PRESS RELEASE

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Middle East and North African Crises Were Results of West’s Bull-in-a-China-Shop Actions, Says Lavrov

July 22, 2016 (EIRNS)—In a stinging attack to the West’s ongoing policies in the Middle East and North Africa, that have resulted in unending wars, destruction of institutions, and death of hundreds of thousands, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said,

"what is happening in the Middle East, and North Africa is the direct result of a very incompetent and unprofessional attitude to the situation."

As reported today by TASS, Lavrov said,

"In their desire to keep their dominance, our Western partners acted like a bull in a china shop. In Iraq, an overthrow of the regime was announced under a false pretext. Partners say: ’let’s resolve the problem of Libya, Syria and Iraq, organize elections and eradicate terrorism.’ They say: ’first it is necessary to remove Assad [Syrian President Bashar Assad] and then we’ll struggle against terrorism.’"

Bringing up the Libyan catastrophe, Lavrov pointed out that

"there was an authoritarian leader there [in Libya] as well and he was disliked, but there were no terrorists at all during his rule."

Lavrov continued,

"And when he was removed, Libya was turned into a hotbed of terrorism and in a country, through which militants and weapons are going to the south [Africa] while those same migrants that are bothering Europe are going to the north."

Taking a swipe at the Americans who say, "if it’s not broken, don’t fix it," Lavrov noted that the West did the opposite.

"Iraq was not broken, Libya was not broken, Syria was not broken. They started to fix it and they have got what is happening there now,"

TASS reported Lavrov saying.