Biden & Europe Guilty for Energy Market Turmoil, Russia Seeks Price Stability — Lavrov
/ Go to the mediabankRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
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TEHRAN (Sputnik) — Russia is interested in stable global energy prices and not in volatility, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. «There are such statements that, well, the Russians benefit from the fact that such a crisis has developed in the energy markets… prices are rising, they are replenishing their coffers in order to continue financing aggression, as it is called in the West, against Ukraine. [Russia] President Putin has repeatedly stressed — we are not interested in price volatility,» Lavrov told reporters after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Russia, as a serious state, wants stability, including stable prices, the minister added. «This is necessary in order to plan our long-term development. The latest budget, which is currently being considered, proceeds precisely from this scenario,» Lavrov said. Europeans and former US President Joe Biden started to undermine energy markets, not Russia, Lavrov concluded.
On Ukraine:
Ukraine and its European patrons are clearly not ready for peace talks, Sergey Lavrov said.»I informed [Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi] about the latest events and the efforts being made in this [Ukrainian] direction to ensure the unconditional fulfillment of the tasks of the special military operation, preferably through negotiations, but neither the Kiev regime nor its patrons in Europe are clearly ready for them,» Lavrov told journalists.The Russian minister said he thanked his Iranian friends for their objective position on the Ukrainian crisis.Lavrov also said that Russia is fighting for the rights of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine, while Kiev aims to destroy these rights.»We are fighting for the rights of Russian people and people of Russian culture, including those who currently remain in the territory controlled by [Vladimir] Zelensky. For their right to be part of Russian history. But the regime that is maintained by European elites is aimed precisely at destroying these innate, inalienable rights of people,» he said.Russia has never attacked civilian targets in Ukraine, except for those used to facilitate terrorist attacks, Lavrov said.»We have never attacked the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine, except when it came to facilities that directly supply relevant products to the armed forces of Ukraine, which then carry out terrorist attacks against Russian citizens,» Lavrov told reporters.Russia praises Iran’s stance on the Ukrainian conflict, Lavrov added.
On Iran:
Russia welcomes Iran’s commitment to diplomatic measures to resolve the situation in the Middle East, Sergey Lavrov said.»We welcomed Tehran’s commitment to using diplomatic resources to establish long-term peace and stability in the region. We believe it is important to return to the pre-crisis situation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including restoring freedom of navigation and guarantees of non-recurrence of aggression,» Lavrov said.Russia is ready to assist in finding a solution to the Iran-US conflict, the Russian foreign minister said.Russia provides humanitarian aid and food to Iran timely, Lavrov added.Russia does not intend to abandon its economic and nuclear cooperation agreements with Iran, Sergey Lavrov said.»Despite the difficult situation, as has been mentioned several times, Russia does not intend to abandon its economic and investment agreements with Iran. Our specialists are gradually returning to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant,» Lavrov said.Russia and Iran have great prospects for cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons, Lavrov added. They have also agreed to expand cooperation within multilateral formats, he said.»We have agreed to step up interaction on multilateral platforms, both within the United Nations and through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,» the minister specified.Russia expects that representatives of Iran will take part in the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, which will be held in November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.»We also confirmed our interest in having Iranian officials participate in the next international conference on Eurasian security,» Lavrov said.
UN Resolutions on Lebanon:
Russia and Iran firmly advocate for the implementation of UN resolutions, including UN Security Council resolutions, concerning Lebanon and Palestine, Lavrov said.»Russia and Iran firmly advocate for the implementation of the relevant resolutions, as well as the UN Security Council resolutions on Lebanon,» Lavrov said.It is crucial to step up efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue despite attempts by certain countries to «not only push it to the very bottom of the international agenda but also to strip it of any substantive meaning,» the top Russian diplomat added.
On Yemen Settlement:
It is important to resume the dialogue on resolving the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, based on proposals put forward by Riyadh, Sergey Lavrov said.»It is also important, of course, to resume dialogue regarding the situation in and around Yemen, ideally by returning to the roadmap developed by Saudi Arabia in 2023, which was acceptable both for the internationally recognized authorities in Aden and for the Ansar Allah movement,» Lavrov said.Clashes between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government resumed in August after a four-year lull, when the Houthis started attacking Saudi tankers in the Red Sea in retaliation to strikes on Sanaa’s airport by Yemen’s army.Saudi authorities are open to a diplomatic solution to the conflict with the Houthis, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the day, citing sources.
