Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls Indo-Pacific concept divisive

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has slammed Western initiatives such as the 'Indo-Pacific' strategy and the idea of a 'rules based order'. He called it "divisive" and an attempt to "reconfigure existing structures".

Speaking at a New Delhi event on Wednesday, he said, "Why do you need to call Asian Pacific as Indo-Pacific? The answer is evident...to exclude China. Terminology should be unifying, not divisive. Neither the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nor the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) grouping is exclusionary."

The event features two important foreign ministers -- Iran's and Russia's. Both agreed with each other on America's designs for the region.