Activites of Secretary-General in Russian Federation, 20-21 March

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Moscow from New York on Thursday morning, 20 March.

Soon after arrival, he had a working lunch with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.  Later that afternoon, he met at the Kremlin with President Vladimir V. Putin.

The Secretary-General’s main message to the Russian President and authorities was the need for a genuine and constructive dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow.  His visit was part of what he sees as his responsibility and duty to do as much as he can to promote international peace and security.

In his discussions with President Putin, he underscored the critical role that Russia can play in the maintenance of international peace and security, especially in the region.  The Secretary-General underscored President Putin’s importance as a partner, one of the most important partners of the United Nations, and the fact that he has so often been an international leader who repeatedly called for international disputes to be solved within the framework of the United Nations Charter.

The Secretary-General told President Putin that he understood the President’s legitimate concerns relating to the situation of Russian minorities in Ukraine and reiterated what he has been saying from the start, that the situation of human rights of all people in Ukraine, especially of the many minority groups, must be respected and protected.

He reiterated these points at a press encounter, at the Kremlin, following his meeting with the President.

On Friday morning, the Secretary-General departed Moscow for Kyiv, Ukraine, after a working breakfast with the representatives of the United Nations agencies present in Moscow.