MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been openly aligning with Western positions, a stance that Russia is closely monitoring as it considers potential candidates for his successor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma.

"Mr. Guterres and his staff are overstepping their authority," Lavrov stated. "By openly toeing the Western line, he is causing both reputational and practical harm to the organization. His term concludes at the end of this year, and this will be taken into account when evaluating future candidates."

Lavrov pointed to Article 100 of the UN Charter, which mandates that the Secretariat "observe the principle of impartiality," including the obligation to avoid actions that could compromise their status as international officials answerable solely to the organization.

He also highlighted Article 97, which requires UN officials refrain from making biased political statements on behalf of the organization. "Guterres is expressly prohibited from doing so," Lavrov emphasized.