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Lavrov condemns media attacks aimed at spoiling Russia’s image in the Balkans

The Russian Foreign Ministry resolutely condemned those media attacks, Sergey Lavrov said

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemns information attacks aimed at marring Russia’s image in the Balkans region and destabilizing the situation in Macedonia, a Russian Foreign Ministry’s commentary said on Monday in connection with a recent story by the Macedonian desk of the Deutsche Welle.

The reporters apparently tried to attribute to Lavrov the idea of division of the Republic of Macedonia voiced recently by US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

"Lavrov has never made such statements, but on the contrary - resolutely condemned such information attacks," the ministry said. "It is evident that this hoax is a clear provocation the aim of which is to mar Russia’s image in the Balkans region and to further escalate the situation in Macedonia," the ministry said.

It marked that "heavy-handed interference of the former US administration and the EU in domestic affairs of the Macedonian state, the use of destructive methods of a ’color revolution’ and attempts to impose schemes of shaping the government running counter to the opinion the citizens voiced at the parliamentary election on December 11, 2016, provoked no rejection" from the broadcaster.

"We are confident that precisely such manifestations eventually lead to undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia," the commentary said.

Macedonia "is not a country," Rohrabacher said in an interview with Albanian television, saying it should be partitioned among Kosovo and Bulgaria. The Macedonian Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern about these statements, marking that they were fueling nationalist rhetoric in the country.