Russia won't cut off its nose to spite feeble America

The United States is unable to solve the problem of Afghanistan alone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday in an interview . "They can not solve the problems associated with the spread of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking and organized crime," he said. "The United States is physically unable to solve any problem at all, but it still remains the largest and most powerful military, economic and financial power," the minister said. Lavrov also said that if the international forces left Afghanistan, the situation would deteriorate sharply, and the threat of terrorism would spread to Central Asia and the North Caucasus. The diplomat noted that the problem of drug trafficking coming from Afghanistan has strengthened recently. He also said that according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, there are American citizens participating in the drug trafficking business. "I have seen evidence saying that Americans illegally participate in the process, secretly from their command" said the minister. In turn, Russia will not interfere in the situation around Afghanistan not to repeat the experience of the 1980s. "We shouldn't cut off our nose to spite America. We should follow our pragmatic interests here," said Lavrov. As for the situation in the Middle East, Lavrov said that Russia maintains contact with Syria, both with the Assad government and with the Syrian opposition. Referring to the situation in Libya, the minister said that Russia was trying to influence the situation through the UN Security Council. In general, the Russian Foreign Ministry is willing to cooperate with all countries of the region in the framework of peace. As an example, Lavrov referred to Iraq, whose government "wants to develop economic cooperation and create conditions for Russian oil, energy, and other companies to work in the country."