Russia: West trying to undermine Russia on energy & arms markets - Lavrov HD

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed State Duma deputies during a plenary meeting in the State Duma, in Moscow on Wednesday, on issues related to national security and the Syrian conflict. SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): "President Putin came up with an initiative to create a wide ranging counter-terrorist front with a strong basis in international law overseen by the United Nations. In order to support this initiative, our Aerospace Forces, that were present in Syria at the request of the Syrian authorities, joined with the Syrian Army and militia to disrupt the plans of extremists to transform a strategically important region in the Middle East into a theatre of war. It took some time until our partners came to understand the severity of threats from Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other [extremist groups] and the necessity of coordinating efforts. Nevertheless, some advances have been made in the development of practical work. Under the co-chairmanship of the US and Russia, the Support Syria Group was created; the UN Security Council made a decision to accept a complex plan to stop the shooting war [and] provide humanitarian access for people in need in blockaded territories. Moreover, [there was development] in the process of political regulation, without precedents, and without intervention from others." SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): "Nobody should doubt that we can provide security for our country and our citizens in any conditions. We see continued attempts to pressure Russia, to unleash an anti-Russian campaign, to force us to abandon our fundamental moral approaches to the issues of world order. There are clear attempts to patch up transatlantic discipline and undermine Russian positions as a competitor for energy resources and on arms markets. We are not aiming to participate in a confrontation with either the US, or with NATO or with the European Union. It is obvious that confrontational habits and geopolitical games with zero results only constrain efforts to provide for stable global development, and generate crisis, as in Ukraine. We hope that the West realised the malignancy of indulging in [the support of] national-radicals and will strive towards a rigorous implementation of the Minsk agreements from February 12, 2015; from the Ukrainian side through direct dialogue between Ukrainian authorities with Donetsk and Lugansk. We are ready to cooperate towards achieving this aim, to help in creating the right conditions to resolve major problems in Ukraine." Video ID: 20160615-019 Video on Demand: http://www.ruptly.tv Contact: cd@ruptly.tv Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly