Foreign intervention destabilizes states: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says foreign intervention in the internal affairs of independent countries not only destabilizes entire countries but also incites conflicts in international relations.

Lavrov made the remarks on Monday at the launch of a ministerial meeting of Russia, India and China in the Chinese capital of Beijing.

“Of late, we were able to see again that intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states, including the use of radical forces for this purpose, not only destabilizes entire countries, but also fuels the conflict potential in international relations,” said Lavrov.

The Russian minister also emphasized that the trust-building dialogue between the three countries was not only an effective instrument of developing trilateral relations but also a major factor of international politics.

“It has been confirmed that the positions of Russia, India and China on the situation in the world and the ways of further development of trilateral cooperation in modern conditions coincide or are close,” said Lavrov.

In addition, the Russian foreign minister voiced his country’s appreciation for India and China for their understanding of Moscow’s stance on the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

Lavrov, along with his counterparts, China’s Wang Yi and India’s Sushma Swaraj, urged all sides to the Ukrainian conflict to exercise restraint and to adhere to the Minsk peace deal, which was reached last September.

US-brokered ‘power transition’ in Ukraine

The remarks come a day after Lavrov said recent comments by US President Barack Obama admitting that Washington had brokered a “power transition” in Ukraine show that Washington was behind the overthrow of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Yanukovych was ousted following Western-backed protests in February 2014 after he refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the EU in favor of closer ties with Russia. He moved to Russia after the overthrow.

Moscow-Washington relations have been strained since Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea joined the Russian Federation following a referendum in March 2014.

Relations were strained further after Ukraine launched military operations in mid-April 2014 to silence the pro-Russia protests in the country’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine.

Kiev, the US and the European Union accuse Moscow of involvement in the chaotic situation in eastern Ukraine and have imposed a series of sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia figures. Moscow, however, rejects the accusation.

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