Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed that the early departure of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell from a meeting in Skopje, where the OSCE Ministerial Council was being held, demonstrates their cowardice.
Lavrov made these remarks during a press conference following the meeting according to Vedomosti.
"They probably think that by doing so, they are emphasizing their intention to isolate Russia. But I believe they are just scared, afraid of any honest conversation with facts at hand," Lavrov stated.
The Russian minister pointed out that, unlike Blinken, he did not flee the meeting. He also noted the absence of ministers from Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States at the OSCE Ministerial Council events.
On November 30, the Russian delegation led by Lavrov arrived in Skopje to participate in the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.
This marked his first participation in such a European forum since February 2022. The event was boycotted by foreign ministers from Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia due to Lavrov's attendance.
On the same day, Lavrov held bilateral meetings with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
Additionally, he engaged in talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi. Furthermore, Lavrov had a trilateral meeting with North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg.
