Leonid Slutsky: “How will the 76th session of the UN General Assembly be remembered? The main topics of the general political discussion were the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, climate problems, the situation in Afghanistan and the prevention of the spread of international terrorism.
The question of the effectiveness of the UN was also raised again. History, according to the classics, repeated itself twice: once almost in the form of a tragedy (which would have happened if the UN had taken the path of American reform proposals), and another time in the form of a farce. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to call the main international organization “a retired superhero who was forgotten and who is now old and weak.” What, in his opinion, was the UN guilty of? In particular, that does not pay due attention to the “Crimean Platform”, which should work, Zelensky is sure, “under the auspices of the UN.”
And this, in his opinion, will be more important than the problems of climate change on the planet and environmental protection. Mr. Zelensky’s speech to a half-empty audience reminded one of the fables of Ivan Sergeevich Krylov. Guess which one.
A completely different attitude to the work of the UN and the Security Council was demonstrated during the speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov. He spoke out categorically against the division of the world into “us” and “foes”, which is actively imposed by the West. The “rule-based order” is dangerous because of the recurrence of “bloc politics” and the substitution of “the rule of law” for the “right of force”. It is important not to allow a slide into a new “cold war”, and the role of the UN here is of great importance.
Here are the main topics of the head of the Russian delegation:
Afghanistan. It is necessary to avoid the politicization of humanitarian aid and to promote the formation of broad representation of the authorities, including the success of the country’s political forces. Russia, Lavrov added, is constructively participating in the advancement of an Afghan settlement through the “expanded troika” in Afghanistan (Russia, the United States, China, Pakistan) and the “Moscow format”.
UN. The UN Security Council needs to adapt to the realities of polycentricity by expanding it with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the minister said. It is time to learn from the dangerous consequences of the policy of undermining the UN-centered architecture that was formed in the wake of the Second World War and has more than once served as a reliable insurance against catastrophic scenarios.
Internet. Among the new global challenges and threats, Lavrov named the intention of individual states to militarize cyberspace. Russia’s initiatives on the development of uniform standards of responsible behavior of states in the use of ICT and on the preparation of a universal convention on the fight against cybercrime do not lose their relevance.
Coronavirus. COVID-19 is our common enemy. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry called for mutual recognition of vaccines approved at the national level.
Strategic stability. Lavrov said that reaching mutually acceptable solutions in the dialogue with the United States on strategic stability is real if there is goodwill. The second round of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States on strategic stability will take place next week in Geneva, he confirmed. And Russia is still awaiting a reaction from NATO members to the proposal for a moratorium on the deployment of ground-based intermediate and shorter-range missiles.
What do we expect from the USA. Russia expects not only that the United States will stop “remaking other countries”, as President Biden spoke about in his speech, but also the next step – not only rejecting the use of force, but also from any other methods of imposing its development model. “
