US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchanged accusations regarding those who carry out "political games" in the Mediterranean region and work to obstruct their progress and create chaos in it.
In a statement today, Tuesday, the US Secretary of State criticized Russia's activities in the eastern Mediterranean, describing it as "causing chaos."
"Russia continues to threaten the stability of the Mediterranean by using a variety of methods to spread disinformation, undermine national sovereignty, and sow chaos, conflict and division within states across the region," Pompeo said.
The statement came in response to statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during an annual meeting in Rome, Italy, to discuss regional affairs.
Lavrov criticized the US policy in the region and accused Washington of playing "political games."
However, Pompeo accused Russia of being the one working to destabilize the region by sending mercenaries to Libya, working to undermine diplomatic efforts between Greece and neighboring North Macedonia, and allowing wealthy Russians connected to the Kremlin to launder money through Cyprus and Malta, among other activities.
"In Syria, Russia supports the (Bashar) Assad regime, whose war against his people has increased regional instability, led to a protracted humanitarian crisis, and displaced half of the population," Pompeo added.
The US Secretary of State noted that "all these actions clearly show that if someone is playing political games and trying to disrupt progress in the region's conflicts, it is Russia, which is working to promote its own interest only at the expense of the entire region."