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By Sputnik International
Russia’s foreign minister sat down with Sputnik on the eve of the new year to discuss the most difficult problems facing Moscow and the planet, from the conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East to global strategic security.
Ukrainian officials accused of war crimes will be tried and punished in accordance with the law, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has assured Sputnik.
“An investigation into the Kiev regime’s crimes is already underway,” Lavrov said, when asked about the regime’s fate after Russia achieves the goals of its special military operation. “Russian law enforcement bodies are carefully recording and documenting the atrocities committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis and aren’t limiting themselves to the period of the special military operation. The suffering of the civilian population of the Donbass began much earlier, in 2014. Those responsible will be brought to justice.”
The foreign minister specified work by Russia’s Investigative Committee probing more than 4,000 criminal cases brought against roughly 900 individuals, including neo-Nazi leaders, Ukrainian security service personnel, and mercenaries, plus “representatives of Ukraine’s military and political leadership,” some of them charged in absentia and placed on an international wanted listing.
“Based on evidence collected by the Investigative Committee, Russian courts have already sentenced more than 200 representatives of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to long prison terms for atrocities committed. The same fate awaits all other criminals. Each of them shall receive just retribution,” Lavrov said.
Gaza Crisis
Turning to the crisis in Gaza, which began on October 7 with Hamas’ attack on southern Israel and escalated into a major humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory, Lavrov reiterated Russia’s support for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and pointed to the issues standing in the way.
“One of the obstacles getting in their way remains the lack of Palestinian unity,” he said, referring to the conflict between Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the West Bank.
“We support the actions of our partners, in particular Egypt and Algeria, aimed at solving this problem. For our part, we are also helping our Palestinian friends to find solutions, providing them with a platform in Russia for meetings. We are encouraging the Palestinian Liberation Organization to unite on a political platform and are explaining the danger of division for the prospects of creating a Palestinian state,” Lavrov noted.
Moscow’s proposals on the convening of multilateral consultations on the matter remain “on the table,” the Russian top diplomat stressed, adding that the recent, December 20 meeting of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Morocco confirmed a unity of opinions between Russia and the Arab World on the issue.
Attempted ‘Maidanization’ of Serbia
Asked further to comment on the political crisis which began brewing in Serbia after snap parliamentary elections earlier this month, which Serbian authorities have characterized as an attempted “Maidanization” of the Balkan nation, Lavrov confirmed that Russia’s dialogue with Belgrade includes a focus on security cooperation, with Moscow “always ready to lend a shoulder to its Serbian friends.”
“What happened in Belgrade [last week, ed.] was another attempt to orchestrate the illegal seizure of power. Apparently, not everyone in the West is prepared to accept the fact that Serbia’s voters expressed support for President [Aleksandar] Vucic and his political course in the elections. The trend, frankly speaking, is not new, and it’s well known how such misadventures usually end. Suffice it to recall the February 2014 coup in Ukraine, which was incited by Washington and Brussels,” Lavrov said.
“In Serbia, people have not forgotten about this either, thanks in part to their own experience,” the Russian top diplomat added, alluding to the 2000 “Bulldozer Revolution” coup against Slobodan Milosevic. “Apparently, this is why the number of protesters is relatively small – only a few hundred people. People don’t trust [political] figures who talk about their opposition to violence, but in reality behave in the exact opposite way, ignoring the will of the people and provoke law enforcement.”
Moscow assesses the general situation in Serbia as “stable” at present, with the country’s leadership in firm control over the situation, “clearly understanding that that is where their national interest lies,” Lavrov said…
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