Skopje, 1 December 2023 (MIA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday all problems the Balkans has been facing originate from the West and since the time of the breakup of former Yugoslavia.

Lavrov was quizzed by MIA during a press conference at the sidelines of the 30th OSCE Ministerial Council over the identity aggression from Bulgaria and Russia's links to this, to which the FM said he is not an expert in Macedonian-Bulgarian relations and added that problems in the region stemmed from the West, after the breakup of former Yugoslavia.

"I am not an expert in Macedonian-Bulgarian relations. All I can say is that people in Macedonia have the full right to be equal in all activities within our common continent. I would say the root of all Balkan problems lies in the behavior of the western forces, especially related to the countries of former Yugoslavia. I remember that Macedonia was called former yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for years, which was humiliating, and we know what happened with the name North Macedonia. I also remember that a speaker of the Macedonian parliament had photos with the Albanian flag in the office," said Lavrov.

According to him, the West's interest has always been to inflame nations against each other.

"I am certain that nations on the Balkan Peninsula have gone through turmoil, have a common code and should not be defeated and let the West make them enemies to one another," said Lavrov.

He encouraged ethnic groups in the Balkans to live in peace and abandon nationalistic ambitions, while also urging them not to support sanctions against Russia, "just for the sake of fulfilling certain ambitions of the West".