MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. The West is attempting to promote the idea that Russia is facing some form of "international isolation," yet the country’s active foreign policy proves that no such isolation exists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with university graduates who have recently joined the diplomatic service.
He pointed out that, despite all the talk about Russia’s isolation, the country has been actively participating in events on the international stage.
As examples, Lavrov cited the Russia-ASEAN summit held in June to mark the 35th anniversary of their strategic partnership, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting held in Kyrgyzstan in August, as well as the Eastern Economic Forum and the BRICS summit in India, both of which took place in September.
"Next week, the third Russia-Africa summit begins in Moscow. Just before that, there will be a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum," he continued. "In November, there is the APEC summit in Shenzhen (PRC), which Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend."
"All these meetings demonstrate the complete absence of any 'isolation' - the West is simply running out of terms and logic for its anti-Russian propaganda - and show that we are constantly enriching the scope of mutual understanding with our friends, allies, and like-minded partners," Lavrov remarked.
In this context, he noted that by strengthening its external ties, Russia "strives to make the most of the opportunities that arise in this sphere, in order to make life safer and better for its people in every sense."