Lavrov: “We are ready to discuss any international issues with Western partners, with one condition...”

The Russian Federation understands the desire of France and other EU countries to claim a dominant role in various regions of the world, but these efforts are not "pleasing" to Moscow. This statement was made on Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference following negotiations with Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulay Diop, TASS reports.

“We understand, but we do not like the attempts of France and other European Union countries to aspire to some dominant role in various regions of the world,” he said.

“When it comes to the territories surrounding the Russian Federation, they do not hesitate to draft various strategies, including the EU's Arctic strategy and the Central Asia strategy, and then start offering these strategies to countries in the region... these double standards are very sad,” Lavrov added.

He also stated that Russia is ready to discuss any international issues with Europe but on the principles of mutual respect for interests. “We are ready to discuss any international issues with our Western partners – the French and others – with one condition: that we do it in a cultural manner, respecting each other's interests and, most importantly, respecting the right of any region and any country to choose partners freely and without any dictation,” he concluded.