国际英语新闻:Russia stands firm for equality, mutual respect in global affairs: FM

MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia stands firm for the international order based on equality, mutual respect and a pragmatic approach to controversial issues, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

Reviewing major diplomatic ties between Russia and world powers during his annual news conference, Lavrov urged the countries to recognize the supremacy of the United Nations and not to let regional conflicts spread.

RUSSIA-U.S. TIES ON BUMPY ROAD

Relations between Russia and the United States are a key factor for global stability, and Moscow seeks to promote relations with Washington on the basis of "equality, non-interference and mutual respect," Lavrov said.

Russia welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama's projection that "decades of wars and conflicts are coming to an end," and will be ready to coordinate with the U.S. to solve controversies, Lavrov told reporters.

However, "irritating" issues such as the Magnitsky Act are hard to ignore, as Americans "have already decided everything for themselves," Lavrov said, warning that Russia would react if other countries interfered in its internal judicial life.

He also slammed the U.S. for shortcomings in child adoption practices and for the recent "unjust" ruling of a U.S. court over the so-called Schneerson Library, a collection of anti-Judaic documents stored in Russia and being claimed by a U.S. Jewish group.

REGIONAL CONFLICTS, GLOBAL CONCERN

Russia is concerned over regional conflicts that threaten stability in the countries involved directly as well as the rest of the world at large, Lavrov said.

He mentioned, among others, armed confrontations in Syria and Mali, the slow pace of talks on Iran's nuclear program, and lingering pauses in the six-party talks and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Meanwhile, Lavrov urged Iran to be responsive to requests from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on possible military elements in its nuclear program.

Attempts to solve the Iranian nuclear problem by military means could be dangerous, Lavrov said.

As for Syria, Lavrov criticized Western powers and Syrian opposition for their intention to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad instead of starting peace talks.

"There were no efforts to gather the sides at the negotiating table. Only we and our Chinese partners as well as the UN-Arab League's envoy Lakhdar Brahimi have attempted to do that," the minister said.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASIA-PACIFIC

Moscow sees the Asia-Pacific region as an arena of ever-increasing importance, where the opportunities for mutually profitable cooperation intermingle with territorial disputes and security threats.

Among the challenges facing Russia and the entire region were issues concerning the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Russia's peace treaty with Japan.

Moscow is ready to cooperate with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea on a variety of trilateral economic projects, but the possibility of such meetings depends on Pyongyang and Seoul as well, he said.

Meanwhile, Russia fully agrees with the UN Security Council position that missile launches and nuclear tests conducted by the DPRK were unacceptable. Moscow would welcome Pyongyang's return to the six-party talks.

As for Russia-Japan ties, Lavrov said Moscow welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's upcoming visit to Russia but saw some Japanese politicians' one-sided approach to territorial disputes as counterproductive.

"We don't believe such statements are useful for creating the necessary atmosphere for the comprehensive development of Russian-Japanese relations," Lavrov said.

The peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo should be made within the framework of international laws and the generally recognized results of the World War II, the minister said.