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Russia sees US foreign policy as controversial — Lavrov

The Russian top diplomat comments on the relations with the US

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Moscow would like to have more clarity regarding Washington’s policies in various regions around the world, but this requires a dialogue, which has failed to be established at the appropriate level so far, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the media on Thursday.

"We see the US policy in the international scene as highly controversial," he said. "If one bears in mind that not a single member of the administration responsible for foreign affairs has been in office for no more than a year, if I’m not mistaken, then it will be clear that the change of generations somehow affects the practical decisions being made and the way these decisions are eventually translated into life."

Lavrov said that Moscow had its own ideas and likely versions of Washington’s actions.

"But, of course, we would like to have a clear explanation of the aims the United States is after in this or that part of the world, in particular, where the interests of many key states overlap, for instance, western countries, Russia and China and, if we take Syria, the countries of the Middle East," he added.

"We would like to have more clarity. For this there must be a regular dialogue. Such discussions along some tracks do take place sporadically, but as far as better understanding of each other is concerned, the results leave much to be desired," Lavrov said.

The Trump administration’s intention to review international agreements devalues diplomacy, he added. "As for the US administration, it has definitely been acting as a revisionist on the international stage, reviewing almost all the key agreements the global community made recently, while most of them were approved by the United Nations Security Council," Lavrov said.

"It does not facilitate cooperation and significantly undermines and devalues the role of diplomacy in today’s world," the Russian top diplomat stressed.

He pointed out that the Trump administration particularly demanded that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran’s nuclear program, the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Trade Organization’s regulations and the Minsk Agreements aimed at resolving the Donbass conflict be reviewed.

"This kind of revisionism reflects the intention to place even more emphasis on one-sided approach to global affairs than the Obama administration did," Lavrov noted. According to him, if some countries oppose the US stance, Washington accuses them of sabotage and threatens them with sanctions.

Nevertheless, in Lavrov’s words, there are exceptions in relation to the United States’ activities on the international stage. "For instance, today we discussed and welcomed the United States’ willingness to hold a summit with North Korea. God willing, such a meeting will happen. But these are only plans for now," the Russian foreign minister concluded.