MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov encouraged reporters from the West "to be more honest," when asked to comment on Western reports about his hospitalization ahead of the G20 summit in Indonesia.
In a video posted by the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on her Telegram channel on Monday, Lavrov said, "For a decade, they have been reporting that our president is sick. Well, that’s some sort of a game that is not new to politics. I would [advise] Western reporters to be more honest than they have been and to report the truth more often without being limited in their reports to a single point of view, which they have been spreading on every issue involving the interests of the Russian Federation, which are being ignored."
"And to our citizens, of course, a huge thank you for supporting our foreign policy, which is determined by the president, and we try as much as we can to implement in all directions," he added.
The Russian foreign minister also said he was currently getting ready for the G20 summit events. "[I will be giving] a few speeches tomorrow, they will be adopting the final declaration. Indonesian Foreign Minister [Retno Marsudi] has just called, who is chairperson of the ministerial process. Negotiations are being concluded now, so our experts are currently there, but the ministers are controlling the situation on the phone," he said.