Lavrov Had Some Choice Words for Participants in the G20 Foreign Ministerial

March 4, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—Russia’s Sergey Lavrov not only attended the full plenary meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministerial, but he was frank and outspoken in his address to the plenary, from the outset. His remarks included:

“We stand in solidarity with New Delhi’s call to build a common future for humanity, which is especially important in the context of growing geopolitical confrontation.... I would like to apologize to the Presidency and our colleagues from the Global South for the improper behavior of a number of Western delegations, which turned the discussion on the G20 agenda into a travesty, in an attempt to shift their responsibility for failures in economic policy to others, primarily Russia.... G20 Western members have never grieved at the G20 meetings over the many hundreds of thousands of lives lost in Washington’s reckless adventures in the Middle East under the pretext of national security threats that came from places 10,000 miles away from the U.S. borders....

“We see no alternative to the sole legitimate international order that is embodied in the UN Charter’s basic principles.... The formation of a polycentric world calls for recognizing civilizational diversity and mutual respect for interests. It is imperative to stop being guided by the flawed logic of domination, diktat and sanctions. We welcome the rise of new centers of influence in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America,”

he said.

Lavrov denounced Western “weaponizing of international economic relations, including in the energy sector,” and going on to say:

“We are shocked to see the masterminds behind the act of sabotage against the Nord Stream main gas pipelines within the NATO and the EU area of responsibility get away with what they did. We insist on an honest and swift investigation into that terrorist attack to be conducted with the participation of Russia and other stakeholders.”

He called it “imperative to put a stop to illegitimate sanctions, all forms of violations of freedom of international trade, market manipulation and arbitrary introduction of price ceilings or other attempts to appropriate other countries’ natural resources.

He argued that the food crisis “stems from the West printing trillions of U.S. dollars and euros early on during the COVID-19 pandemic and buying up food supplies around the world,” sending most grain supplies from Ukraine to the EU at giveaway prices instead of to the poorest countries, and from the obstruction of Russia’s efforts to export agricultural products around the world, including retaining free Russian fertilizers ready to be shipped to Africa at European ports. And, promised, that “against this backdrop ... [Russia will] focus on forming reliable transport corridors, independent payment systems, and the expansion of payments in national currencies within the framework of BRICS, SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and the Eurasian Economic Union.”