Transcription
Good evening. We have an important question today. Savelyev Vitaly Gennadievich will report on the issue of the prospects for the implementation of the North-South international transport corridor. Vladislav, may I ask you two questions before we consider the main issue? >> Yes, please. First, what is our attitude towards the initiative of US President Donald Trump to create a Council of Peace? And second, well, what are our assessments and forecasts, in general, of our position on the situation around Greenland. >> Uh-huh. Well, of course. Regarding the Council of Peace, we have indeed received a personal appeal from the President of the United States of America, America Donald Trump, with an invitation to join the new international structure being created on his initiative, the Council of Peace. In this regard, I would first like to thank the US President for this proposal. We have always supported and continue to support any efforts aimed at strengthening international stability. We also note the contribution of the current US administration in finding solutions to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. As for our participation in the Council of Peace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has been instructed to study the documents received by us, and to consult with our strategic partners on this matter. And only after that will we be able to give an answer to the invitation conveyed to us. The proposal made to us primarily concerns the settlement in the Middle East and the search for possible ways to solve the pressing problems of the Palestinian people and resolve the most acute problems of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, I will note the main thing. The main thing is that the entire process will favorably affect the long-term settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the relevant decisions of the United Nations. And that the necessity, the necessity to take into account the inalienable needs and wishes of the Palestinians will be considered. This concerns the recommendations for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and its basic social infrastructure, healthcare systems, water supply, and the establishment of uninterrupted food supply. Therefore, even now, even before we decide on participation in the composition and in the work of the Council of Peace, considering Russia's special relationship with the Palestinian people, I think we could send 1 billion US dollars to the Council of Peace from Russian assets frozen under the previous US administration. By the way, the remaining funds from our assets frozen in the US could also be used to restore territories affected by hostilities after the conclusion of a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine. This possibility is also being discussed by us with representatives of the US administration. I plan to discuss all these issues with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with whom we will have negotiations tomorrow, as well as with American representatives Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are also arriving in Moscow tomorrow to continue the dialogue on Ukrainian settlement issues. That's regarding this. Now about Greenland. Well, this absolutely does not concern us, uh, what is happening with Greenland, but we have experience in resolving similar issues with the United States in the 19th century, I believe, in 1867, as we know, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, and the United States bought Alaska from us. And, um, if my memory serves me correctly, the area of Alaska is about 1 million, somewhere around 1 million 717,000 square kilometers, a little more. And, uh, the United States bought Alaska from us for 7.2 million US dollars. We need to check this figure, of course, but I think that's how it is. In today's prices, taking into account inflation over all these many decades, the figure would be 158 million dollars. And the area of Greenland, it is slightly larger, I think, 2,166,000 square kilometers, also with a bit more. That is, the difference is about 450-449, approximately 1,000 square kilometers. Well, so if we compare this with the cost of the United States acquiring Alaska, then the price for Greenland would be, well, somewhere around 200-250 million dollars. And if we compare it with the then prices for gold, this figure would be more, probably up to a billion. But I think that the United States can afford this figure too. And the main thing is that Denmark and the United States also have their own experience in this regard. I believe that in 1917, Denmark already sold, the United States bought the Virgin Islands, so such experience also exists. By the way, by the way, Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and quite harshly, if not to say cruelly, treated it. But this is already a matter of a different order. It is unlikely that anyone is interested in this now, but it certainly does not concern us. I think they will sort it out among themselves. So let's still move on to the main issue and give the floor to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government, Vitaly Gavich Savelyev. Please.