The exploitation of terrorism for propaganda purposes is “deleterious and intolerable”, said former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday on Sud Radio.
Asked about the telephone conversation between the French Minister of the Armed Forces and his Russian counterpart, the former minister deplored that the Russian reaction was “a suspicion of potential collaboration of the French secret services in the action of terrorists against the Russian people” .
“We are in absolute manipulation”
“This is extreme manipulation. We are in the absolute manipulation and unfortunately the instrumentalization of terrorism for propaganda purposes,” he lamented. He also considered that Russia indirectly threatened the security of France and Europe.
“We are going through an extremely serious period where the major security principles which had been gradually acquired since the end of the last war are being undermined,” he also reacted.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it hoped, after a telephone conversation on Wednesday between the French Minister of the Armed Forces and his Russian counterpart, that “the French secret services” were not involved in the attack near Moscow claimed by the organization. Islamic State (IS).
Moscow blames Paris
“The kyiv regime does nothing without the approval of its Western supervisors. We hope that, in this case, the French secret services are not behind this,” said Sergei Shoigu, in the press release from his ministry reporting the call.
Paris had previously affirmed that, during this call, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu had “recalled France’s availability” for “increased exchanges” with Russia in the fight against “terrorism” after the attack on 22 March claimed by ISIS.
On March 22, armed men entered a concert hall before opening fire on the crowd and setting the building on fire. At least 144 people died and 360 were injured in this attack claimed by IS. The Kremlin admitted that “radical Islamists” had been behind the attack, while denouncing Ukrainian involvement coordinated by the West.
This article is originally published on estrepublicain.fr
