The Russian foreign spokeswoman, Maria Zajarova, has said that she does not know “who to believe” in the Spanish government: who says there is democracy in the country or who says otherwise. I don’t know who to believe. Mrs. Arancha Gonzalez, Minister of Foreign Affairs who affirms that Spain is an example of democracy; or the Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish government, who says that Spain is far from having a situation normal in democratic affairs, “said Zajarova in an interview with the local news agency.
Moscow has once again charged the European Union, which it accuses of trying to organize a “public lashing” of Russia through the visit of its foreign policy and security representative, Josep Borrell. He tried, “but it didn’t work out,” Russian Foreign spokeswoman Maria Zajarova said in another interview with Vesti FM radio station.
“Borrell’s task was to mount a public flogging, which was meticulously prepared.
Talk about the demonstrations and journalists, making [Russian opponent Alexey] Navalny the key issue. Knead all that, pour it out, and leave happy. It turned out. Why? Probably because the Russian side proposed to discuss real issues, from problems to development prospects, “Zajarova said.Borrell, upon returning from Moscow, suggested that the foreign ministers of the EU countries, at their meeting on February 22, could decide to extend the sanctions against Russia.
THE ‘NAVALNY CASE’
The Russian Foreign Ministry has noted that the critical comments Borrell made after his return to Brussels contrasted with statements made in Moscow, where he said that there are areas in which Russia and the EU can and should cooperate, and also stated that Brussels is manifested in favor of holding a dialogue with Moscow, despite the difficulties existing in bilateral relations.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes that Western countries are trying to turn the Navalny issue into one of the main issues in dialogue with our country.
Lavrov noted that Germany refused to hand over Navalny’s medical documents to Russia.
The technical secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) declared that the conclusions of Berlin, Paris, and Stockholm (that there were remains of Novichok) were correct. Russia regrets that the OPCW “refused to disclose the specific formulation of the substance allegedly detected in the patient’s biomaterials,” in Lavrov’s words. In Borrell’s presence, Lavrov affirmed on February 5 that the condemnation of Catalan independence leaders for the 2017 referendum is an example of “politically motivated judicial decisions.
“WESTERN PROPAGANDA “
The Russian media have echoed how Vice President Pablo Iglesias “offered a different interpretation, assuming a part of the criticism made by Lavrov,” according to the Russian state agency RIA Novosti. As for the statements of Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, defending that in Spain “there are no political prisoners, but political prisoners,” the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry called them “high-level Western propaganda” on Monday. Shortly after, the Russian minister assured that Moscow is willing to normalize its relations with the European Union.
