U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized his Russian counterpart’s remarks to Washington, claiming that Moscow is using political games to prevent progress in West Asia.
Mike Pompeo claimed in a statement on the U.S. State Department website Tuesday evening that Lavrov accused the United States of playing political games in the Mediterranean and preventing the appointment of a U.N. special envoy for Libya at the Mediterranean Dialogue earlier this month.
The Russian foreign minister also said several days ago that Western powers were trying to convince India to take anti-China measures.
In Pompeo’s statement, the U.S. secretary of state continued his accusations against Moscow regarding Russia’s meddling in Libya and Syria and spreading lies in the Mediterranean, writing, “All of these actions show that if anyone is playing political games and trying to prevent progress in regional conflicts, it is Russia, acting to the detriment of the entire region, only to advance its own interests.”
In a tweet, Pompeo wrote: “Lavrov says U.S. is playing political games in Mediterranean, but U.S. is working constructively with regional partners and supporters”
The U.S. secretary of state also claimed that Russia, on the other hand, was weakening the domestic politics of Mediterranean countries.
Sergei Lavrov had said at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in late November that U.S. forces were in Syria without invitation and that their presence was therefore completely illegal.
He accused the United States and its Western allies of creating a situation in which the governments in Syria, Iraq, and Libya were forced to face challenges against their security.
The Russian foreign minister said U.S. troops were in Iraq with the government’s approval, but that parliament had decided that U.S. troops must leave the country. (RN)
by Xavier Cuesta – European Correspondent