Pompeo lambasts Russian influence in the Mediterranean
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia on Tuesday of trying to destabilize the Mediterranean, pointing to a series of actions in countries that include Greece and Cyprus.
“Russia continues to threaten Mediterranean stability using a variety of techniques to spread disinformation, undermine national sovereignty, and sow chaos, conflict, and division within countries throughout the region,” he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
In Greece, Russian diplomats were expelled from the country in 2018 for undermining the Prespes agreement and interfering in Greek Orthodox religious affairs, he said.
In Cyprus, wealthy Russians “many with connections to the Kremlin – have laundered billions of dollars…distorting their domestic markets and spreading corruption.”
“All of these actions clearly demonstrate that if anyone is playing political games and trying to stall progress in regional conflicts, it is Russia, which only acts to advance its own interests to the detriment of the entire region,” he concluded.
