Sergei Lavrov said Moscow condemned Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which Tel Aviv said was aimed at stopping rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave, while also criticizing the radical Islamic group Hamas that controls the territory. The blockade was eased slightly on Tuesday to allow some fuel and medicines through.
"We condemn attempts to blockade the [Gaza] Strip, which will bring nothing but new suffering to the already impoverished residents of Gaza," Lavrov told a news conference describing daily rocket attacks on Israel as "disproportionate retaliatory measures."
He said Russia favored the "restoration of Palestinian unity," which should be recognized by the entire international community, including Israel, on the basis of agreements reached through the mediation of the Saudi king last year, and on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative.
Speaking on Kosovo, Lavrov denied that Russia would recognize breakaway regions in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia if Serbia's Albanian dominated province was declared a sovereign state, saying that "nothing could be further from a true understanding of Russia's stance."
However, Lavrov said "a precedent will be created not because we want it but because it will be objectively created ... If someone is permitted to do something, many others will expect similar treatment."
Kosovo, whose desire for independence has been backed by the West, could declare sovereignty unilaterally in the near future. Moscow has said Kosovo will never be a fully legitimate state, and that it would not support an "immoral" declaration of independence by Kosovo.
Russia's NATO concerns
The minister again highlighted Russian concerns about NATO's expansion, which he said was aimed at building up the alliance's military potential around Russian borders rather than strengthening European security.
"We are certain that the geographical expansion of NATO cannot be justified by security concerns," Lavrov said, adding that new members of the alliance were continuing to increase their defense budgets.
Washington's plans to deploy missile defense elements in Central Europe have further unnerved Moscow. Russia's cooperation with the alliance was also overshadowed by the bloc's refusal to ratify an updated version of the Soviet-era Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, and Moscow's subsequent moratorium on the arms reductions treaty.
British Council row
Addressing the closure of the British Council's regional offices in Russia - the latest row between Moscow and London, whose relations have been strained by a host of issues linked to the murder of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 - Lavrov blasted European Union presidency holder Slovenia's assessment of the dispute.
"We were astonished by Slovenia's statement, which is based on a simplified and distorted interpretation of the situation," he said.
Russia says the offices were ordered to close because the organization is operating in Russia without proper legal status. The British government's cultural arm insists the clampdown on its activities is politically motivated.
Earlier, Russia had hinted that the British Council row could be resolved should Britain resume cooperation with the FSB and work on visa simplification.
Chechnya
Asked why entry to Chechnya remained closed for foreign journalists, Lavrov said trips to the troubled North Caucasus republic were still unsafe although the situation had improved in the region.
"...there remain certain [criminals]... who are attempting to turn back the pages of history. They will certainly fail, but they can cause a lot of damage," he said.
Moscow has substantially scaled down its military presence in the republic since two anti-separatist campaigns in the mid-1990s and early 2000s, but sporadic attacks on pro-Kremlin authorities and police and clashes between militants and troops still occur in Chechnya and nearby republics, notably Ingushetia.
