MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that no hasty conclusions should be made following recommendations to the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA to bar Russia from international competitions.
"As far as I know, this is only a recommendation," Lavrov told a news conference on Tuesday. "It is a recommendation by WADA’s panel of experts, which is still to be considered by the governing body. For now I would avoid jumping to any hasty conclusions."
Lavrov warned that some would like to see Russia in the position of a defending country that is blamed for everything and everywhere.
"Whatever aspect of international affairs one may look at — conflicts, the economy, energy, gas pipelines, trade in military products — Russia allegedly violates something or does something that is detrimental to one or several Western countries," Lavrov claimed. "From their point of view the more such decisions are made, the better — as they believe — for their anti-Russian arguments."
In the meantime, Lavrov noted, Russia is well aware that it is these countries that create such sort of situations. "For this reason we will be pressing for an honest discussion on any issue, including the fair assessment of each country’s conduct in the international scene," he pledged.
"There can never be a situation where one or two countries, say Russia and China, are to blame for everything and violate everything, while all others abide by the rules they established themselves without asking anybody else and force all others to respect these rules, too," Lavrov said. He pointed out that Russia respected international law, which implies fairness and equality and everybody’s obligation to explain one’s actions.
"On many occasions we do not hear plausible explanations in conformity with international law from our Western partners," he stated.
On Monday, WADA’s Compliance Review Committee recommended the Executive Committee to strip Russia of the right to participate in international competitions for four years. Also, it suggested suspending Russia’s right to host international tournaments. The WADA Executive Committee will make a final decision on the Russian issue on December 9 in Paris.