Lavrov Cut Down To Size By Phone Call From Dushanbe

Tajikistan's foreign minister made a harsh statement to the Kremlin.

Yesterday, 30 April, the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Tajikistan held a telephone conversation.

Tajik Foreign Minister Sirodzhiddin Mukhriddin expressed outrage at the Kremlin's treatment of Central Asian migrants, dialog.ua reported.

He said in a telephone conversation with Sergei Lavrov that the Russian Federation's efforts to control migrants entering and leaving Russian territory aggravate Tajik-Russian relations.

Mukhriddin emphasised that the Russian Federation is violating the rights and freedoms of Tajik citizens. Such treatment of people is not in line with the principles of Tajik-Russian friendship.

Mukhriddin called Lavrov's statements that the Kremlin allegedly did not take concrete steps against any ethnic or religious group living in Russia after the terrorist attack in Crocus false.

On the contrary, Moscow reacted negatively only to citizens from Tajikistan. After the terrorist attack in Crocus, the Russian authorities intensified repression against Muslims and Tajiks.

Lavrov said that all these are forced measures to prevent the events that took place in ‘Crocus’.

The press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry decided not to recall the situation when Mukhriddin criticised the Kremlin for mistreatment of his country's citizens living in the Russian Federation.