The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday an increase in its diplomatic corps in Latin America, as well as in the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific regionafter the reduction of its presence in the West due to the sanctions of recent years.
The measure responds to “the new geopolitical reality” created by the start of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine last February, the ministerial statement said.
The foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, He chaired the meeting in which it was decided to redirect the resources of the portfolio in order to expand the cooperation of the countries that have not joined the sanctions, which includes the post-Soviet space.
The Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine provoked the adoption of all kinds of sanctions or “unfriendly actions”as Moscow calls them, by the United States, the European Union and other countries such as Australia, Canada or Japan, which included the expulsion of Russian diplomats.
The military intervention was also condemned by some Latin American countries, especially Colombia, Chile or Guatemala, while Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela or Bolivia clearly sided with the Kremlin.
Regional locomotives such as Brazil, Argentina or Mexico -these last two non-permanent members of the UN Security Council- have been closer to Russia’s positions than Ukraine’s in the last six months.
The meeting also discussed “reactive measures” to meet the challenges facing the country “as a result of the unfriendly actions of a number of foreign countries.”
Russian officials abroad were tasked with defending the security of Russian citizens, the property of diplomatic missions, and the interests of businessmen.
Lavrov has traveled in recent months to African, Asian and Arab countries such as China, India, Egypt, Iran or Algeria in search of alternatives to cooperation with the West.
At the moment, it is unknown whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, where Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is also invited.
EFE
#Russia #raise #diplomatic #corps #Latin #America #Western #sanctions