Russia - Q&A - (02 Feb. 2022)

Q : Yesterday, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry published a statement that indicates that the ministry is expecting a quick response to Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov’s January 28th message to the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the United States, Canada and several European countries.

In his message, Mr. Lavrov indicated that Russia is deeply concerned by the rising political and military tensions in the immediate vicinity of its western borders. Among other matters, he raised the issue of the implementation of the OSCE agreements on the indivisibility of security, which were signed in Istanbul in 1999 and in Astana in 2010. Enshrined in this principle of the indivisibility of security is states’ agreement not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of other states.
Did France receive this message? Can we expect a France-level response from Paris in the near future? What is France’s attitude with regards to compliance with the principle of the indivisibility of security?

A : France has taken note of the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister’s letter and the assessment shared by President Putin at his February 2nd press conference. France intends to pursue a dialogue based on the proposals that were written and submitted to Russia on January 26. President Macron had the opportunity to discuss this with President Putin when they spoke on January 28 and 31.