VOLGOGRAD, November 1. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry is watching with alarm the developments in Chile where mass riots continue and understands the motives that prompted the Chilean government to cancel the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit and the UN climate change conference, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
"We are watching with alarm and compassion the efforts to normalize the situation," the Russian diplomat said, stressing that this was Chile’s internal affair.
"We have taken note of this and fully understand the motives that caused the Chilean leadership to make an uneasy decision to cancel the hosting of important international events in the country, namely, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stated.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry wishes Chile to restore law and order as quickly as possible, Zakharova stressed.
"We want to stress once again so that no one can have any doubts that we are interested in both politically and economically stable Latin America," the Russian diplomat concluded.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced his decision on Wednesday to cancel the APEC summit and the UN conference on climate change in the wake of mass riots in the country. Civil unrest erupted in the Chilean capital of Santiago on October 14 after the authorities raised subway fares by an average of 30 pesos ($0.04) to 850 pesos ($1.2).
The unrest that developed into street riots and clashes with police eventually spread to other cities. President Pinera declared a state of emergency and curfew in the capital and a number of cities and revoked the public transport fare hikes. The riots claimed at least 19 lives, according to the authorities’ data.
