Lavrov Tells West to Respect Russia’s Red Lines in Foreign Policy

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On Sunday, Minister of Foreign Affairs S V Lavrov told Kommersant:

If we were to suppose that we can’t have any interests in the Euro-Atlantic region, then, yes, Russia’s border is a red line, but in fact, we have legitimate interests, there are Russians who found themselves outside Russia overnight when the former USSR collapsed. We have cultural, historical, close personal, and family ties with our neighbours. Russia has the right to protect the interests of its compatriots when they face persecution in other countries and when others violate their rights, as happened in the Ukraine. On could see the August 2008 developments when Georgia invaded South Ossetia and attacked Russian peacekeepers as such a red line. Russia has its interests and people should bear that in mind. Russia has red lines. I think serious politicians in Europe understand that they must respect these red lines as they used to respect them during the Cold War.

21 January 2018

TASS

http://tass.com/politics/986168