Zakharova: for the United States, human rights are just a toolkit for pursuing its foreign policy

Maria Vladimirovna highlighted the position of the department on the most pressing international topics related to Russian foreign policy. Traditionally, The Moscow Post also received answers to its questions.

The first question of our publication concerned the situation in the Asia-Pacific region (APR). Not so long ago it became known that Japan wants to offer the United States the concept of "extended deterrence" in the Northeast Asia region, which includes neighboring countries with Japan, especially China and the DPRK.

It also means committing the US to use its nuclear and conventional forces to "deter neighbors" with an American "nuclear umbrella," which clearly affects Russia's security interests.

According to the official representative of the Foreign Ministry, here we can talk not about Tokyo's strategy, but about Washington's strategy to use Japan and other satellite countries as ageless conductors of US interests in the region.

Including, building networks of American-centric configurations, the purpose of which, according to Zakharova, is force pressure on the Russian Federation, China and the DPRK. The Foreign Ministry is convinced that such actions pose significant challenges to Russian national security.

In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry itself has repeatedly pointed out serious risks to regional and global security that arise as a result of Washington's activities to draw its allies into the Asia-Pacific region. They call this "extended deterrence" - including, referring to the nuclear component.

There, in the Asia-Pacific region, they want to transfer the practices of joint nuclear missions. This will give the "triple alliance" "Washington - Seoul - Tokyo" the status of a kind of nuclear alliance, according to the NATO model, Zakharova noted.

"Most importantly, countries must understand that if they are drawn into these nuclear alliances, they will not manage them. They will be managed, the lives of their peoples will be made dependent on the opportunistic interests of the United States, "said Maria Zakharova. She added that Russia will definitely respond to all emerging threats properly.

The second question of our publication concerned the crisis in the United States, where university students are protesting. They call for an end to the genocide in the Gaza Strip. Does the Russian Foreign Ministry believe that the American media are using the protests as an excuse to ignore the Gaza Strip and instead discuss the protests as some kind of threat to "order" and manifestations of "anti-Semitism"?

In addition, there is an opinion that US laws are not applicable to the Biden administration, as is international law to Israel.

Maria Zakharova expressed the opinion that the United States was simply confused with its standards when assessing certain events. It turns out that the only standard of Washington is that it is profitable at the moment.

"This is duplicity, this is a conjuncture, this is the lack of standards, conscience, morality, any honor, this is a monstrous, dirty game that they play, calling it the promotion of democracy and the protection of human rights," Zakharova emphasized.

In this context, human rights become for the United States only a tool for the implementation of its foreign policy activities.

In addition, The Moscow Post was interested in the position of the Foreign Ministry on the ongoing protests in Armenia against the current leadership of the republic, primarily the policies of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

On the eve of the head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan called on the police not to use violence against the protesters. Does Moscow consider it necessary to make a similar appeal to the Armenian authorities?

Commenting on this situation, the Foreign Ministry spokesman drew attention to the following moment: the Western media, as if on command, cover the protests in Georgia, but at the same time are silent about the actions in Armenia. Moreover, brute force is used against the protesters.

"We see that literally as if on command, the American and European media are promoting demonstrations in Georgia in every possible way. As for the thousands of protest actions in Armenia, the Western mainstream seems to literally obscure them, it seems to pretend that nothing is happening there, "Zakharova concluded.