UN Secretary-General visits Russia
On May 16-19 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Russia. Soon after his arrival in Moscow he left for the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where on the next day he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
21 May 2013
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“It’s a great honour for me to visit this place. It’s my first visit to Sochi. While coming here, I was very impressed by this magnificent setting. I sincerely hope that while you are receiving here many world leaders, this wonderful setting will inspire many good discussions in advancing world peace, security, and sustainable development for all,” Ban Ki-moon said at his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The Russian leader said he “is very happy to see the Secretary-General of the organisation that Russia and its partners established together after the end of World War II. Today, as permanent members of the Security Council, we continue to uphold the United Nation’s central role in international affairs.”
The UN Secretary-General welcomed the agreement between Russia and the United States to hold an international conference on Syria that would help the Syrian sides to implement the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012, envisaging the formation of a transitional government which will have the full executive power. The United Nations and the Russian government agreed that a political solution reached through negotiations is the only opportunity to end the crisis, Ban Ki-moon said after the talks with Sergei Lavrov and called for holding an international conference on Syria as soon as possible.
The sides also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and North Korea, the upcoming G20 summit and the Winter Olympic Games. The UN Secretary-General expressed the hope that the Olympic Games in Sochi would contribute to peace and development.
“I hope your government will strive to work with the United Nations General Assembly to pass this Olympic truce resolution,” the UN head said. He also expressed gratitude for Russia’s focus on preparing and hosting the Paralympic Winter Games.
Within the framework of the meetings in Sochi the UN Secretary-General saw a presentation of the Black Sea Box project, an environmental education kit for schoolchildren, which is jointly implemented by Coca-Cola and the UNDP.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti in Moscow. He talked with the RIA Novosti staff and visited the editorial office of The Moscow News newspaper. Ban Ki-moon also took part in a talk-show that discussed the problem of autism and the media’s social responsibility.
Before his departure, the UN head visited the peacekeepers’ training centre under the Russian Institute for Advanced Training of Interior Ministry Personnel in Domodedovo, outside Moscow, where he talked with its teachers and students. Under the agreement between Russia and the United Nations, since 1998 the centre in Domodedovo has been training personnel for UN peacekeeping operations. According to estimates, over the past 30 years Russia has trained and sent to the world’s hot spots around 20,000 professional peacekeepers.
The Russian leader said he “is very happy to see the Secretary-General of the organisation that Russia and its partners established together after the end of World War II. Today, as permanent members of the Security Council, we continue to uphold the United Nation’s central role in international affairs.”
The UN Secretary-General welcomed the agreement between Russia and the United States to hold an international conference on Syria that would help the Syrian sides to implement the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012, envisaging the formation of a transitional government which will have the full executive power. The United Nations and the Russian government agreed that a political solution reached through negotiations is the only opportunity to end the crisis, Ban Ki-moon said after the talks with Sergei Lavrov and called for holding an international conference on Syria as soon as possible.
The sides also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and North Korea, the upcoming G20 summit and the Winter Olympic Games. The UN Secretary-General expressed the hope that the Olympic Games in Sochi would contribute to peace and development.
“I hope your government will strive to work with the United Nations General Assembly to pass this Olympic truce resolution,” the UN head said. He also expressed gratitude for Russia’s focus on preparing and hosting the Paralympic Winter Games.
Within the framework of the meetings in Sochi the UN Secretary-General saw a presentation of the Black Sea Box project, an environmental education kit for schoolchildren, which is jointly implemented by Coca-Cola and the UNDP.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti in Moscow. He talked with the RIA Novosti staff and visited the editorial office of The Moscow News newspaper. Ban Ki-moon also took part in a talk-show that discussed the problem of autism and the media’s social responsibility.
Before his departure, the UN head visited the peacekeepers’ training centre under the Russian Institute for Advanced Training of Interior Ministry Personnel in Domodedovo, outside Moscow, where he talked with its teachers and students. Under the agreement between Russia and the United Nations, since 1998 the centre in Domodedovo has been training personnel for UN peacekeeping operations. According to estimates, over the past 30 years Russia has trained and sent to the world’s hot spots around 20,000 professional peacekeepers.