MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that third parties must not meddle in Russia's domestic affairs under the guise of public diplomacy, citing alleged plots of foreign actors to call into question the results of the upcoming Russian legislative elections.
"If we observe, as it often happens, attempts to interfere in our domestic affairs under the guise of activities of various civil society institutions labeled as public diplomacy, we will certainly not let such attempts go unanswered and we will not tolerate them," Lavrov said in an address at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in Russia's Kaliningrad.
He stressed that Russia welcomes true public diplomacy and depoliticized cooperation with all countries, yet stands firm in its determination to quell any attempts at foreign meddling.
"This also applies to the forthcoming elections to the State Duma [Russia's lower house]. You have probably already heard that there are reasons to believe that attempts are underway to cast doubt on the results," Lavrov said, adding that it is up to the Russian people to decide the country's development in the future.
Russia will hold its parliamentary elections from September 17-19. The State Duma is elected for a five-year term under a mixed electoral system in which 225 lawmakers are elected from party lists, and the remaining 225 from single-mandate Constituencies in one round.
