The Russian government will soon submit a list of unfriendly countries, but over time it may be revised. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with RIA Novosti, published on April 28.
“This is not a“ dead ”paper, it will naturally be revised as our relations with the respective state develop in the future,” Lavrov said.
According to the minister, Moscow does not intend to indiscriminately include any country on such a list – decisions will be made based on an analysis of the situation and identifying opportunities to deal with the state in an alternative way.
Lavrov clarified that there is “not long left to wait for the list,” since the Russian government has specific instructions.
The decree on measures to influence unfriendly actions of other states was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 23.
In particular, the document limits the conclusion of labor contracts between “individuals located on the territory of the Russian Federation” and diplomatic missions of countries that carry out unfriendly actions in relation to the Russian Federation or citizens of the state.
The Russian government was instructed to determine the list of unfriendly countries in respect of which appropriate measures will be applied.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that the document was not Moscow’s aggressive actions, but a response to hostile steps. According to her, Russia has always emphasized the peaceful nature of its foreign policy. At the same time, as Zakharova emphasized, Moscow stated that all actions that are qualified as unfriendly to the country will not remain unanswered.