US slams Russia for destabilising Mediterranean, undermining international order

The United States has accused Russia of being responsible for destabilising the Mediterranean region, saying that it has worked to undermine international order on fronts ranging from Syria to Libya.

In a statement released yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s earlier accusations of the US “playing political games in the region,” saying that Lavrov “again gets the facts wrong and attempts to rewrite history.”

Pompeo turned the tables, saying that Russia “continues to threaten Mediterranean stability using a variety of techniques to spread disinformation, undermine national sovereignty, and sow chaos, conflict, and division within countries throughout the region.”

He gave the example of Russia’s continued support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, in which it has militarily assisted the regime over the past five years in crushing the opposition and committing war crimes.

He also slammed Moscow for sowing discord in Libya by supporting rogue Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar in the east and his offensive on the government-held capital Tripoli which was repelled earlier this year. That support was “undermining the UN’s efforts to bring peace to the country,” said Pompeo.

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He continued by stressing that in Libya, Russia “also continues to violate the UN arms embargo; blocked sanctions at the UN Security Council on Mohamed al-Kani, along with the Kaniyat militia, whose egregious violations of human rights are well documented; printed counterfeit Libyan dinars that have destabilized the Libyan economy; and via its proxy, [mercenary group] Wagner, fuels the conflict.”

Such actions conducted by Russia, Pompeo said, “clearly demonstrate that if anyone is playing political games and trying to stall progress in regional conflicts, it is Russia, which only acts to advance its own interests to the detriment of the entire region.”

Over the past few years, the US and Russia have been on opposing sides on multiple fronts around the world and particularly in the Mediterranean region. In Syria, this has even led to small clashes and skirmishes between American and Russian troops in the north-east where both militaries have bases and interests.

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