Russia sees “no point” in maintaining the same diplomatic presence in the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, announcing that Moscow will now focus on Asia and Africa.
“It makes no sense or desire, of course, to maintain the same presence in Western countries,” Mr. Lavrov said, during a meeting with young graduates recently hired by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russian diplomats work there “in conditions that can hardly be described as humane, we are constantly creating problems for them, with constantly advancing threats,” Sergei Lavrov stressed.
“We cannot force others to love us”
“But the most important thing is that there is no work there since Europe decided to close itself to us, to suspend all economic cooperation” with Moscow, he continued.
“What to do? We cannot force others to love us,” added the head of Russian diplomacy.
“Third World countries, both in Asia and Africa, on the contrary, need additional attention,” he said, specifying that Russia has many projects there, particularly commercial ones, “that require diplomatic accompaniment.”
“Under these conditions, of course, we will place the center of gravity on those countries that are ready to work on equal terms and cooperate with us on a mutually beneficial basis,” concluded Sergei Lavrov.
Many expulsions of diplomats
Many Western countries such as the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or Austria have expelled Russian diplomats en masse since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24.
In some cases, these expulsions have been accompanied by accusations of espionage. Moscow has vowed to respond to each of these moves and dozens of Western diplomats have already been expelled from Russia.
Source: BFM TV
