Russian diplomat calls for unity against global atrocities

KARACHI: Consul General of the Russian Federation Andrey V. Fedorov, while delivering a lecture on ‘the end of World War II and the emergence of the new world order’ at the Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium of the University of Karachi on Monday, expressed that May 9, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

“A war which brought untold sorrow to humankind all over the globe, and during this terrible time, people suffered unspeakable atrocities. Everywhere in the world, this conflict was followed by genocide, war crimes, breaches of trust and morality, that is why we must learn the lessons and never let this tragedy happen again.

He mentioned that the remembrance of this Great Victory is especially sacred in his country. The people of the USSR paid the biggest sacrifice during the war against Nazism. 27 million citizens of the Soviet Union lost their lives during this War — a figure that is even hard to conceive.

He said that it is almost impossible to find even a single family that was not impacted by this event and has no ancestors who died during the Great Patriotic War, as we call it in Russia. This is why these sacrifices will always be valued and will never be forgotten by our people, despite all the attempts by different malicious forces to rewrite history.

He mentioned that unlike them, we remember and honor the efforts of our coalition partners who helped us achieve the Great Victory against Nazis. In 1941 the forces of Allies, which among others included USSR, United States and United Kingdom, had joined forces in their pursuit of defeating Nazism. They abandoned all their political and ideological differences to eradicate a scourge, an imminent evil that polluted the minds of the elites of some nations. This was the greatest example of political wisdom and responsibility, from the deficit we unfortunately suffer in the current international environment.

The Russian CG Andrev Fedorov expressed that even though the United Nations structure is not ideal by any means, and because of a rapidly changing global environment the reforms are often urged by many its representatives, including Russia, this forum has allowed us to escape the horror of a new World War for almost 80 years.

He shared that the principles of the UN Charter are the fundamental basis of the international law adopted by all UN member-states. Among them are sovereign equality of all nations; peaceful settlement of all international disputes without the impairment of the right of individual or collective self-defence; refrainment of the threat or use of force against territorial integrity or political independence of any state; and non-interference in matters which are

He informed the audience that the Russian President Vladimir Putin urged many times to restore respect for international law, for its fundamental norms and principles. According to Vladimir Putin, “the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, as it was intended initially, are supposed to serve as effective tools to reduce international tensions and prevent conflicts, as well as facilitate the provision of reliable security and wellbeing of countries and peoples”.

According to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, “the era of a unipolar world order has come to an end and there is no way around it. This era has ended despite all the attempts to maintain and preserve it at all costs”.

This trend is recognized by many countries in the world, including Pakistan, the government of which expressed the willingness to join BRICS, and we fully support this bid.

In reply to a question, the Russian CG Fedorov was of the view that the Dollar hegemony will decline soon. He reflected on the injustices perpetuated by the West over the centuries of colonization. He stressed that the Western welfare system is based on its global exploitation of other resources.

He said Russia wants to support an international order which is based on cooperation, respect for the states’ sovereignty, and mutual trust. Together, he said, we want to fight the pressing problems of our time that the world faces. These include pollution, climate sustainability, poverty, and deprivation.

“Russia is also working with the other states of the world, not European and West to bring justice and peace in Gaza.”

On Pak-Russia relations, he mentioned that they are progressing every day to a new level, and soon we would be surprised by the breakthroughs as several agreements are signed between the two countries for which negotiations are underway.