UNITED NATIONS, August 21. /TASS/. Western countries prefer to demonstrate selective deafness and blindness in preventing conflicts, said Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's first deputy envoy to the UN.

"Emerging conflicts are often so obvious that it is more difficult to ignore unfavorable situations than to sound the alarm in this regard. However, many members of the Security Council prefer to demonstrate selective deafness and blindness, and then look for people who are responsible for the conflict, which could be anyone but them," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on conflict prevention. "Our Western colleagues understand perfectly well where this can lead, but they pretend not to hear the obvious demands for peace, stability and equality from those who, in the words of Mr. [EU top diplomat Josep] Borrell, live in the jungle around their beautiful garden. For them (Western countries - TASS), preserving their dominance and continuing to exploit the rest of the world are much more important than any efforts to prevent conflicts."

As an example, Polyansky pointed to the "unrestrained expansion of NATO to the east," as well as the deliberate disregard by the Kiev government and the West of the Minsk agreements, which were "the last opportunity to avoid a crisis [in Ukraine] and bring back the situation to the track of no conflict."

"As a result, we have what we have, and those who did not want to see the obvious are now arguing, including in this hall today, about the importance of prevention. And they are trying with all their might today to oppose the formation of a fair, pan-European system of indivisible security for all, opposing it with their selfish interests and hegemonic aspirations. At the same time, they are artificially inflaming the situation in the Middle East and East Asia, promoting bloc-based approaches there and not willing to seek solutions that respect the interests of all key players," he said.