MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. The Baltic countries are obsessed with the idea of provoking Russia and Belarus and testing their ties, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"I cannot but state that the deliberately provocative nature of our Western neighbors’ actions, including along the perimeter of the Belarusian borders, is absolutely obvious. They are obsessed with the idea of provoking us, testing our strength and patience, all in an effort to try to get an impulsive reaction from our countries," he said at a panel of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

"We must not yield to these provocations and we must take measures to safely ensure what, in fact, is the unconditional guaranteed standard of development and prosperity of our territories," he stressed.

He slammed such actions as an element of a hybrid war these countries are continuing "with the connivance and active participation of some of their senior allies, especially in Western Europe."

European officials "are absolutely maniacally prone to anti-Russian and, probably, anti-Belarusian sentiments," he added.