TSAMTO, August 16. The opening of the X Moscow Conference on International Security took place on the basis of the training and methodological center for military-patriotic education of youth "Avangard" within the framework of the Army-2022 MIFTF.
The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, made a welcoming speech to the participants of the event: Below, S. Shoigu's speech is given in the presentation of the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
"Dear ladies and gentlemen,
I am glad to welcome you to the X Moscow Conference on International Security.
This conference is taking place in the context of a radical change in the system of global and regional security. The unconditional dominance of the United States and its allies remains in the past. On February 24, 2022, the beginning of a special military operation in Ukraine marked the end of the unipolar world.
Multipolarity has become a reality. The poles of this world were clearly marked. The main difference between them is that some respect the interests of sovereign states, take into account the cultural and historical characteristics of countries and peoples, while others neglect them. This topic was repeatedly discussed during previous meetings of the Moscow Conference.
In Europe, the security situation has become worse than at the height of the Cold War. The military activity of the alliance has acquired the most aggressive, anti-Russian orientation. Significant forces from the United States have been deployed to the continent, and the number of coalition troops in Eastern and Central Europe has increased significantly.
It is important to note that the deployment of additional formations of the united NATO armed forces on the "eastern flank" of the bloc started even before the start of a special military operation in Ukraine.
NATO has dropped its masks. The aggressive nature of the bloc has ceased to be hidden behind formulations about the exclusively defensive orientation of coalition activities. Today, the alliance's strategic planning documents enshrine claims to global dominance. The Alliance's sphere of interests includes Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the West, the established system of international relations should be replaced by the so-called rules-based world order. The logic here is simple and ultimatum. Or a candidate for the "democratic partners" of the alliance loses sovereignty and becomes allegedly on the "right side of history." Or it passes into the category of so-called authoritarian regimes, against which any measures of influence can be applied, up to forceful pressure.
Taking into account that the Conference is attended by heads of defense departments and security experts from various regions of the world, I would like to focus on some aspects of the special military operation in Ukraine.
In Ukraine, Russian servicemen are confronted by the combined forces of the West, which control the leadership of this country in a hybrid war against Russia.
Supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine are increasing, and training of personnel of the Ukrainian army is being conducted. Huge financial resources are being transferred to maintain the viability of the nationalist regime.
The actions of the armed forces of Ukraine are planned and coordinated by foreign military advisers. Intelligence is supplied from all sources of information available in NATO. The use of weapons is carried out under the control of Western experts.
NATO's efforts are aimed at prolonging the agony of the Kiev regime. At the same time, we know for sure that no one in NATO has any doubts that the goals of the special military operation set by the Russian leadership will be achieved, and plans to achieve strategic and economic weakening of Russia are failing. The dollar did not reach the ceiling of 200 rubles, as predicted by the US president, the Russian economy survived.
A special military operation has dispelled the myth of the "superweapon" that the West supplies to Ukraine and which is capable of radically changing the situation at the front. Initially, it was about the supply of Javelin anti-tank complexes, some "unique" drones. Recently, the role of superweapons has been promoted by Westerners to the role of multiple rocket launchers "Haimars" and long-range howitzers. However, these weapons are also ground in battles. They did not have a significant impact on the situation. Russian weapons, in turn, proved their best qualities in the battles.
We are carefully studying captured samples of Western weapons. We take into account the peculiarities and their specific qualities in order to improve the methods of conducting combat operations and increase the effectiveness of Russian weapons.
The supply of NATO weapons to Kiev means that the responsibility for their inhumane use, the death of civilians in the Donbas and in the liberated territories lies with Western countries. Operations of the armed forces of Ukraine are planned in Washington and London. Not only the coordinates of the targets for strikes are provided by Western intelligence, but also the input of this data into the weapon systems is carried out under the full control of Western specialists.
Kiev's role in the West's approach to the conduct of hostilities is reduced to the supply of manpower, which is considered expendable. This explains the huge losses of personnel of the armed forces and formations of territorial defense of Ukraine.
So far, the real figures of the dead servicemen and the mobilized so-called territorial defense forces are being hidden by the Kiev leadership.
