Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries of using the COVID-19 pandemic to “punish the unwanted.” He is quoted by RIA Novosti.
“Unfortunately, despite the pandemic and the obvious need to consolidate efforts, some Western colleagues still do not intend to revise their selfish line, abandon forceful approaches, illegitimate methods of blackmail and pressure,” the diplomat emphasized during his speech at 46 session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Lavrov recalled that the West ignored the calls of UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michel Bachelet to suspend sanctions that may affect the supply of food, medicine and equipment needed to fight the coronavirus. The Foreign Minister pointed out that such measures affect the enjoyment of human rights, which is why Russia considers such sanctions “politicization of humanitarian issues” and a desire to punish “unwanted governments”.
In mid-January, Washington imposed sanctions on the developer of the coronavirus vaccine in Tehran, having previously agreed to unblock Iran’s assets for the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine.