I cordially welcome the organizers and participants of the VII International Scientific and Practical Conference “Problems of human rights protection: exchange of best practices of Ombudsmen”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia welcomes the development of dialogue between the ombudsmen of different countries. Taking place on the initiative of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, your forum traditionally gathers a representative composition of experts. I see this as a pledge of professional, depoliticized discussions. I have no doubt that this time the event will make a significant contribution to the further strengthening of both national human rights protection systems and mechanisms of human rights cooperation at the international level.
It is symbolic that your meeting is timed to the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, when the “collective West” is trying to replace universally recognized international legal norms with its own far-fetched “rules”, it is extremely important to remind the world community that the Declaration, like many other documents, primarily the UN Charter, still remain relevant.
I am convinced that the results of the Conference will contribute to the development of coordinated approaches to understanding human rights based on the principles of mutual respect and the national characteristics of sovereign States.
I wish you a fruitful exchange of opinions and all the best.
S. LAVROV