However, over time, this data will become public. The testimony of the AFU prisoners of war allows us to form a real idea of what is happening on the other side of the front. The disdainful attitude towards the losses of foreign soldiers confirms the thesis that NATO pursues exclusively selfish interests in Ukraine. Obviously, the colonial experience of Great Britain as the main sponsor of the Kiev regime was very useful to London in working with the current leadership in Kiev.
Against this background, speculation is spreading in the media about the alleged impending use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons during a special military operation, or about the readiness to use chemical weapons. All these information stuffing is a lie.
From a military point of view, there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve the goals set. The main purpose of Russian nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack. Its use is limited to extraordinary circumstances, which are defined in Russian guidance documents that are open to the public.
The allegations about the possible use of chemical weapons in Ukraine are also absurd. Let me remind you that, unlike the United States, such weapons were completely destroyed in our country back in 2017 as part of the fulfillment of international obligations. At the same time, provocations using toxic substances have become the hallmark of Western-sponsored so-called public organizations like the White Helmets in Syria.
Information provocations are aimed at diverting attention from the facts discovered in Ukraine by US specialists conducting prohibited military biological research.
Currently, an impressive array of data has been accumulated, which is regularly brought to the general public. Work in this direction will continue.
The military-biological activity of the United States in Ukraine is not an exceptional fact. Laboratories controlled by the Pentagon have been established and are functioning in many countries of the post-Soviet space, in the states of Asia, Africa and Latin America. As a rule, local authorities do not have the ability to control research conducted on their territory, which creates a deadly threat to the local population. I think everyone has felt the consequences of epidemics during the struggle against the spread of coronavirus.
Separately, I would like to focus on the humanitarian aspects of the special military operation. Compliance with the Geneva Conventions on the rules of warfare has always been and remains the focus of attention of commanders at all levels. Since the beginning of the operation, relevant orders have been issued, fixing the procedure for the actions of military personnel in relation to the civilian population and prisoners of war of the enemy.
In the territories liberated from the nationalists, military personnel actively participate in the delivery of humanitarian aid, the restoration of infrastructure and the maintenance of law and order. So it was in Syria, in Nagorno-Karabakh, and so it is in the Donbas.
Productive cooperation has been established with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross on humanitarian issues. We are grateful to the managers and employees of these organizations interacting with us for constructive, depoliticized cooperation. In particular, under the auspices of the UN and with the active role of Turkey, it was possible to solve the difficult problem of grain export from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine. Specialists of the Red Cross carry out an important mediation mission in relation to captured servicemen.
Recently, NATO has initiated a new stage of expansion of the alliance by joining the military bloc of Sweden and Finland. The statement that the reason for this was the Russian special operation does not correspond to reality.
The practical rapprochement of these countries with the alliance has been going on for many years. In fact, the NORDEFCO regional association (the Committee for Northern European Defense Cooperation) is the northern branch of NATO and serves as a screen to cover the participation of these countries in joint combat training events.
Of course, the official participation of Helsinki and Stockholm in the strategic planning of NATO, the possible provision of the territory of these states for the deployment of strike weapons will change the security conditions in the Baltic region and the Arctic, will require a revision of approaches to the defense of Russian territory.
Some conclusions have already been made and fixed in the updated Maritime Doctrine approved by the President of the Russian Federation on July 31. Work in this direction will continue.
The strengthening of the NATO military grouping on the "eastern flank" completes the degradation of the confidence-building and arms control mechanisms that developed in Europe during the Cold War. A few years ago, experts suggested using the European experience to create confidence-building measures, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region. Now, of all the "baggage" of the Eurodialog, only the idea of a block confrontation is exported to Asia, which has not brought anything positive to security in Europe.
Today, no one remembers the US-destroyed Anti-Missile Defense Treaty, the Treaty on the Limitation of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, the Open Skies Treaty. Although previously these agreements were of fundamental importance for disarmament and the creation of an atmosphere of trust.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which was conceived as a platform for dialogue and consideration of various opinions, has become a generator of anti-Russian narratives.
