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US actively planting its NGOs in Central Asia, former Soviet republics — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister pointed out that such NGOs are to "influence the processes in the countries where these non-governmental organizations are operating"

MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. The United States, in an effort to use non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as instruments of influence, is actively trying to plant them in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Central Asia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Primakov Readings international forum.

He reiterated that the US "has created thousands of non-governmental organizations, of which hundreds, many hundreds are operating in the post-Soviet space, with a great many of them in Armenia and in Kyrgyzstan." "They are actively trying to introduce them into other Central Asian countries as well," the top diplomat added. "To say nothing about Ukraine. They were also in Belarus," Lavrov added, noting that mass protests in 2020 in Minsk and in many other cities "showed what role they played."

"They can barely be called non-governmental," Lavrov emphasized. He pointed out that many foundations "are 90% funded through the [US] Agency for International Development, which is part of the US bureaucracy, receiving budget money."

The minister emphasized that such NGOs follow a "party line" from Washington. Their "policy is to directly influence the processes in the countries where these non-governmental organizations are operating," the foreign minister stressed, adding that it would be a stretch to call them independent.

Lavrov cited the UN as a model for determining the non-governmental nature of an organization. "A procedure is in place: if you want to get this status, <...> you have to apply to this committee [of the UN, under which the NGO plans to operate]," the Russian foreign minister said. "The committee members make sure that this organization is really a social organization and not a tool of some government. Mistakes do happen, but on the whole it is a standard, transparent and honest process," Lavrov summed up.

The 9th Primakov Readings international forum is being held in Moscow from November 27 to 28.TASS is the general information partner of the Primakov Readings international forum and conference.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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