PRESS RELEASES AND NEWS
22.02.2022
Embassy comment on the introduction of UK sanctions against Russia, 22 February 2022As a result of the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) by the Russian Federation, the UK Foreign Office issued a strong protest while the UK government announced a package of unilateral sanctions, which are illegal in terms of international law.
Over the course of the past several months, we have witnessed an escalation of anti-Russian hysteria in the British media, a targeted shaping of the image of an aggressive Russia in the eyes of the British public and international community.
At the same time, neither the British government, nor mass media payed any attention to the fact that for many years the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been living under fire, with thousands dead and tens of thousands wounded. London couldn’t care less when Donbass was living under full transport and economic blockade, suspension of social benefits and pension payments.
The decision to recognise DPR and LPR was made on humanitarian grounds and with a view to protect the civilians, including hundreds of thousands of Russian nationals, from the real threat to their lives and safety posed by the current Ukrainian regime, which persists in its attempts to resolve the «Donbass issue» by force.
We have no illusions with regard to the focus of efforts by the British diplomacy, designed within a narrow circle of like-minded partners. London has little interest in resolving the crisis in Ukraine, instead being more keen to score political points with racking-up tensions. It’s no secret to us either, that the British sanctions against our country would have been introduced in any case. This understanding is supported by the demands of the UK Foreign Office to withdraw the Russian troops from Donetsk and Lugansk, when it is well known that they have not entered those territories.
22 February 2022, 17:00
LATEST EVENTS
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Today, on the 14th anniversary of the beginning of Georgia’s military aggression against the people of South Ossetia and the Russian peacekeepers of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces in the zone of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, we yet again pay the tribute to the memory of the victims of that treacherous attack and to the courage of those who sacrificed their lives to save the South Ossetian people from extirpation.
Right during our meeting, alarming information is coming about the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP. Just two hours ago, the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the Zaporozhye NPP with large-caliber artillery. The shells hit the facility distributing electricity to the plant, which is fraught with the risk of its blackout.There is a fire in the area of the shelling as pipelines were damaged.
Nuclear disarmament is at the forefront of the international agenda. Despite visible progress in strategic arms reduction, the nuclear powers are accused of almost sabotaging their disarmament obligations. We cannot agree with this interpretation, at least with regard to the Russian Federation.
We held a Russia-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting. This is an annual event. We reviewed the implementation of the agreements reached at the Russia-ASEAN summit in the autumn of 2021 held via videoconference. The summit adopted an important document – the Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) to implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Russian Federation strategic partnership (2021–2025).
We held good talks with our colleagues from Myanmar. This year, we have intensively developed contacts in all areas. Our mechanisms for cooperation include the trade, economic, military, military-technical, humanitarian and education fields.
In over half a century of its existence, the Treaty has become a key element of the international system of security and strategic stability. The obligations stipulated by the Treaty in the areas of non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy fully serve the interests of nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states alike.
In response to the British government’s expanding list of personal sanctions on the leading representatives of Russia’s social and political circles, business and the media, Russia has included the British politicians, journalists, and businesspeople, who promote London’s hostile policy aimed at demonising Russia and isolating it internationally, on the Russian “stop list.”
Ambassador Prystaiko has claimed that Russia “should return at least a third” of its properties abroad, which date back to USSR times, including its properties in the UK. It is important to point out that such claims by Ukrainian officials have no basis in international law.
The agenda of the meeting focused on preparations for the meeting of the SCO Heads of States Council to be held in Samarkand in September. The summit is to consider the state of multilateral cooperation and prospects for its further development, and identify priorities and practical measures to step up SCO’s activities at the current stage. Particular attention will be paid to the enhancement of the organisation's role in world affairs in the light of the current geopolitical realities.
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