Arrr! Me hearty Russian FM be settin' sail to join the OSCE meetin' in North Macedonia, savvy?
2023-11-27
Arr, me hearties! In order to set foot on North Macedonia's shores, Lavrov's vessel be needin' t' traverse over Bulgarian or Greek airspace. Aye, Bulgaria be declarin' it has kindly granted such permission. Avast, the journey begins!
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is planning to visit North Macedonia this week to attend a conference, marking his first visit to a NATO member country since Russia sent troops to Ukraine. North Macedonia, as the current chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), invited Lavrov to an OSCE foreign ministers' meeting in Skopje. However, due to NATO members banning Russian flights after Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, Lavrov's plane would need to fly through the airspace of Bulgaria or Greece, both NATO members. Bulgaria has granted permission for Lavrov's plane to fly through its airspace, but the permission does not extend to the members of his delegation who are also under EU sanctions.Lavrov's office has received requests for bilateral meetings from foreign ministers of other countries attending the conference, and he plans to meet with everyone. However, he has stated that he will not meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Lavrov argued that the security situation in Europe is more dangerous now than during the Cold War and expressed concerns about the future. He further declared that Moscow is not thinking about rebuilding ties with Europe but instead focusing on safeguarding key sectors of its economy and security.
This defiant stand by Lavrov reflects Moscow's hope that Western support for Ukraine may wane amidst upcoming elections in the U.S. and Europe, the Israel-Hamas war, and the lack of significant gains by the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Lavrov stated that Russia will carefully consider any offers from the West and assess their compliance with Russia's interests and the reliability of its European counterparts. He criticized the West for undermining its reputation but acknowledged that the damage may not be complete yet.