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April 24 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of abandoning internationally recognised diplomatic conventions in pursuit of its own interests, \u200cparticularly in dominating energy markets, in an interview broadcast on Friday.<\/p>\n
Lavrov, interviewed \u200cby Russian state television, said Washington, in its dealings with Latin America and the Middle East, was “taking \u200bus back to a world where nothing existed” in international law.<\/p>\n
“The United States has officially declared that no one can dictate to it,” he said in the interview, the text of which was posted on the Foreign Ministry’s website.<\/p>\n
“It cares only about its own \u200cwell-being and is ready to \u2060defend that well-being by any means – coups, kidnappings or assassinations of leaders of countries that possess natural resources the Americans need.<\/p>\n
“Venezuela, Iran, \u2060our American colleagues do not hide that this is about oil. They have a doctrine of dominance in global energy markets.”<\/p>\n
Lavrov was alluding to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas \u200bMaduro \u200bin a January U.S. military operation and the \u200bkilling of Iranian Supreme Leader \u200cAyatollah Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes at the end of February.<\/p>\n
The United States, Lavrov said, had “cut off” Europe, urging European states to abandon the now-damaged Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany and backing European Union calls to discourage Hungary and Slovakia from buying Russian gas.<\/p>\n
“This is not an approach to international relations. It is \u200can attempt to return to the colonial era,” \u200bLavrov said, denouncing European policy as being driven \u200bby “arrogance and contempt for others.”<\/p>\n
Even in \u200bseeking a settlement of the four-year war in Ukraine, he \u200csaid, the United States was promoting the \u200bbenefits of “huge economic opportunities.”<\/p>\n
“At \u200bthe same time, everything I just described is happening in parallel. We are being pushed out of all global energy markets,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If we are \u200bready to carry out mutually \u200cbeneficial projects on our territory and provide Americans with what interests them … \u200bthen our interests must also be respected. So far, we do not \u200bsee this.”<\/p>\n
(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Rod Nickel)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n