Russiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 3 May 2023Lavrov Leads Russia’s Delegation At G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting In Atlanta
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Lavrov travels to Atlanta to lead Russia's delegation at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Meeting scheduled for October 30–31 in Atlanta.
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Lavrov heads to Atlanta
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the United States to lead Russia’s delegation at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta on 30-31 October, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Zakharova framed the trip as an effort to use the meeting to “promote Russian ideas aimed at strengthening the foundations of a multipolar world.” The United States holds the G20 presidency this year, and the meeting in Atlanta is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, according to the accounts describing the trip.
“‘The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry will lead our delegation at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said Lavrov would take the anti-sanctions message to the G20 meeting in the United States, with Moscow saying he would argue against international sanctions. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that “the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry will lead our delegation at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,” tying the Atlanta trip to Russia’s role in the forum.
Sanctions, visas, and access
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it encountered “difficulties with accreditation and the issuance of visas” for the Atlanta trip, while Zakharova described the issues as resolved “at the last moment.” Zakharova said, “One got the impression that not everyone in Washington is happy about the planned visit of the Russian delegation,” describing the visa process as uneven. The United States issued visas to journalists who would accompany Lavrov during his visit to Atlanta, and the report said Russian journalists received US visas without travel restrictions.
APA’s Moscow bureau reported that the United States issued visas to journalists accompanying Lavrov, while El País reported that the State Department had not immediately responded to a request for comment on a possible sanctions exemption. El País also quoted Marco Rubio saying, “To resolve problems, you have to meet with people you don’t agree with,” placing Lavrov’s travel in a broader context of Washington and Moscow contacts.
What Russia says it will do
Moscow said Lavrov would use his speech at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting to lay out Russia’s “vision of the main catalysts of international tensions,” according to the Russian foreign ministry statement. The foreign ministry said Lavrov would also slam “the use of economic ‘weapons’ against opponents, including sanctions, trade wars, and the disruption of supply chains,” as part of Russia’s argument at the forum. The Russian Foreign Ministry said preparations for the ministerial meeting “had not gone smoothly,” and it linked the difficulties to US “bureaucratic red tape” and problems with visas.
The accounts also placed the Atlanta meeting ahead of fresh talks next month between officials from Moscow, Kyiv and Washington on trying to broker an end to the Ukraine war. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was working with the US side to remove “all such artificial restrictions,” including in the context of preparations for the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami on December 14-15.