Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram account today: “I will repeat what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has just said. The responsibility for the resolution of the migration crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border is borne by the West, which provoked it by its actions in the Middle East. And it must be fully resolved in compliance with international humanitarian law,’’ the diplomat said.
In response to accusations by the Polish government that Russia had instigated the current crisis, Zakharova shot back: “Let’s not pretend it started yesterday. The situation at the EU eastern border is just a part of the big picture. A failure to see it, to understand it and admit it—that’s what constitutes the twisting of facts and lying. Lying of the worst kind that can ever exist—lying to themselves,’’ she said. It is in part due to irresponsible interference in the affairs of sovereign states and double standards in approaches to the most important democratic principles,’’ she said. There are many examples, the spokeswoman said. “The destruction of the Iraqi statehood, which happened due to the actions of the U.S. administration and allied states, caused tectonic shifts in the region. The West-sponsored `Arab spring,’ the NATO campaign against Libya, the interference of the collective West in the affairs of Syria and the support of international terrorism there and, most importantly, the emergence of ISIS … all that has led to a mass exodus of refugees and migrants from that part of the world to Europe. And of course, the information campaigns that are founded on the humiliation of traditions and values of some peoples and cultures in favor of others,” Zakharova said.
Lavrov, in a press conference yesterday with Vatican official Paul Richard Gallagher, responded to a question about the Belarus border crisis with Poland and Lithuania: “It is important not to forget the roots of these problems. They are caused by the long-term policy of the Western countries, including NATO and EU members, as regards the Middle East and North Africa….” (https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4929900)
