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Russia concerned about situation with murder of Chinese citizens in CAR, says top diplomat

Sergey Lavrov pointed out that there were indeed situations in the economic and social spheres that provoked protests and discontent among the population

SOCHI, March 22. /TASS/. Moscow is concerned about the situation with the murder of Chinese citizens by extremists in the Central African Republic (CAR), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the press conference following talks with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed.

"We are concerned about the situation unfolding in the Central African Republic as a result of the extremist attack on Chinese workers and the murder of nine of these workers," the Russian top diplomat pointed out.

At the same time, Lavrov pointed out that riots in Kenya were taking place simultaneously, which was "not very surprising" for the Russian side either. "Because our Western colleagues always demand that African leaders, as well as leaders of other countries, always follow their advice. And those who show a minimum of independence receive provocations from the West," he added, "I’m not saying anything, but I’m not excluding anything either."

The minister pointed out that there were indeed situations in the economic and social spheres that provoked protests and discontent among the population. "But in most cases, the West intends to either create situations or use them in its own interests," he concluded.

On March 19, unidentified assailants killed nine Chinese nationals working in a gold mine near the town of Bambari. Two others were wounded. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for the perpetrators of the attack on Chinese citizens in CAR to be severely punished in accordance with the law.