MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Western states are using the environmental protection agenda to fan Russophobic hysteria, says Pyotr Ilyichev, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s international organizations department.

"The things that we face on the international stage do not leave a good impression. This is, first and foremost, attempts of the US, the EU and their satellites to use the environmental and ecological topic to achieve their goals, to promote anti-Russian hysteria," he said during an international forum on ecology in Moscow Monday. "The initial purpose of various legal instruments - human rights, gender equality, matters of peace and security - is being forgotten. Sometimes, they throw in such concepts as environmental rights and environmental justice."

According to Ilyichev, various mechanisms that aim to create barriers for fair trade and competition are being introduced under the guise of reaching carbon neutrality faster.

"Western states seek to shift the blame for their own failures on to Russia," the diplomat noted.

The 14th "Ecology" international forum takes place in Moscow on June 5-6. The event’s two-day program includes about 30 sessions. The forum is being attended by representatives from the business and scientific community, as well as various experts and public figures.