MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. The United States and its allies are very seriously engaged in "hunting the friends of Russia", Andrey Klimov, deputy chairman of the United Russia party’s commission on foreign policy and deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference in the TASS news agency.
"Washington and its accomplices are very seriously involved in hunting Russia’s friends. Today, I am meeting in Moscow a political activist from Bulgaria (a NATO country), who was prosecuted for allegedly spying for some Russian organizations. It is nonsense, but still …," the politician said at the press conference dedicated to public diplomacy and events of the Friends of Russia Club.
Klimov recalled an incident when a Peruvian senator, who was travelling to Russia for the ‘For the Freedom of Nations’ Forum of Supporters of the Struggle Against Modern Practices of Neocolonialism, was barred from boarding his flight over the US ban, as the flight route was over that country.
"On the other hand, we have some American counterparts giving speeches here, and then they are instantly getting bombarded with calls. But in principle, all the unfriendly countries, including the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, Western European countries and Japan, have people almost everywhere, and there are lots of them who are with us. What is more, they are not passively with us <…>, they are people who are engaged in dialogue with us, who in one way or another take part in our projects, who come up with their proposals, who expand the network of those who are like them in their own countries. And this trend is on the rise," Klimov said.
The senator pointed out that Russia’s foes keep a close eye on with which countries Russia cooperates best and immediately make attempts to meddle in this process.
"We need to team up. We have science diplomacy working, but they do their own programs, and cultural diplomacy does its own programs. As a result, it happens little by little at different times everywhere, but eventually no systematic approach emerges - neither in the territories where they work, nor in the information space, nor even here. However, the enemies do their job 24/7 all over the world. In this regard, we still have to look for options to maximize the rational coordination of our efforts," he said.
The politician is convinced that it is necessary to exchange information and join efforts in every area, but the crucial role lies with the Foreign Ministry.