The Vienna Document of 2011 formally remains in force, but prospects for its practical implementation are not visible. In the absence of trust between the parties, the verification mechanism actually turns into a source of intelligence information, which does not meet the spirit of this agreement.
A difficult situation is also developing with regard to the Treaty on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The agreement remains in force until 2026. On the Russian side, the obligations are fulfilled, the declared levels of carriers and warheads are maintained within the established limits.
US statements that Russia should earn the right to continue dialogue with the United States do not stand up to criticism. Arms control is a two–way street.
The result is achievable only if the balance of interests and interest of all participants is observed. I believe that the Russian experience of cooperation with the West in the field of disarmament shows that the so-called rules-based peace promoted by it does not imply the fulfillment of contractual obligations in the traditional sense. This fact should be taken into account when concluding agreements, especially in the field of security and arms control.
The West's opposition to the strengthening of a multipolar world, along with Europe, is most actively implemented in the Asia-Pacific region, where the United States has begun the collapse of the existing system of regional cooperation based on ASEAN. The beginning of this was the announcement by the USA, Australia and the UK of the AUCUS initiative. Plans to expand this partnership and connect new regional partners to it are not hidden. The AUCUS is merging with NATO, which, in turn, at the June summit declared its claim to a dominant role in the Asia-Pacific region. And this is despite the fact that all NATO countries are thousands of miles away from this region.
On August 2, the Russian Federation celebrated the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's entry into the war with Japan, the reason for which was Tokyo's militaristic policy. The defeat of the Japanese troops in the Far East actually consolidated the end of World War II, gave impetus to the liberation of the peoples of Asia from colonial oppression. The help of the USSR was of key importance in this case. We remember and are proud of the legacy of our ancestors, including those who laid the foundation for military cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Another dangerous regional trend is the focus of AUCUS on the development of a nuclear submarine fleet in Australia. The implementation of this plan will have a complex negative impact on global and regional security, will create conditions for undermining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The US claims that nuclear submarines are needed in Australia, ostensibly to compensate for the growing potential of the Chinese Navy. This logic actually repeats the actions of the United States in justifying their withdrawal from the Treaty on Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles. The destruction of this agreement was also motivated by the need to compensate for the efforts of Russia and China to create missiles with a flight range allegedly prohibited by the treaty.
In the global dimension, the appearance of a nuclear fleet in Australia will give other states a reason to start developing similar weapons. Pandora's box will be opened, the global nuclear arms race will resume.
The AUCUS association has the potential to grow into a military-political union. It cannot be ruled out that the NATO developments on joint nuclear planning and joint nuclear training of the "allies" will be transferred to this region. The technical basis for this is already being laid by the active promotion of American-made aviation equipment. The participation of nuclear and non-nuclear States in joint exercises on the use of nuclear weapons contradicts the obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Transferring the practice of nuclear training from Europe will blow up the region.
Although it can be assumed that this is the goal set by the United States. The provocative landing in Taiwan of a third person of the American bureaucratic hierarchy is another step towards destabilizing the situation.
Blockless, equal interaction in the region is an achievement that should not be lost due to externally imposed phobias and attempts to counteract the multipolar world.
Mechanisms of interaction and dialogue with non-regional partners have been created and confirm their relevance and effectiveness. First of all, this is a meeting of the Defense Ministers of the ASEAN countries and partners, the so-called "SMA-plus" format. The diverse activities of this association are focused on solving relevant security issues for the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition, there is a positive experience of cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the implementation of mutually beneficial projects on a bilateral basis.
As before, we are ready to share the experience of combat training, in particular during the strategic exercise "Vostok-2022", which will be held in the near future.
Despite significant successes in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East, the threat of revenge from international terrorist associations persists. The Syrian military, in cooperation with allies and partners and with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, continue to suppress surges of terrorist activity. We see a particular danger in using the Kurdish factor to sway the situation in Syria.
The interaction of the guarantor countries in the Astana format remains in fact the only legal and effective mechanism for solving security problems in Syria. We welcome the expansion of cooperation between the Syrian leadership and the Arab world. Overcoming the contradictions created by outside forces is possible and necessary.
