Lavrov invited the EU to present real facts of persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya
Russia is ready to investigate the facts of persecution of representatives of the LGBT community in Chechnya if they are proven.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this today at a joint press conference with EU Foreign Affairs Representative Federica Mogherini.
“As for the situation with LGBT people in Chechnya, any facts will be immediately investigated. We have not yet seen information that would confirm these accusations. The main thing is that these accusations are not used for political purposes, as has become fashionable in relation to Russia for the sake of achieving internal political goals in European countries,” Lavrov said.
According to him, the topic of the rights of the LGBT community in Chechnya was not discussed separately at the meeting with Mogherini, but was only touched upon during the conversation about the situation with the observance of human rights in general.
“We would prefer that the EU, if it really wants to establish the truth, would first wait to see whether the information is confirmed or not before making harsh condemnations,” Lavrov said.
He also recalled that sectoral channels of negotiations on human rights issues were closed at the initiative of the EU. Russia is ready to discuss this issue, but in full, and not just those aspects that are of interest to the EU.
Earlier, Novaya Gazeta published an article that spoke about the detentions and possible murders of residents of Chechnya because of their non-traditional sexual orientation.
The Council under the Head of Chechnya for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights stated that it analyzed the publication and did not find even indirect confirmation of the information presented.
English version :: Read in English Lavrov invited the EU to present real facts of persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya