Welcome addresses

Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

I cordially welcome the organizers and participants of the World Public Assembly "New World, Conscious Unity". First of all, I would like to note the great organizational work done by the International Union of Non-Governmental Organizations "World Peoples Assembly" under the leadership of Andrey Yuryevich Belyaninov to implement such a large-scale undertaking. Your events are a vivid example of the relevance of public and people’s diplomacy.

I am pleased to note that representatives of many countries of the Global South and East have gathered here. Wherever you live, whatever civilizations, cultures, and faiths you belong to, all of you, friends, are united by a firm commitment to unsuitable spiritual and moral values such as patriotism, family, and respect for your own origins and roots.

In today’s turbulent world, such a combination of efforts to strengthen trust and mutual understanding on the world stage deserves deep respect and worldwide support. The program of your event has a rich character. A wide range of issues will be discussed, from global politics, including in its regional aspects, to cooperation in the field of culture.

I would like to emphasize the attention that you have in mind to pay to the lessons of the Second World War and to the preservation of historical memory in general. I am sure that your meeting will be held in a friendly, informal manner, and will allow us to establish mutually beneficial contacts and take promising initiatives in the interests of building mutually respectful international humanitarian cooperation and expanding people-to-people contacts.

I wish you interesting discussions and all the best.