Western powers' attempt to compensate for the continuing loss of economic influence could be behind the recent uprisings in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"I do not rule out that underlying economic processes are shifting the axis of the global development to another region, namely the Asia-Pacific region where there are new powerful centers of economic growth, with the inclusion of China, India, and Brazil," he said.
"Probably, some people in the West consider this a negative tendency... And, maybe, the present events in the Middle East are an attempt to compensate for the loss of influence in the global economy by reckless and provocative actions," Lavrov said during his working visit to Moldova.
The situation in the Middle East and North Africa deteriorated early this year, when an uprising in Tunisia led to overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Protests subsequently flared up in Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak was ousted.
In February, protests spread to Libya and resulted in a fierce nine-month fight between rebels and supporters of Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed in October. Protests also erupted in Yemen and Syria, where violence continues.
