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In his speech at the 77th General Assembly, the Russian Foreign Minister denounced that Western nations are promoting an “unprecedented” phobia towards Russia and denounced an attempt to bankrupt his country. In addition, he assured that the United States seeks to turn the world “into its backyard.”
The first UN General Assembly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine featured a long-awaited speech this Saturday: that of the head of Russian diplomacy.
From the podium in New York, Sergey Lavrov slammed Western nations for spreading “grotesque” fear of Russia and accused them of seeking a break in his country.
“Official Russophobia in the West is unprecedented, now the scope is grotesque,” Lavrov alleged in his fiery speech. “They do not shy away from declaring the intention to inflict not only a military defeat on our country, but also to destroy and fracture Russia.”
In the context of international rejection of Russian actions in the field of combat, the minister sought to strike back and accused the United States “and its satellites” of “threatening and twisting the arms of anyone who dares to think for himself.” , in addition to demanding “through threats” that nations join the sanctions against Russia.
“Washington tries to make the whole world its backyard,” Lavrov said, citing Yugoslavia, Libya and Iraq as examples of wars the United States launched “under fictitious pretexts.” “Name a country in whose affairs Washington intervened with force and, as a result, life got better,” he challenged.
Lavrov also escalated the issue of penalties to other sectors of society.
“Diplomacy is constantly being replaced by illegal sanctions against competitors in the economy, sports, information space, cultural exchanges and in general in the field of people-to-people contacts,” he said.
At another point in his speech, the head of Russian diplomacy charged against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, alleging that NATO declared his country “an immediate threat on its way to total domination”, also stressing that “a threat to long term it will be the People’s Republic of China.
Kremlin endorsement of the “one China” principle
Lavrov also expressed his support for China and warned the United States: “They are playing with fire in Taiwan. On top of that they are promising military aid.”
On politics in Asia, Lavrov stressed that “under the banner of Indo-Pacific strategies, closed formats are being created and undermine what has been built in ASEAN for decades, that is, an open and inclusive regional architecture.” .
And it is that minutes before his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, ratified on the same podium that Beijing would continue working for a “peaceful reunification” and combating “separatist activities”, in the context of energetic measures to oppose any external interference.
The statements come after US President Joe Biden, in an interview for his country’s television, stated that they would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.
For Lavrov, the West is not neutral
After his participation in the Assembly, at a press conference, Minister Lavrov stated that neither the United States nor the European Union are neutral in the war in Ukraine, but, on the contrary, “are part of the conflict.”
Among the reasons to substantiate his statement, the foreign minister cited the supply provided to the Ukrainian Army or the permissive conduct of Western Ukrainian embassies when recruiting volunteers for the war, among others.
Lavrov also referred to the ban on Russian citizens entering various territories, which he described as “anti-Russian discrimination” and “racist instincts.”
The course of the invasion in Ukraine
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, referendums on annexation to Russia continue, taking place in several areas occupied by Moscow. Voting is specifically held in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
The United Nations has condemned the electoral process, branding it an illegitimate precursor to illegal annexation.
There is no evidence of the presence of independent observers and the media report that a large part of the population fled from the conflict zones.
And in Russia, amid the partial mobilization decreed by President Vladimir Putin to increase the strength of the army, the Ministry of Defense announced that it replaced the deputy minister in charge of logistics, four-star general Dmitry Bulgakov, to be transferred to another position. No further details were given about it.
With Reuters and EFE
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