MUNICH, February 2 (Itar-Tass) – Moscow calls on the West not to impose any values scale to peoples of the Middle East and Africa, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a conference on security in Munich on Saturday.
“We all aspire for stability and conditions for sustainable development in the Middle East and in Africa, we want the peoples of countries there to be able to move towards the democracy and wellbeing, to have guaranteed human rights, smooth supplies of hydrocarbons and other vital resources,” he said.
“If those are our joint objectives, then, we may agree on transparent and clear rules, which should be used by all players in their practical actions,” Lavrov said. “Agree that we all will be supporting the democratic reforms of the changing countries, but not to impose an outside value scale, acknowledging the variety of development models.”
“Should agree that we shall be supporting the peaceful settlement of the inner state conflicts and stopping of violence via conditions for an inclusive dialogue with involvement of all national political groups,” Lavrov continued. “Should agree that we shall refrain from outside interference, especially by force, without a clear mandate from the UN Security Council and from any unilateral sanctions. That we should continuously and firmly fight extremism and terrorism in all forms, should demand observation of rights for ethnic and confessional minorities.”
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asked his foreign counterparts if it is possible to be fighting in one situation against those who you support in another one.
“If we consider the most unstable regions – the Middle East, Northern Africa, the Sahel zone, it is complicated to ignore a feeling of some curved space,” Lavrov said during the Munich conference on Saturday. “Approaches of our Western counterparts cause many questions.”
“Does support for change of regimes justify terror methods? Is it possible to be fighting in one situation against those who you support in another one?” he asked the foreign ministers participating in the conference.
“How to make sure the weapons you supply to a conflict zone is not directed against yourself? Which governor is legitimate, and which – not? When is it possible to cooperate with authority regimes /both civil, and not that much civil/, and when is it possible to support their overthrowing by force?” Lavrov continued. “What are the cases where it is necessary to accept the forces elected during democratic polls, and in what cases should one refuse from contacting those? What are criteria and standards to make considerations about all this?”
These are the questions, he said, “answers to which should be found jointly, especially regarding final objectives for the efforts to settle crises in countries of the Euro-Atlantic region, which have more uniting aspects rather than discrepancies.”
If all participants in the Syria Action Group fulfilled the Geneva Communique, the war in Syria would gave stopped, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the 49th Muchich conference on security on Saturday.
“But for this, it is necessary to fulfil honestly what has been agreed upon and not to extract or add anything,” he said.
For that purpose Moscow “has been suggesting a new meeting of the Action Group.”
Russia is against organisation of a humanitarian air corridor in Syria, as it considers as unacceptable any use of force, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.
“We can remember perfectly well what happened to the UN Security Council’s resolution on Libya,” he said. “A humanitarian corridor is possible in an armistice only.”
“The objective of removal of /Bashar/ al-Assad is the only reason of the tragedy, which continues in Syria,” Lavrov said. “All discussions about interpretation of the Geneva Communique are not serious, there is nothing to have interpreted here, everything is absolutely clear.”