Russia satirized the United States who felt they had a special status
around the world as law enforcers and keepers of order. The satire comes
after Washington questioned the recent presence of peacekeepers Russia and
its allies in Kazakhstan.
The innuendo was made by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press
conference on Friday, shortly after a meeting with US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken in Geneva. The two diplomats have discussed a number of
recent political developments.
Lavrov said he had demanded an explanation for comments Blinken made about
the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Kazakhstan under the auspices of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which Russia and
Kazakhstan are members.
"Regarding the 'sphere of influence', I asked Antony Blinken to explain
it," Lavrov told reporters, as quoted by Russia Today, Saturday
(22/1/2022).
"After the president of Kazakhstan requested assistance from the CSTO in
suppressing terrorists, based on the CSTO chapter for assistance, there
was a demand that Kazakhstan explain why it did what it did," Lavrov
continued.
"This illustrates that the West believes in its own privileged status.
They are allowed to do everything, and others are not allowed to do
anything. Look at how the European Union behaves."
When mass riots broke out in Kazakhstan earlier this month, President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev claimed rioters were "foreign terrorists" and asked
for help from CSTO, the Russian-led military alliance to quell the
protests.
Several thousand troops, mostly Russian, were sent to the country to guard
strategic facilities. On January 7, Blinken warned that this could be a
sign that Moscow has military ambitions in Kazakhstan, saying, “one lesson
from recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it is
sometimes very difficult to get them to leave.”
However, last week, the organization declared that the mission had been a
success and troops began withdrawing. The Kazakh government announced that
at least 225 people were killed in the protests, and more than 4,500 were
injured. Lavrov and Blinken met on Friday in Geneva with the aim of
resolving escalating tensions over European security, particularly over
Ukraine.
Western officials have voiced fears for months that Russia could be
planning an imminent invasion of its neighbor, which the Kremlin has
denied.
Moscow, meanwhile, has called for written assurances that NATO, the US-led
military bloc, will not expand into Ukraine or Georgia, a deal American
leaders say is unlikely.
