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Middle East and North Africa

Lavrov warns West will have to pay dearly for stoking revolutions in Middle East

The so-called Arab Spring is a vivid example, the Russian diplomat stressed

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The West will have to pay dearly for violent regime change and the instigation of revolutions in the Middle East that have plunged the region into chaos, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"We believe that any internal reforms should be carried out in a peaceful, evolutionary way, while their forms and pace should not run counter to the existing traditions," he said. "In other words, the people should determine their destiny on their own."

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Fillon says Russia takes control of situation in Middle East while West is losing it

According to Lavrov, the supporters of "messianically imposing their own ultra-liberal values, changing sovereign countries’ political systems, among them through ideologically motivated operations to topple undesirable regimes," gained the upper hand in the West some time ago. "The failure of such attempts is obvious, but they will be dealing with the aftermath for a very long time," he emphasized.

"The so-called Arab Spring is a vivid example," Russia’s top diplomat noted. "We supported the commitment of people in the Middle East and North Africa to a better life, sustainable prosperity and necessary reforms. It was obvious to us though that these issues should have been tackled by relying on national accord."

"However, outside interference turned the region into a space of chaos and anarchy, with numerous radicals immediately taking advantage of this," the minister explained. "Hence, the weakening or collapse of statehood in a number of countries, an unprecedented surge in international terrorism and extremism, and the large-scale migrant crisis that has engulfed Europe.".

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Middle East and North Africa Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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