Middle East Not Geopolitical Playground, Lavrov Tells West

"The West is used to wreaking havoc, creating crises, and then seeing what happens," the Russian top diplomat noted

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned the West against treating the Middle East like a geopolitical playground.

"The West is used to wreaking havoc, creating crises, and then seeing what happens. The Americans, in particular, like to do this, and then watch how things unfold with great interest from across the ocean. But the Middle East is not a playground, and it shouldn’t be treated as such," he said at the 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

"Today, Western diplomats, including in the Middle Eastern countries, blame Russia for the futility of efforts to establish a national dialogue in Libya as Russia has its force resources there," he noted. "This, according to Western diplomats, is the root of problems in present-day Libya and they are seeking to impose this point of view on everyone they are speaking with."