Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today accused the West of trying to exclude Russia from the OSCE Minsk Group, labelling the attempt as “irresponsible”.

Lavrov, according to Ria Novosti, made the remarks during a Moscow press conference following talks with visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

Lavrov accused the United States and France, the two other Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, of Russophobia and cancelling anything that has to do with Russia.

"As for the activities or the future, I would even say, of the troika of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, I do not know what the future will be," Lavrov said.

Lavrov claimed that the U.S. and France stated that they wouldn’t work with Russia in the Minsk Group format.

“That is their right. If they are ready to sacrifice the interests of the settlement in Karabakh, in the South Caucasus in general, this is their choice. Not only this specific issue, but all the other issues are being held hostage to their Russophobe policy."