Lavrov Urges Central Asia to 'Outlast' Estonian PM Kaja Kallas’ Tenure

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged Central Asian countries to "outlast" EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, responding to her remark that Central Asian states should "endure" sanctions against Russia.

"I would advise them to outlast Kaja Kallas in this position. It will probably be much easier than tolerating damage to their own people," Lavrov told reporters following a meeting of the Foreign Ministers' Council of the CIS member states, commenting on Kallas' call for Central Asian countries to "endure" anti-Russian sanctions that also harm them, The Caspian Post reports citing TASS.

"But the funny thing is that Kaja Kallas did not say that both Estonians and other nations that are members of the European Union must first of all endure. And the losses for them are much more significant than the consequences of their coordinated policy, which are felt by the countries of Central Asia and our other neighbors in the CIS region," the top diplomat added.