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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, foreign guests,

Welcome to the 9^th Moscow Conference on International Security.

Your representative forum is dedicated to the critical issues of the modern military-political agenda. Strengthening security on the planet and the sustainable development of our civilisation depend on their resolution and on the productive search for effective joint responses to common challenges.

However, unfortunately, geopolitical processes are becoming increasingly turbulent despite isolated positive signals. The erosion of international law continues as well. The attempts to use force to push through one’s own interests and to strengthen one’s own security at the expense of the security of others continue unabated.

Regional armed conflicts, the risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the activity of cross-border criminal groups, drug trafficking and cybercriminals are causing us serious concern. International terrorism continues to pose a particular threat.

To reiterate, the scale and the global nature of the above challenges require that all states join their efforts. Of course, this collective work must be based on international law and the UN Charter goals and principles.

Since its inception, the UN has been and remains the foundation of the international relations system. The main objective of this authoritative and internationally recognised organisation is to prevent a global conflict, a new world war.

Any new rules should be formulated under the auspices of the UN. All other avenues will lead to chaos and unpredictability.

Yesterday, we marked the mournful date – 80 years since Nazi Germany invaded our country. For us, the lessons of the Great Patriotic War have a special price, and we will do our best to guarantee peace and security for the people of Russia, improve our Armed Forces and, of course, use the opportunities offered by diplomacy and conduct a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.

We never dictate our will to other countries, and are willing to participate in addressing global and regional challenges and to expand creative cooperation with all countries on equal terms using political and diplomatic methods.

We are developing our defence potential based on the principle of reasonable sufficiency and we are not seeking a determining, unilateral military advantage or a balance-of-forces edge in our favour, all the more so in such a sensitive sphere as strategic stability. But we will never allow anyone to pull the balance over to themselves.

Our efforts are aimed at reducing the risks, ensuring predictability, and solving differences via dialogue and concrete agreements, including in the field of arms control.

I would like to remind you in this connection that earlier Russia suggested developing a new “security equation.” It should take into account all the factors influencing strategic stability in their interconnection. We are confident that political will and readiness to compromise can produce a positive effect. Clear evidence of this is Russia and the United States extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty until 2026.

Naturally, we cannot but be concerned over the continuous build-up of NATO’ military potentials and infrastructure in the vicinity of Russian borders, as well as over the fact that the Alliance is refusing to consider in a constructive manner our proposals on de-escalating the tension and reducing the risk of unpredictable incidents. We really do hope that common sense together with the desire to promote constructive relations with Russia will eventually prevail.

Settlement of regional conflict is an important aspect of efforts to ensure global security. Russia is active in assisting this. Our military aid helped to liberate the greater part of Syrian territory from international terrorists and to prevent the disintegration of the Syrian state. The political and diplomatic work within the Astana format that is pursued jointly with Turkey and Iran has made it possible to start the process of Syrian settlement under the UN aegis.

Russia’s decisive contribution helped to stop the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Russian peacekeepers reliably guarantee peace and security in the region. They are doing a lot to improve the humanitarian situation, clear territories of landmines and rebuild the social infrastructure.

Russia never forgets its responsibility for the security and prosperity of neighbouring countries, with which we are brought together by inextricable historical, cultural and human ties.

We intend to continue promoting the de-escalation of regional conflicts and strengthening peace and stability on our common continent.

In conclusion, I would like to wish you every success with your work and all the best. I am confident that the participants at this conference are going to have some interesting discussions and that the resulting proposals and initiatives will serve to strengthen international security and stability.

Thank you for your attention.