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Lavrov: Terrorism cannot be defeated only militarily

It is necessary to combine an armed fight with political settlement of conflicts, with economic rehabilitation of the affected states, with fight against extremist ideology, Sergey Lavrov said

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. An armed fight against terrorism should be combined with political settlement of conflicts and economic rehabilitation of the states affected by terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"Today our attention is focused on mobilization of international effort to rebuff terrorist aggression, on creation for this aim of a broad anti-terrorist front on the basis of international law and under the UN aegis," the foreign minister said at a session marking Diplomat’s Day.

"Resolute action of the Russian Aerospace Forces in response to an appeal of the Syrian government is intended to help turn the tide, ensure the defeat of Islamic State (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia), Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups," Lavrov said.

At the same time, Russia believes "it is impossible to defeat terrorism or settle any other problem only militarily," he said. "It is necessary to combine an armed fight with political settlement of conflicts, with economic rehabilitation of the affected states, with fight against extremist ideology," Lavrov said.

"Blackmail and pressure lead to unpredictable foreign policy"

Methods like blackmail, pressure, illegitimate sanctions and information wars can take any situation to a deadlock and make international politics more unpredictable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added in his speech.

"It is impossible to cope with growing international instability, settle numerous conflicts and make international relations healthier without the United Nations central role. This conviction lays down the foundation of our foreign policy philosophy," the Russian foreign minister said.

"The methods of blackmail, pressure, illegitimate sanctions and international wars drive any situation into a deadlock; lead to further expansion of anarchy and make international affairs more unpredictable," Lavrov went on to say.

"We weigh the rightness of our positions with real life every day, and real life proves that we are right," Lavrov said.

He added that contemporary international politics was offering more complicated puzzles than ever before.

"Russia has again found itself on a crossroads [of world events], which are of key importance for determining the vector of world development," Lavrov told the gala meeting.

"We see an increase of global competition on the parameters of future world setup. Contradictions between attempts to impose one’s will on others and a mounting trend towards equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the interests of solution of common problems are growing more distinct," the Russian foreign minister said.

"The equations of international politics are becoming more complicated. They have more inconstant values than constant and fewer obvious solutions. Under these circumstances, our diplomats have been working energetically, consistently and creatively over a foreign political course adopted by the Russian president," Lavrov stressed.

"International politics equations become more complex"

Russian Foreign Minister also said on Wednesday that equations of international politics have become more complicated and harder to resolve.

"Russia has again found itself on a crossroads [of world events], which are of key importance for determining the vector of world development," Lavrov told a gala meeting.

"We see an increase of global competition on the parameters of future world setup. Contradictions between attempts to impose one’s will on others and a mounting trend towards equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the interests of solution of common problems are growing more distinct," the Russian foreign minister said.

"The equations of international politics are becoming more complicated. They have more inconstant values than constant and fewer obvious solutions. Under these circumstances, our diplomats have been working energetically, consistently and creatively over a foreign political course adopted by the Russian president," Lavrov stressed.

The Russian Diplomats’ Day has received broad media coverage.

"It is quite illustrative and indicates that the public shares the guidelines of the president-approved foreign policy doctrine, which diplomats use as a guide in their work," the Russian foreign minister said.

"Russian independent, self-sufficient foreign policy attracts partners"

Russia is pursuing independent foreign policy and is open for cooperation, which makes the country attractive for partners on the international scene, Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"Our independent and self-sufficient foreign policy, openness to cooperation with any country or a group of countries in all regions on equal rights, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests attract partners, welcoming energetic and constructive role of Russia," Lavrov said.

"They see it as a key factor of providing balanced evolution of international relations aiming at the establishment of reliable and sustainable global ruling system, based on cooperation of the leading powers and reflecting cultural and civilizational variety of the modern world," he said.

"We work in different multilateral formats on this basis, including the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Eurasian Economic Community, Commonwealth of Independent States, G20, BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and others," Lavrov said. "We do not obtrude anything to anyone, but transparently promote the approaches we consider to be right and up-to-date."