20 June 2018•Update: 21 June 2018
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Russia to play an "active role" in finding a new structure of a polycentric world with appropriate multilateral governance structures, according to the Kremlin on Wednesday.
At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Guterres said: "To tell the truth, this is not an easy time for multilateralism and for the United Nations.
"The Cold War has ended in the past, and there was a short period of unipolar peace, and now we are trying to actively find a new structure of a multipolar world with appropriate multilateral governance structures. And of course, all this is of my serious concern.
"I believe that the Russian Federation should play an active role in this process.
"We are particularly focused on the fact that Russia is an indispensable element in the creation of a new multipolar, polycentric world."
Earlier, Putin also met Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland.
The Council of Europe had penalized Russia by suspending its voting rights and by limiting some functions of Russian delegation in the organization after the "Ukrainian events of 2014". In response, Russia refused to pay the whole amount of its annual membership dues. According to the Head of the Russian State Duma, Russia withdrew a third of its annual payment in amount of 11 million euros. In a statement, explaining the position of Russia on the issue, Russian Foreign Ministry said that no future payments would be made until Russian delegation is fully restored in its rights.
Russia is one of the five major sponsors of the Council of Europe.
Jagland also met Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday to discuss current relations between Russia and the Council of Europe.
