Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s speech at the opening ceremony of an exhibition devoted to the 110th birth anniversary of Andrey Gromyko

Esteemed Mr Secretary-General,

Esteemed Mr Minister,

Today we have gathered here on a wonderful occasion – the opening of the exhibition timed to the 110th birth anniversary of Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey Gromyko, an outstanding representative of world diplomacy in the 20th century. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the entire Secretariat of the global organisation for the opportunity to hold this event at a UN venue – the Dag Hammarskjold Library. I would also like to express special gratitude to our Belarusian friends who are doing all they can to keep the memory of Andrey Gromyko alive.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Andrey Gromyko is a legendary personality. He occupies a befitting place among the great figures of the past century. As early as 1943, at the very height of World War II, he was appointed Soviet ambassador to the United States. He took a most active part in international conferences in Yalta, Potsdam, Dumbarton Oaks and San Francisco and made a contribution to the formation of the postwar world arrangement.

On behalf of our country, Mr Gromyko signed the UN Charter and was the first Soviet ambassador to this global organisation. Therefore, the holding of the exhibit at the UN is truly symbolic.

For nearly three decades Mr Gromyko headed the Foreign Ministry and performed his duties with brilliant skills. His high professionalism earned him indisputable respect all over the world. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger repeatedly spoke about the scale of Mr Gromyko’s personality and his ability to think in a big way. He said that Mr Gromyko had always held talks on fundamental problems rather than technical matters even when they discussed specific issues like disarmament.

Mr Gromyko worked during the Cold War years and the related confrontation of the two global systems. But even under conditions of ideological discord he did everything he could to promote a positive international agenda. He did much for maintaining international security and strategic stability, curbing the arms race and preventing a conflict between the two great powers.

Mr Gromyko played a direct role in creating international legal foundations for arms control and disarmament. Such key documents as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the ABM Treaty, and agreements on limiting strategic arms – SALT-1 and SALT-2 – were concluded with his direct participation.

Naturally, we must make special mention of his contribution to the creation and development of the Helsinki process and the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, which laid the beginning of what we now call the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

I am convinced that this exhibition will allow many people to learn more about Mr Gromyko’s diplomatic legacy and to befittingly evaluate the scale of his great personality.

In conclusion, I would like to recall his words that are topical in today’s world, which continues to see mounting problems in security and strategic stability. When disarmament talks with the United States were discussed, and his superiors were displeased about delays, he always said: “It is better to have ten years of talks than one day of war.” I think we should remember this statement to ensure that our world is moving in the direction that was mapped out by the founders of the United Nations Organisation.