New Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told off representatives of the West at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi Thursday, for trying to shift responsibility for economic failures on Russian, state-owned news agency and broadcaster Sputnik reported.
During his speech, Russia’s top diplomat took a moment “to apologise to the Indian presidency and colleagues from the Global South” for the “indecent behaviour of a number of Western delegations who turned the work on the G20 agenda into a farce in an attempt to shift responsibility for failures in economic policy on others, primarily on Russia”, the report added.
He blamed the West for the degradation of international economic relations “provoked by the West, their transformation into a weapon, including in the energy sector”. He said Russia wanted a “fair and swift investigation into the terror attack” of the blasts in the Russian-owned gas pipes Nord Stream 1 and 2.
The pipelines built to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea saw a series of clandestine explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm on 26 September last year.
In 2021, Russia supplied nearly 45% of Europe’s natural gas, which was stopped post its attack on Ukraine.
Russia has always drawn attention to a report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, who revealed that US Navy divers had planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines during NATO Baltops exercises in the summer of 2022, the report said, adding, “Norway activated the bombs three months later at the order of US President Joe Biden.”
The minister also said the West has “shamelessly buried” the grain deal initiated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and highlighted the obvious obstacles to the export of Russian agricultural products around the world.
“Today, the lion’s share of grain supplies from Ukraine goes at dumping prices for fodder to the European Union, not to the poorest nations… Consignments of free cargo of Russian fertilizers, in particular for Africa, are still blocked at European ports,” he was quoted in the report.
Lavrov said Russia would continue to “make a significant contribution to ensuring economic stability”. “We are open to an equal dialogue in the G20. We hope that the Delhi summit in September this year will at least partially mitigate the risks posed by the selfish policy of the West,” he added.
The first session of the G20 foreign ministers’ meet Thursday focused on multilateralism, food and energy security and the development of cooperation.
Starting off the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted that discussions around the Russia-Ukraine war should not derail the rest of the summit’s agenda.
“We all have our positions and perspectives on how tensions should be resolved,” Modi said, adding, “We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can.”
He further said: “Russia’s relationship with India is described as a ‘privileged strategic partnership’. This reflects the special character of our relationship. We appreciate the responsible stand India is taking on key global agendas.”
Lavrov said the West was preparing for a conflict in Ukraine for many years and was arming the country. “If we see these countries, they are conquering land and exploiting people. Unfortunately, the West did not drop its neocolonial habits… The West is still promoting its interests without considering the interests of the global community,” the Russian foreign minister told reporters.
He said some nations say certain things under pressure from the US, “but almost no developing country, none of them, joined sanctions against Russia because they are aware of the kind of games the West plays”.
Lavrov also said it was high time to reform the UN Security Council.
Also read: US, allies in war of words with Russia at G20 meet