The West wants to use Russia as a convenient platform for promoting its interests. This opinion was expressed by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov, quoted by TASS.
“Any attempts by Russia to become independent, to defend its right to an independent foreign policy, to defend international law, are encountering more and more fierce resistance from those of our Western colleagues who want to make us obedient to a large extent,” the minister emphasized.
Lavrov also spoke about the desire of the West to force Russia to agree with the “interpretations of universal human values” that he himself professes. According to the diplomat, they contradict Russian culture, and Western countries simply want to use Moscow as a platform for their own interests in the socio-political sphere, security and economy.
On February 8, Lavrov said that the German special services may be involved in the preparation of the film by Alexei Navalny (he is the founder of the FBK, included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent). The head of the diplomatic service recalled that in the film, the oppositionist visits the building of the former Soviet intelligence station in Dresden and shows materials related to the service of the country’s President Vladimir Putin in the GDR. “It is clear that it is impossible to get into this building, and even more so to gain access to certain archives, without cooperation with the official authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany, most likely with their special services,” Lavrov said.
On February 5, Moscow announced the expulsion of three foreign diplomats for participating in unauthorized rallies in support of Navalny. Diplomats from Poland, Sweden and Germany were summoned to the ministry and protested to them over their participation in unauthorized rallies on 23 January.