CLOSE COORDINATION Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is seen on a video screen as he speaks to reporters during a news conference during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 at the United Nations headquarters. At a wide-ranging news conference and in his speech afterward at the United Nations General Assembly, Lavrov criticized the Biden administration including for its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. As examples, Lavrov said Germany and France recently announced the creation of an Alliance For Multilateralism "even though what kind of structure could be more multilateral than the United Nations?" He replied: "Of course, we see the tension tightening in relations between China and the United States." Lavrov said Russia would like to see the resumption of negotiations to restore the original agreement as soon as possible.

Source: Manila Times September 26, 2021 12:56 UTC