Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the West of deliberately provoking tensions between India and China to serve its strategic interests in Asia. Speaking at the "Culture without Borders" diplomatic club, Lavrov said the rebranding of the Asia-Pacific into the "Indo-Pacific" by Western powers was part of a geopolitical strategy to marginalise China and fuel rivalry in the region.

“By using the term ‘Indo-Pacific’, the West is trying to forge a bloc with a clear anti-China agenda, hoping to pit our great friends and neighbours India and China against each other,” Lavrov said, as reported by state-run TASS.

Lavrov, once a vocal critic of the QUAD grouping — comprising India, the US, Japan, and Australia — has toned down his opposition since the formation of AUKUS, a military alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US.

He also criticised Western efforts to diminish the role of ASEAN, the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc that has long been central to regional diplomacy. According to Lavrov, Western countries are “pushing aside” ASEAN’s consensus-based approach and are luring member states into divisive arrangements like exclusive “troikas and quartets”.

ASEAN includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, and is known for fostering political and security cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Lavrov further advocated for a continent-wide security framework in Eurasia. He noted that unlike Africa and Latin America — which have the African Union and CELAC, respectively — Eurasia lacks a unifying structure despite being home to numerous major civilisations.

“There is a need for a collective security system in Eurasia that harmonises the interests of great powers and civilisations,” he said, calling for a new dialogue-driven architecture in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the West of deliberately provoking tensions between India and China to serve its strategic interests in Asia. Speaking at the "Culture without Borders" diplomatic club, Lavrov said the rebranding of the Asia-Pacific into the "Indo-Pacific" by Western powers was part of a geopolitical strategy to marginalise China and fuel rivalry in the region.

“By using the term ‘Indo-Pacific’, the West is trying to forge a bloc with a clear anti-China agenda, hoping to pit our great friends and neighbours India and China against each other,” Lavrov said, as reported by state-run TASS.

Lavrov, once a vocal critic of the QUAD grouping — comprising India, the US, Japan, and Australia — has toned down his opposition since the formation of AUKUS, a military alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US.

He also criticised Western efforts to diminish the role of ASEAN, the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc that has long been central to regional diplomacy. According to Lavrov, Western countries are “pushing aside” ASEAN’s consensus-based approach and are luring member states into divisive arrangements like exclusive “troikas and quartets”.

ASEAN includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, and is known for fostering political and security cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Lavrov further advocated for a continent-wide security framework in Eurasia. He noted that unlike Africa and Latin America — which have the African Union and CELAC, respectively — Eurasia lacks a unifying structure despite being home to numerous major civilisations.

“There is a need for a collective security system in Eurasia that harmonises the interests of great powers and civilisations,” he said, calling for a new dialogue-driven architecture in the region.