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Russia continues contacts within BRICS, SCO despite situation around Ukraine

At the same time, Sergey Ryabkov criticized the actions of the West, which, in his opinion, "obscure" positive agenda with Russia’s involvement

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Events in Ukraine do not cancel Russia's contacts through the BRICS and SCO, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with Channel One on Saturday.

"Events within these formats [BRICS and SCO] are underway, no one has canceled the schedules and calendars of meetings, various kinds of contacts, practical work, including projects that implemented through these associations," he said.

At the same time, Ryabkov criticized the actions of the West, which, in his opinion, "obscure" positive agenda with Russia’s involvement. "Western colleagues are great masters in obscuring the positive agenda with their wave of negativity, which they are trying to bring down on those who stand guard over the multipolar world order," Ryabkov added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

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