West Destroys Its Own Institutions and Rules to Vent Anger on Russia: Lavrov

The principle of respecting territorial integrity applies only to those states whose governments represent all people living within their territory, which cannot be attributed to the Kyiv government. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by Interfax.

Lavrov made these remarks while speaking at a session of the UN Human Rights Council. He remarked, "Regarding the specific campaign of Ukraine concerning violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the initiators, who exhibit complete indifference and disdain for the human condition, wish to draw attention to the preservation of international rights from 1970, broad international relations, and cooperation among states in accordance with the UN Charter."

He emphasized that the document, which was approved by consensus resolution of the UN General Assembly, defines that the principle of respecting territorial integrity applies to "states that uphold the equal rights and self-determination of peoples in their actions and, as a result, have governments that represent all people living in that territory without difference in race, creed, or skin color."

"The Kyiv neo-Nazi government is clearly not that," he noted.

At the same time, Lavrov described human rights as "universal and immutable." He added, "They should not depend on the selfish aspirations of a 'narrow circle of elites' who seek to reorganize the 1948 Universal Declaration, distorting it in their way, and replacing the consensus achieved at that time with their 'rules', which form the basis of our collective work. The role of the UN Human Rights Council is to ensure adherence to our common values, not just the narrow values of some, promote respectful dialogue without any politicization and double standards, and prevent the use of human rights issues to interfere in internal affairs."

According to Lavrov, such an approach contradicts the illegal, unilateral sanctions policy pursued by the West, the targeting of which is no longer being concealed by anyone. He stated, "These illegal restrictions are no longer limited to financial and economic barriers; they pertain to cultural, sports, tourism, educational, informational sectors, and, in general, all contacts between people. The West has gone to the destruction of all the institutions and rules it created to vent its anger on Russia, including the sanctity of property."