Lavrov Says To Ensure CoE Addresses Discrimination Of Russian-Speaking Minorities

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) Moscow will make every effort to ensure that the Council of Europe (CoE) does not turn a blind eye to the ongoing discrimination against Russian-speaking minorities and the Russian language in the Baltics and Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

Lavrov spoke at a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makei, in Minsk.

"We will work to ensure that the Council of Europe, including and especially under the German presidency, does not forget about such topics - which the West tries to sweep under the carpet in every possible way - as harassment and discrimination of the Russian-speaking minority, Russian-speaking residents of the Baltic countries, the shameful phenomenon of statelessness, as well as the so-called language education reforms in Ukraine, which only discriminate the Russian language as opposed to the languages of the other national minorities, because these are the EU languages," Lavrov said.

Russia will not tolerate either discrimination against its media, the diplomat continued.

"Certainly, we will not put up with the fact that some members of the Council of Europe are trying to keep silent about the targeted harassment of Russian media workers, let alone the glorification of Nazism," the minister stated.

According to the diplomat, the German presidency should keep it in mind and not try to switch the focus of the CoE to issues deemed "convenient" for the West while ignoring "chronic" problems.

Germany is chairing the CoE committee of ministers from November 18, 2020, to May 21, 2021.