NEW YORK, Sept 24 (KUNA) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of violating their pledges to Moscow regarding the non-expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
This came in Lavrov's address, on Saturday, to international delegates partaking in the 78th UN's General Assembly.
"In 2021, our proposals to conclude treaties on mutual security guarantees in Europe without changing the non-bloc status of Ukraine were rudely rejected," noting that the West continued the militarization of the "Russophobic Kyiv regime" which was brought to power as a result of a coup and was used to wage a hybrid war against the Russian Federation.
Lavrov also accused Washington on creating small military and political alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, targeting Russia and China, which aims to collapse the inclusive regional architecture that has developed around the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He asserted that along with its "subordinate Western collective", the US continues to foster worldwide crises that artificially split humanity into antagonistic blocs, which "prevent the achievement of common goals." The Russian Foreign Minister decried US-led use of unilateral sanctions and "coercive measures", defending Cuba, Venezuela, Syria and others, while Washington continues its effort to "Ukrainize" the international agenda.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, Lavrov said, "Palestinians have been waiting for more than 70 years for their State, but the US monopolized the mediation process and trying their best to prevent that." He called on all responsible countries to unite their efforts to resume direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations Russian Foreign Minister closed his case with an appeal for compromise, saying, "Humanity is at a crossroads.. It is in our shared interest to prevent a downward spiral into large scale war." (end) ast.ahm