MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow will continue to help protect the right to freedom of belief for the Russian diaspora, the foreign minister said Monday.

Speaking at an Orthodox Easter ceremony in the ministry's mansion, Sergei Lavrov said: "We will continue to assist the Russian diaspora in enhancing bonds with the homeland, protecting the religious rights of compatriots outside Russia and conducting a peacekeeping mission in former Soviet republics and other regions."

Lavrov said parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church were traditional centers of public life for Russians, and made a great contribution to establishing a common cultural, linguistic, information and spiritual space.