French, German Foreign Ministers Request Meeting With Russia's Lavrov At UNGA - Zakharova

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2022) French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have been requesting a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York for two days despite the EU's alleged ban on bilateral meetings with the Russian side, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Cypriot government spokesman Marios Pelekanos told the CyBC radio that the European Union had given instructions to cancel all bilateral contacts with Russia on the sidelines of the UNGA in response to Moscow's actions in Ukraine and the partial mobilization in Russia, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. He added that it was the reason for the cancellation of the meeting between Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Lavrov, which was scheduled on Wednesday.

"On the one hand, they dissuade the EU member countries, which have traditionally maintained historical, economic, humanitarian ties with us, from communicating with us, they secretly forbid them (to communicate), and the countries tell us about it. And on the other hand, these Western grandees, including the European Union, are themselves requesting to meet with us. Would you like to hear the names? I have them with me: Colonna from France, Baerbock from Germany, and a representative of northern Europe have asked to meet with Sergey Lavrov. This is the second day they have been requesting (a meeting with Lavrov)," Zakharova told the Solovyov Live show.

The spokeswoman recalled the EU's statements about the isolation of Russia, adding that the example of the UNGA showed the opposite since the room of the Russian side at the UN headquarters has become a negotiating center on the UN platform.