Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov summed up 2016 during his annual press conference in Moscow. In his opening remarks, he stressed the importance of the need to combat international terror as a united front and talked about Russian-American relations. He also commented that the Obama administration tried desperately to recruit Russian informants in the waning days of his administration, using crossdressers posed as women.
He also blasted “Western values” as “post-Christian” and fundamentally at odds with Russian traditions.
“If we talk about much-touted Western values, then these are not the same values held by the ancestors of the European people.
“They are something new, modernized and permissive. They can be described as post-Christian — fundamentally at odds with the morals that our country passed from generation to generation and the principles that we want to pass down to our children and grandchildren.”
About the Terror:
The problem of terrorism has become systemic, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“Of course this causes serious concern and regret. Why is this happening? There may be many reasons. We see that the problem of forming common ranks to fight terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, many other threats, this problem is becoming systematic,” Lavrov said at a press briefing.
Lavrov said that Russia is ready to cooperate on anti-terrorism efforts with any country. He welcomed cooperation with the US, EU and NATO, but only on the basis of mutual respect.
“We are looking for closer ties with those who are ready to work with us on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation, respect of one another’s interests and balance of interests,” the diplomat added.
Relations with the US:
During his speech Lavrov stressed that Moscow emphasizes on the fact that Trump has emphasized that the fight against terror will be one of his priorities. Lavrov noted that previous statements made by Trump and his team show that they are not likely to use double standards in the war on terror.
“Considering that Donald Trump called the fight against terrorism his top foreign policy priority, as I have heard, of course, I hope that our cooperation on the Syrian crisis, as well as on other issues related to the fight against terrorism will be more effective than with the Obama administration,” Lavrov told reporters.
