Lavrov: The Submarine Agreement Will Lead to Confrontation in Asia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during his participation in the opening session of the founding conference of the international movement "Friends of Russia" in Moscow, confirmed that "Russia does not seek to conduct operations on other countries or impose dominance over them, but works only to protect its interests and rights." He pointed out that "the West is forcing countries around the world to implement its dictates and is trying to demonize Russia based on colonialist assumptions." He explained that "Russia's movements in Africa and Latin America aim to strengthen friendship and partnership relations with countries around the world," adding that "there are Western circles that understand the dangers of trying to maintain international dominance." He noted that "the submarine agreement under the AUKUS alliance will lead to a confrontation that will last for years in Asia." Australian Treasury Minister Jim Chalmers had announced that "the Australian government will allocate about $245 billion to implement a nuclear submarine construction program over the next 32 years, which will increase the defense budget," mentioning that "the program falls within the framework of the AUKUS agreements (a trilateral partnership between Australia, Britain, and the United States)."