MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia will never chart a course of self-isolation and seek out enemies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
"As [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly emphasized, despite all the actions of our colleagues, we will never take the path of self-isolation and search for enemies. We will always be ready to cooperate with all those who reciprocate and indeed build relationships on an equal and mutually respectful basis," Lavrov said at the fifth World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad held in Moscow.
The key goals of the event include looking at the effectiveness of protecting the rights of Russians living abroad, assessing the influence of the Russian diaspora and discussing how to strengthen the position of the Russian language and culture.
The last congress took place in October 2012 in St. Petersburg, which Putin addressed by via video link and stated that supporting the Russian diaspora abroad was a very important part of the country's policy.
