MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. The United States has "messed with the wrong person," trying to "punish" Algeria for not joining anti-Russian sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT Arabic.

The interview was published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

"I heard that a group of 27 US congressmen addressed a special appeal to US Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken, in which they expressed indignation at the Algerian side’s non-compliance with anti-Russian sanctions. In this regard, they proposed to "punish" Algeria by bringing the country’s policy under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act," he said.

"In Russia we have an expression: "they messed with the wrong person." The Algerians are not the people you can dictate something to, expecting that "at the snap of your fingers" from across the ocean, they will obediently follow instructions that directly contradict their national interests," the minister said, responding to a question as to whether the West’s pressure will affect the policy of the Algerian authorities in the Russian direction.

Lavrov also stressed that Algeria is a country that respects its interests and history.

"It is on this basis the republic builds its policy, not relying on behind-the-scenes agreements with those who dangle "carrots", while in fact only trying to infringe on the legitimate interests of its "partners," he added.