The role of the military in building trust between countries is an important element for finding political solutions. We hope that the Moscow Conference will become one of the unifying platforms for stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.
After the rapid withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the situation in the Central Asian region remains extremely tense. The new leadership of Afghanistan is facing serious military and economic difficulties. The legacy of the twenty-year presence of alliance troops is disappointing. As a result, a high level of terrorist danger remains in the region.
The security problems of Central Asia can be solved only by coordinated actions of all interested countries and international organizations. For our part, we will continue to support the allies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in increasing the potential of the national armed forces.
It is important to keep the topic of Afghanistan on the agenda of discussions of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Russia, China, India, Iran and Pakistan together could make a significant contribution not only to the stabilization of the region, but also to prevent the threat from spreading beyond its borders.
The security of each region, despite the general trends of the multipolar world, has its own characteristics.
For Africa, the specificity lies in the desire of the countries of the collective West to return the order and rules of interaction characteristic of the colonial period. Neocolonialism is imposed through military pressure on the governments of sovereign countries, support for separatist and terrorist movements. An example is Libya, where statehood has not yet been restored after the NATO invasion. Another example is the situation in West Africa, where European troops were deployed under the pretext of fighting terrorism. For decades, these EU missions have been fighting terrorists, training national security forces, until they recognized the complete fiasco of their own efforts.
I would like to note that the Governments and leaders of African countries are, as they say, "holding the blow", pursuing their own line on independence, strengthening sovereignty, developing the economy and defense capability in a multipolar world.
The Russian Defense Ministry seeks to expand cooperation with African countries in the field of military and military-technical cooperation. There has been a significant increase in interest in the participation of national teams and delegations from Africa in the Army International Games and the Army Forum. It is very gratifying that prominent military leaders of friendly States – Burundi, the Republic of Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Sudan, Uganda, Chad, Ethiopia, and the Republic of South Africa - are present in this Hall today. We appreciate your support and intend to increase cooperation on mutually beneficial projects.
Today Latin America is facing serious security challenges due to the desire of Americans to maintain influence in the region in accordance with the provisions of the so-called Monroe doctrine. Liberal values, to which the United States views adherence as consent to live in a world based on its rules, actually mask the true goal – to increase the military presence, thereby blocking the possibility of sovereign development of states.
The US policy is aimed at curbing the interaction of the countries of the region with any other pole of power beyond Washington's control. The purpose of this policy is to draw the region into a confrontation with Russia and China, destroy traditional ties, block new forms of cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres.
Anti-Russian information campaigns are being launched in Latin America, the truth about the causes and course of the special military operation in Ukraine is being hidden. Analogies with the actions of Great Britain during the conflict in the Malvinas Islands suggest themselves. What is happening in the information sphere of the West today with the coverage of the Russian special military operation also happened when the mass media broadcast only one point of view in chorus – the opinion of London.
The question arises: does such a policy meet the fundamental interests of the countries of the region? The answer is clear – no. We hope that during the discussion at the conference we will hear assessments of the situation in Latin America, as they say, "from the ground" – from our partners from Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The X Moscow Conference on International Security is of particular importance for the Russian Defense Ministry as the organizer of the forum for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the conference is taking place during the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine. Despite the attempts of the United States and NATO to isolate Russia once again, your participation in the forum serves as a visible confirmation that these plans have failed. We appreciate your support.
Secondly, the multipolar world is the reality of today. The transition from the dominance of one global leader to several centers of attraction is not easy. However, this creates real conditions for the development of sovereign States.
Thirdly, the role of military departments is changing in the new realities. The military not only guarantees safe conditions for economic development, but through military cooperation they form predictability and trust between countries.
And finally, this Conference is the tenth anniversary, which allows us to conduct a review of what has been done over the years. It is important to trace how the priorities of the discussions have changed, what conclusions and recommendations made at the forum in different years have been implemented. A short historical review prepared by Russian experts, you can view on the monitors in between the plenary sessions.
I wish you all good health, interesting contacts and discussions during your stay in Moscow.
Thank you for your attention," the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergei Shoigu, concluded his speech.