21.04.2020, Moscow.
The US refuses to suspend sanctions on medical supplies needed to fight disease even in the face of a pandemic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a round-table meeting with delegates from The Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund on April 21.
“The Western states, first of all the US, have strongly rejected a proposal on declaring a humanitarian pause and exempting the supplies of goods needed to combat the pandemic from any sanctions,” noted Lavrov.
The Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that the sanctions imposed by the West do not allow countries such as Iran, Syria and North Korea to purchase the needed medicines and equipment to provide medical care to their populations.
Lavrov also urged “to reflect on what is going on in the world and reflect on how we should live further to ensure a peaceful, safe and stable future for all of humanity.” The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out that there is no alternative to building a collective future to ensure peace and security.
Lavrov said that the future world will be multipolar, and “the concepts and practices of hegemony and dominance are totally inappropriate in the 21st century.” He also noted that attempts to hinder the process of building of a multipolar world are “are bound to fail.”
Not only Russia but also UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet have repeatedly called for suspending the sanctions and allowing countries to purchase everything necessary to combat the epidemic.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
