Lavrov Discusses Russian Foreign Policy

Lavrov Discusses Russian Foreign Policy

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Yearend is a good time to look back at the past 12 months and review what happened for good and ill.

There was painfully little of the former and an avalanche of the latter during a year that inflicted more harm on more people than any other since WW II ended — with much more of the same virtually certain to follow.

There’s no ambiguity about what’s self-evident. US war on humanity raged throughout the year at home and abroad like in previous years with a major difference.

Seasonal flu/influenza arrived as it does annually.

This year it’s called covid, accompanied by lockdowns, quarantines, mask-wearing, social distancing, and manufactured Depression conditions for ordinary people so privileged ones could and did benefit hugely at their expense.

John Whitehead called 2020 annus horribilis “a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for freedom…the culmination of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad decade for freedom.” 

It was likely irreparably pockmarked by: 

“Government corruption, tyranny, and abuse coupled with a Big Brother-knows-best mindset and the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us at warp speed towards a full-blown police state in which nationwide lockdowns, egregious surveillance, roadside strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, censorship, retaliatory arrests, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, indefinite detentions, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, police brutality, profit-driven prisons, and pay-to-play politicians were accepted as the norm.”

The above are some of the horrors that dark forces in the US and West inflicted on ordinary people at home and abroad.

It’s a year to remember — for all the wrong reasons, for state-sponsored harm to countless millions of people who deserve better, but don’t get it in totalitarian/police state Western societies that masquerade as democratic.

It’s a notion they abhor and tolerate nowhere — not at home or abroad, wanting it snuffed out wherever it exists, pro-Western puppet rule replacing them.

Russia’s Sergey Lavrov reflected on the past year in the context of Kremlin foreign policy that’s worlds apart from how US-dominated NATO and imperial partners in high crimes operate.

Lavrov: “The outgoing year was complicated for international relations.”

Nothing is simple for all sovereign independent countries because of hegemon USA’s rage to transform them into vassal states — wars by hot and other means its favored strategies.

Lavrov stressed “the unwillingness of…US-led (Western regimes) to establish constructive and equal cooperation with other international players,” adding:

They “use a wide range of illegitimate tools ranging from military pressure to information wars” and more.

They’re hostile toward peace, stability, equity, justice, and the rule of law.

“Under these circumstances, we did our best to reliably uphold our national interests and continued to promote a constructive and unifying international agenda, and work in favor of ensuring the indivisibility of security across all its dimensions,” said Lavrov.

Throughout the year, Russia joined with likeminded nations in pursuing positive initiatives during the most dismal year in modern memory for most people in most countries.

“In 2021, we will continue to pursue a pragmatic and responsible foreign policy and contribute to forming a more just and democratic multipolar international order,” Lavrov stressed, adding: 

“As before, we will be open to mutually beneficial cooperation to the extent that our partners are willing to, and of course, with unconditional respect for Russia’s national interests.”

“We are interested in good relations with our foreign partners in all parts of the world without exception based on international law, mutual respect and consideration for each other’s interests.”

“At the same time, we also take into account the tectonic shifts taking place in the global geopolitical landscape.” 

“The global political and economic focus is shifting from the Euro-Atlantic region to Eurasia, where new global centers are developing dynamically (and) pursuing an independent foreign policy (with) impressive results in many spheres” — notably by China.

Eurasia is “the most dynamically developing part of the world” in key ways.

US and other Western societies are decadent and declining.

Asked if he thinks Russian/US relations may improve when Biden/Harris replace Trump, Lavrov minced no words saying:

“(W)e do not expect the slumping Russian-US relationship to improve in the near future.” 

“The anti-Russia hysterics in the United States does not leave any chance for a rapid return to normality.” 

“Our dialogue has fallen victim to domestic political strife in the United States, which is not solid ground for constructive cooperation.”

I’ll be blunter stressing that improved US relations with Russia, China, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, and other independent nations are virtually nil.

They’re far more likely to deteriorate further.

On Monday, Biden — more likely his double who shows up when complete/factually correct sentences are needed for public remarks — said the following with China and Russia in mind:

“We have to be able to innovate and reimagine our defenses against growing threats in new realms like cyberspace (sic).”

The US must “ ‘moderniz(e)’ our defense priorities to better deter aggression in the future (sic), rather than continuing to over-invest in legacy systems designed to address the threats of the past.”

Aggression is a US speciality, not how nations it wages wars by hot and other means operate — notably not China, Russia and Iran, the three main US targeted countries for regime change.

Lavrov is realistic. No matter what steps Russia takes to improve relations with the US, they’re futile because of its hegemonic rage to dominate other nations, not engage with them cooperatively.

US relations with Russia have been largely hostile for over a century.

Biden pursued a cold and hot war mentality throughout his public life as US senator, vice president, and now president select, not elect.

Russia seeks mutually acceptable agreements with all nations — what’s unattainable with the US and most often not with the other Western countries.

On Russia’s relations with Iran, Lavrov stressed that no legal restrictions interfere with how they mutually cooperate on all issues.

After the Security Council arms embargo expired in October, Russia  has a legal right “to guarantee its defense capability” by supplying weapons to the country.

“There is (no longer a UN) an arms embargo against Iran.”

“There is no embargo, and there (are) no limitations whatsoever after the expiration of this timeframe established by the Security Council.”

Last October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the following:

“Russia is not afraid of US sanctions because it is accustomed to them,” adding:

“Russia is developing multi-aspect cooperation with Iran and cooperation in the military-technical sphere will proceed depending on needs of the parties and mutual readiness to (move forward with) such cooperation in a calm fashion.”

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My two Wall Street books are timely reading:

“How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War”

https://www.claritypress.com/product/how-wall-street-fleeces-america/

 

“Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity”

https://www.claritypress.com/product/banker-occupation-waging-financial-war-on-humanity/