Lavrov slams Borrell over allegations of disinformation in Africa

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday lambasted EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell for what he described as "racist remarks", accusing Lavrov of spreading misinformation during his state tour in Africa.

Borrell announced earlier in the day the creation of a so-called Information Sharing and Analysis Center to tackle disinformation and foreign information manipulation, noting that Brussels was planning on bolstering its missions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, by sending media experts there.

Furthermore, the 27-nation bloc's top diplomat accused Lavrov in particular of "trying to spread lies" during his visit to African countries, saying that Mali and Eritrea were "easy countries for them [Russians]."

"So, my call is that we need to invest more in working with our partners around the globe on this issue. Being more present, expressing better the realities, and engaging in different languages and media," he said.

"We are used to [speaking] English, but I can tell you that there are a lot of people around the world who do not understand English. So, we have to address them in their language."

Lavrov responded by saying the accusations in question were "coming from a man who cannot hide the racist nature of his worldview."

"As you may recall, he recently said publicly and unashamedly that Europe was a blooming garden, and that he was, therefore, a gardener. And Europe was threatened by the jungle, the source of the threat, and the blooming garden should be more careful with the jungle and protect its well-being from its negative influence," Lavrov said during a joint press conference after he met with his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop.

At a press conference with Lavrov in Bamako on Tuesday, Diop stressed the necessity to strengthen bilateral ties with Russia in economic matters and opposed western-led sanctions which are aimed at intimidating African countries from conducting trade operations with Russia. 

"Russia will make important decisions to transfer grain, energy, and fertilizers to our country ... We will work together to strengthen trade cooperation, economic ... Mali opposes any sanctions ... And we also will not support sanctions imposed on other countries," Diop told reporters. 

On his part, Lavrov predicted that bilateral cooperation in military and military-technical spheres will be attaining new heights this year.

Russia had already sent a first batch of aircraft equipment in January, and will continue to provide military support in the future, including arms supplies and military training, he noted.

Delivering a speech on the inauguration of a university in Belgium in October, the EU foreign policy chief made a statement exhibiting just how much "European exceptionalism" is still alive and well. 

As he addresses students at the College of Europe in Bruges at a university program designed to raise the next generation of European diplomats, Borrell compared the European Union to a "garden" that must be protected from the "jungle" outside. 

The EU, according to Borrell, has the best combination of "political freedom, economic prosperity, and social cohesion" ever known to humankind.

"The rest of the world… is not exactly a garden. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls," Borrell said.

He insisted that Europeans have to be "much more engaged" with the rest of the world and put their "privilege" to positive use. 

The EU foreign policy chief is keen on adopting this garden-vs-jungle rhetoric, fueling a Eurocentric sentiment focused on gatekeeping the continent from the citizens of countries it either bombs or simply pillages, making refugees collateral damage of this imperial outlook. 

Read next: Borrell apologizes for using 'jungle' to describe what is not the EU

Lavrov said earlier in the month that the United States and European countries are seeking to restore Africa's colonial dependence as they seek to put an end to the continent's cooperation with Russia.