MOSCOW: Russia will retaliate against any unfriendly moves and hostility from the European Union (EU) but remains ready for an open dialogue based on equality, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "We will not leave unfriendly actions, including attempts to talk from a position of strength and interference in internal affairs, without a response," Lavrov said at the opening of a conference on Russian-EU relations here on Monday.

He said that while the bloc is mulling anti-Russian moves, initiators of such hostile policies should consider whether they are in line with the EU's interests, reports by Xinhua. Lavrov criticized the EU for preferring "ungrounded accusations" to "fact-based dialogue". "We have repeatedly said that we are open for constructive cooperation with the EU that would be based on the principles of equality and mutual respect," he added.

According to Lavrov, the two sides could work together to counter international terrorism, combat drug trafficking, curb cybercrimes, preserve strategic stability, address climate change, and fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Turning to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Lavrov said the situation there has been stabilized and there are only minor incidents that are quickly tackled by Russian peace-keeping forces. He then called for not politicizing the peace process in the region, saying the issues of the routes connecting the region, line of contact, delimitation and demarcation of borders are being resolved.

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