Lavrov's comments published on the Foreign Ministry's website coincide with World Press Freedom Day celebrated annually on May 3 after it was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in late 1993.
"The need to consolidate efforts on a global scale to ensure the safety and security of journalists is currently more than ever relevant," Lavrov stressed.
The Russian foreign minister stated that free, pluralistic and independent press was an essential component of any democratic society.
"Being a journalist in the modern world is an enormous privilege and a great responsibility. It is essential to be able to convey information to the audience without distorting its essence, without 'embellishing' it according to personal preferences or ideological convictions," the Russian top diplomat said.
"Today I would also like to pay tribute to media professionals who died while performing their duties, including to Russian correspondents killed on business trips abroad," the minister concluded.
According to the United Nations, this year’s World Press Freedom Day focuses on such aspects of press freedom as freedom of information considered a fundamental freedom and human right, protecting press freedom from being censored, as well as ensuring safety for journalists both online and offline.
