MOSCOW, May 17. Russia has not changed its vector foreign policy to the East — the West itself has turned away, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
«Now they say that Russia turned its back on the West. No one turned away from anyone. Or rather, the West itself turned away, stepping on its own interests. When the volume of relations with Western countries dipped, the share of our Eastern policy objectively increased,» he said. Lavrov, commenting, among other things, on the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron about Russia and China.
According to the minister, Russia was ready for cooperation when the West was disposed towards equal relations and «rosy prospects for creating a common economic, humanitarian space, a common security space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean» were drawn.
Lavrov noted that even «in the best years of cooperation between Russia and the European Union» Moscow built relations with the East. The Minister recalled that since 2001 Russia began to build up its relations, primarily with China, India, and the ASEAN countries.
In his opinion, Russia does not need to «turn around» because it is a Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power.
«We are open to cooperation with everyone,» the minister added in an interview to the Tsargrad TV channel.
Earlier, Macron, in an interview with Opinion, said that Russia suffered a «geopolitical defeat», began the process of «falling into vassalage» from China and «made doubts» of its historical allies.