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R.Edelgeriyev: Mr President,

Colleagues,

First of all, allow me to thank the people and the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the warm welcome and for the excellent organisation of the Conference.

The main task of COP-28 is to evaluate the ability of the international community to achieve previously established goals and, based on the results of this evaluation, to present a vision for the future of climate cooperation. This vision must be ambitious, but also holistic, realistic, and inclusive.

It must be holistic, because we cannot ignore the diversity of needs experienced by people around the world, including the need for affordable and reliable energy, for water and food, and more generally, for a better quality of life.

It must be realistic, because we cannot ignore the crisis of confidence fuelled by previously broken promises, and that will only worsen if the same thing happens to our new promises.

It must be inclusive, because it is utmost hypocrisy when some demand enormous efforts to be made for the common cause, while trying at every opportunity to slander others and make money off them. I am telling you here and now: it does not work that way.

It was in this way that the Convention itself was conceived to be: holistic, realistic and inclusive.

We also remain committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement. We intend to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2060 and meet all other national goals adopted in pursuance of this important document.

In our country, we continue to develop our carbon market, combining both voluntary elements, such as climate projects, as well as mandatory ones, such as the experimental emissions trading system in the Sakhalin region. We make special efforts to ensure that the methodological pillar of this work is of high quality, and for that we continuously improve our regulatory framework.

We intend to make maximum use of our potential in implementing ecosystem projects, nature-like technologies and other nature-based solutions that contribute several Sustainable Development Goals at the same time. We are also trying to create and implement innovative means to restore ecosystems to increase their absorptive capacity. Deserving of special notice is the project for the development of the Pleistocene Park in the Republic of Yakutia, and – we invite everyone to visit the site dedicated to it in the Green Zone. We welcome international participation in this project and other projects in our territory.

Colleagues,

We are ready to announce that Russia is considering making a voluntary financial contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund from the frozen national gold and foreign exchange reserves in international organisations. This is meant to address the urgent need to bridge the gap between the needs of developing countries and their capabilities.

We expect talks on delivering cooperative mechanisms under article 6, the global goal on adaptation and the new collective quantified goal on climate finance for the period after 2025.

We welcome the compromise in the Eastern European Group regarding the 29^th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC. The climate agenda has proven itself to be a uniting factor for all.

Mr President,

I am counting on your wise guidance to bring the Conference to a successful conclusion. We have a responsibility to show the world that, despite our differences, we indeed can reach agreement on the most difficult challenges of our time.

Thank you.