By Aleksei Novikov

June 12 is celebrated as Russian Day recalling the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation on June 12, 1990. It marks a new chapter in our country’s glorious and complex history— full of renewal, self-determination and forward-looking development.

Russia is a land of huge diversity—geographical, cultural, ethnical and spiritual. Spread from the vast Siberian plains to the historic streets of Saint Petersburg, the vibrant life of Moscow and the sandy coasts of Crimea, our heritage spans centuries of scientific innovations, cultural brilliance and human courage. This diversity helps Russia to ensure that hundreds of ethnic and religious groups live in unity and solidarity as well as to maintain cordial relations with other peace-loving nations.

The Day also reflects on the values we share with the countries of the Global South and East: respect for equal rights, traditions and constructive international cooperation.

At a time when the world faces many challenges—from climate change to economic shakes —Russia continues to believe in the importance of multilateral system and peaceful interaction. And we are glad to see that most of the countries, including Nepal with its long tradition of peace diplomacy and dialogue, share this outlook.

Currently, a special military operation is underway for demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. I want to stress that Russia has consistently – both in the years preceding the special military operation and after it started – proposed and continues to do so, that the Ukrainian side settle all issues through dialogue and diplomacy.

Talks are better than war. But we remain deeply convinced that for success the fundamental causes of this conflict must be removed, as President of Russia Vladimir Putin has said.

One such reason is that tens of millions of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine were deprived by Kiev of their right to their mother tongue, traditions, culture, faith, history and finally the memory of their parents and grand parents who inhabited these lands for centuries, founded cities and industries, built ports and developed these territories. The Kiev regime got to the point where it destroys the monuments of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War who liberated Ukraine and then Europe from the Nazi plague. Shamefully some other European countries are following suit.

There is another equally critical root cause of the operation.

This concerns the constant efforts to drag Ukraine into NATO. The conflict in Ukraine is the result of NATO’s aggressive expansion towards the east over decades that directly contradicts the pledges by American and European leaders to both Soviet and Russian leadership regarding NATO’s non-expansion.

When we challenged our Western counterparts about their violation of the commitments made by their presidents and prime ministers, their response was, that it had been only a political declaration. This demonstrates the hypocrisy and dishonesty that we have to confront.

Naturally, we were compelled to respond. We have made repeated efforts to negotiate an agreement on equal security, in order to fix this principle formally. However, the West refused. Our most recent attempt was made in December 2021. This left us with no alternative but to defend the legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation and the Russian-speaking population whom we had no right to leave in the hands of the Kiev regime.

The sponsors of this regime attempted to isolate Russia, which brought insecurity to global food, energy and fertilizers market. Today we clearly see how dangerous and useless these efforts were.

In this regard, I would like to praise the warm and enduring relations between Russia and Nepal, built on mutual respect, traditional friendship and non-interference. Our diplomatic ties date back to 1956, and for nearly seven decades, our nations have enjoyed a partnership based on goodwill and people-to-people contacts.

More than 7 thousand Nepali students have studied in Russian universities—many of them becoming leading figures in medicine, engineering, education and diplomacy. We are proud of this educational cooperation and we are committed to strengthening it further in the years to come. Today, we also see growing collaboration in energy, science, culture and tourism—areas where both Russia and Nepal have much to offer the world.

We deeply admire Nepal’s rich cultural heritage, its spiritual depth and the greatness of its people. As you continue on your journey of social and economic development, Russia remains a friend and a willing partner.

Excerpts of the speech delivered by Russian Ambassador Aleksei Novikov on the occasion of the Russian Day in Kathmandu recently.