Lavrov Accuses UN Chief of Bias Toward the West
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying the current leadership of the organisation cannot meet the fundamental demands of the UN Charter.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Lavrov said Russia wants the organisation to become a body that coordinates the interests of all countries, but he said the current UN team is not playing that role.
He also accused the UN secretary-general of applying a double standard in favour of Western countries, claiming that the right to self-determination for Greenland is mentioned at the United Nations, while the same issue is not raised in the case of the Crimean peninsula.
The Russian foreign minister added that he discussed the issue with Guterres a few days ago. According to him, the UN secretary-general responded that the matter had been examined for a long time and was different from other cases.
The remarks come as the UN General Assembly is considered one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings each year, with officials from various countries using the sidelines of the meeting to set out their positions on international issues.
