Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the 19th East Asia Summit held in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, stated that if Israel were to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, it would be seen as a “serious provocation.” Lavrov attended the summit in Vientiane.

During a press conference following the summit, Lavrov discussed the current topics on the agenda. He emphasized that the joint statement was not accepted at the summit, pointing out that “the US, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand were attempting to politicize and fill this statement with geopolitical conflict scenarios.”

Lavrov highlighted that Western countries were trying to use the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) against Russia and China, attempting to disrupt the economic and security system areas. He mentioned, “The US and its allies are trying to turn the Asia-Pacific region into NATO’s sphere of interest. Many closed military-political alliances are being established under US control, hindering collaborative efforts and fragmenting the region.”

According to Lavrov, the Western countries’ approach raises the risk of militarization in the region, creating stability issues. He also expressed support for ASEAN’s initiatives in maintaining peace and ensuring equal cooperation.