical biases imposed by the West.
"We plan to pay special attention to solidifying the agreements reached by the G20 foreign ministers during their meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 25 this year, which clearly outlined the direction of relevant transformations in the leaders' declaration," Zakharova added.
"We will reaffirm Russia's commitment to being a reliable supplier of food and energy to friendly nations in the global South and East, and highlight additional opportunities within President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to develop a Greater Eurasian Partnership," the diplomat stated. She added that this includes creating supply chains, logistics routes, and settlement and payment systems independent of Western influence.