Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of “vacuuming the Balkans” into NATO, against the will of the citizens of the Balkan countries.

The West maintains an arrogant line of vacuuming the region into NATO, disregarding the will of the people of the countries concerned, and ignores lessons of history or even basic diplomatic decency, Lavrov said, during a commemoration for late Russian diplomat and UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.

Lavrov said that Russia calls for a return to the principles of the OSCE, including respect for national sovereignty and sovereign equality of states, and non-interference in domestic affairs.