01:45Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his thanks to his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik for his hospitality on behalf of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers members in Minsk on Friday.
"Let me express my sincere gratitude to our Belarusian friends and personally to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Fedorovich Aleinik for the traditionally warm welcome, hospitality and, as always, excellent conditions for our work," said Lavrov.
In turn, Aleinik proposed to honour the memory of the victims of the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow, with a minute of silence.
"Apart from Russians, citizens of many of our countries are among the victims of this horrific crime. Terrorism and its international component affect innocent people, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or religious beliefs. We share the grief of the relatives and friends of the victims of this terrible crime, of all the Russian people, and I propose that we observe a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack," he said.
Lavrov arrived in Minsk on Thursday to participate in the seventh meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats are to discuss the implementation of agreements signed during the Russia-Central Asia summit in October 2022, as well as exchange views on international and regional issues.
Late on March 22, unidentified individuals dressed in military fatigues opened fire in the Crocus City Hall, a 6,000-seat multipurpose concert hall where a Russian rock band was set to perform. A massive fire broke out in the building shortly after.
Over 140 people were reported to have been killed while several suspects were captured and remanded in custody until May 22 on charges of 'terrorism'.
President Vladimir Putin said it was a 'barbaric terrorist act' and that suspects had been caught trying to cross to Ukraine. While he added that 'radical Islamists' were responsible, he also hit out at the US for 'trying through various channels to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no trace of Kiev in the Moscow terrorist attack'.
"We want to know who ordered it," he added, while the Russian Investigative Committee subsequently said it had evidence of links to 'Ukrainian nationalists'.
Following the attack, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it 'categorically denies' accusations of Kiev’s involvement. US national security spokesperson John Kirby called the Russian Investigative Committee's allegations 'nonsense and propaganda'. Earlier, the United States claimed that it was a 'terrorist attack that was conducted by ISIS' and that there was 'absolutely no evidence that the government of Ukraine had anything to do with this attack'.
Lavrov thanks Belarusian FM for hosting CIS Foreign Ministers Council as Aleinik pays tribute to Crocus Hall victims
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his thanks to his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik for his hospitality on behalf of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers members in Minsk on Friday.
"Let me express my sincere gratitude to our Belarusian friends and personally to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Fedorovich Aleinik for the traditionally warm welcome, hospitality and, as always, excellent conditions for our work," said Lavrov.
In turn, Aleinik proposed to honour the memory of the victims of the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow, with a minute of silence.
"Apart from Russians, citizens of many of our countries are among the victims of this horrific crime. Terrorism and its international component affect innocent people, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or religious beliefs. We share the grief of the relatives and friends of the victims of this terrible crime, of all the Russian people, and I propose that we observe a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack," he said.
Lavrov arrived in Minsk on Thursday to participate in the seventh meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats are to discuss the implementation of agreements signed during the Russia-Central Asia summit in October 2022, as well as exchange views on international and regional issues.
Late on March 22, unidentified individuals dressed in military fatigues opened fire in the Crocus City Hall, a 6,000-seat multipurpose concert hall where a Russian rock band was set to perform. A massive fire broke out in the building shortly after.
Over 140 people were reported to have been killed while several suspects were captured and remanded in custody until May 22 on charges of 'terrorism'.
President Vladimir Putin said it was a 'barbaric terrorist act' and that suspects had been caught trying to cross to Ukraine. While he added that 'radical Islamists' were responsible, he also hit out at the US for 'trying through various channels to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no trace of Kiev in the Moscow terrorist attack'.
"We want to know who ordered it," he added, while the Russian Investigative Committee subsequently said it had evidence of links to 'Ukrainian nationalists'.
Following the attack, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it 'categorically denies' accusations of Kiev’s involvement. US national security spokesperson John Kirby called the Russian Investigative Committee's allegations 'nonsense and propaganda'. Earlier, the United States claimed that it was a 'terrorist attack that was conducted by ISIS' and that there was 'absolutely no evidence that the government of Ukraine had anything to do with this attack'.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his thanks to his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik for his hospitality on behalf of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers members in Minsk on Friday.
"Let me express my sincere gratitude to our Belarusian friends and personally to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Fedorovich Aleinik for the traditionally warm welcome, hospitality and, as always, excellent conditions for our work," said Lavrov.
In turn, Aleinik proposed to honour the memory of the victims of the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow, with a minute of silence.
"Apart from Russians, citizens of many of our countries are among the victims of this horrific crime. Terrorism and its international component affect innocent people, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or religious beliefs. We share the grief of the relatives and friends of the victims of this terrible crime, of all the Russian people, and I propose that we observe a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack," he said.
Lavrov arrived in Minsk on Thursday to participate in the seventh meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats are to discuss the implementation of agreements signed during the Russia-Central Asia summit in October 2022, as well as exchange views on international and regional issues.
Late on March 22, unidentified individuals dressed in military fatigues opened fire in the Crocus City Hall, a 6,000-seat multipurpose concert hall where a Russian rock band was set to perform. A massive fire broke out in the building shortly after.
Over 140 people were reported to have been killed while several suspects were captured and remanded in custody until May 22 on charges of 'terrorism'.
President Vladimir Putin said it was a 'barbaric terrorist act' and that suspects had been caught trying to cross to Ukraine. While he added that 'radical Islamists' were responsible, he also hit out at the US for 'trying through various channels to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no trace of Kiev in the Moscow terrorist attack'.
"We want to know who ordered it," he added, while the Russian Investigative Committee subsequently said it had evidence of links to 'Ukrainian nationalists'.
Following the attack, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it 'categorically denies' accusations of Kiev’s involvement. US national security spokesperson John Kirby called the Russian Investigative Committee's allegations 'nonsense and propaganda'. Earlier, the United States claimed that it was a 'terrorist attack that was conducted by ISIS' and that there was 'absolutely no evidence that the government of Ukraine had anything to do with this attack'.