Lavrov says West is attempting to create additional fronts for Russia
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During his visit to Uzbekistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tells reporters that the West is attempting to create new fronts for Russia around its borders.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is greeted by Uzbek officials after arriving at the Samarkand International Airport, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 12 April 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry/Twitter)
The West is trying to draw Russia’s neighbors into conflicts near its borders, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The Minister, who is on a visit to Uzbekistan said, "There have been attempts to drag the Georgian leadership into creating a so-called second front."
Lavrov praised the current Georgian leadership for its "responsible approach" in response to Western agitation. "They show an approach that is based first and foremost on the fundamental national interests of their people," the Russian Foreign Minister told reporters on Friday.
According to Lavrov, Russian reports showed that the West attempted to create a "second, third, and a half front out of Moldova as well."
Russia views these attempts with "serious concern", according to the top diplomat.
Lavrov pointed to Poland as an additional space in which the West has pushed for conflict around Russia.
"Poland has concentrated serious military contingents on the border with Belarus. Several tens of thousands of military personnel. There was such information. I do not know how true it is, but it is certain that considerable forces are concentrated there," Lavrov stated.
He also said that Russia is reacting proactively to these events, "We see all of this and take it all into account in our planning, both politico-military and diplomatic and in other relations."
Quadripartite meeting
Lavrov also revealed that preparations for a quadripartite meeting between Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Syria’s ministers are underway, and explained that the date and location of the meeting are currently being agreed upon.
"Our position is very simple: any preconditions can hardly be appropriate," the top diplomat told reporters.
The major obstacle surrounding the possible meeting is that Turkey currently occupies Syrian territories.
The Deputy Foreign Ministers of the respective countries previously met on April 4. The Syrian delegation stated before the meeting that Syria has three preconditions for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Turkey.
According to the state news agency SANA, the Syrian government demanded: "ending the illegal Turkish presence on Syrian territory, non-interference in the Syrian internal affairs, and combating terrorism in all its forms."
