Russian Foreign Ministry accuses U.S., Canada of seeking change of administration in Russia

MOSCOW. March 8 (Interfax) - Alexander Darchiyev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's North America Department, characterized Russia's relations with the United States and Canada as being "at an all-time low" and accused these countries of seeking to destroy Russian statehood and changing the country's administration.

"Previously it had to be said that Russian-U.S. and Russian-Canadian relations were at the lowest point since the times of the Cold War, and now they are at an all-time low," Darchiyev said in an interview with Interfax.

"The current tense situation in the relations with Washington and Ottawa did not happen today or yesterday," he said.

"For the past eight years, since the moment of historical reunion of Crimea and Russia, the United States and Canada jointly fueled the Russophobic frenzy, imposed all kinds of personal and sectoral sanctions on us, did everything possible to mobilize the international community to isolate our country," the Russian diplomat said.

"They are putting barriers around us, trying to destroy Russian statehood, creating scenarios of 'regime change.' That was the purpose of orchestrating the Maidan and the coup in Ukraine, which led to people's uprising in Donbas and military exploration of the Ukrainian territory by the NATO countries, making it a forward springboard for reaching Russia," Darchiyev said.

Responding to a question as to whether one should prepare for the "Iron Curtain" to be put down, he mentioned the recent words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that term "Iron Curtain" is used by those who think in the categories of colonialism.

"Those in the West cannot understand that the world has changed, they are trying to continue living in the niche of liberal globalism, where they are comfortable. It turns out that it's not us, but the United States and their minions that are seeking to fence themselves from Russia, which is calling for openness and dialogue, expansion of contacts between societies and people, free trade, development of investment, financial and business relations. We are right," Darchiyev said.