Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the Plenary Session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on countering terrorism, digital transformation, humanitarian assistance and disaster risk reduction
New Delhi, March 2, 2023
Since 2014, a new and e
ver-growing hotbed of extremism has emerged in Ukraine.
We are convinced that
renouncing double standards and hidden agendas is critical for responding to the terrorist threat. Efforts to eradicate this absolute evil cannot be made hostage to momentary considerations and bloc-based approaches.
The global economy currently finds itself at the nexus of several
major challenges.
Many of them are geopolitical in nature or are exacerbated by international confrontation. In particular, this concerns the pressing topics on the agenda of the Indian Presidency: terrorism, drug trafficking and natural disasters.
The surge in terrorism has been largely attributable to
Western interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states. Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan suffered from armed ventures and neo-colonial aspirations, which undermined their statehood, with terrorist groups on the loose, the growing threat of drug trafficking, impoverishment of the people and the deterioration of human rights.
Over the past years, Russia helped more than
110 countries, primarily in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, to overcome natural disasters. We also provided
over $270 million to international humanitarian structures to this effect.
The rapid development of ICT and the accelerating pace of digital transformation create substantial risks.
Russia was the first country to suggest drafting an
international convention on fighting cybercrime within the UN. In 2019, Russia initiated and co-sponsored with 47 other countries a UN General Assembly resolution to launch the relevant negotiating process, which is now entering a practical phase.
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