Russian envoy says sorry for remarks on Foreign Minister Lavrov

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Sunday expressed regret over his light-hearted remarks about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that had raised a few eyebrows and said he only meant that Lavrov was much admired. In an interaction with media persons on Friday, a journalist asked Alipov about Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to skip the G20 summit and jocularly referred to how he is popular among Russian women and that it would have been nice if he had come to India.

In a lighter vein, the envoy thanked the person who asked the question for the remarks and said, "Lavrov is married, by the way. But he is coming. He is a womaniser, by the way."

The remark made during the interaction at the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia (FCCSouthAsia) left the audience amused.

"I'm sorry that my words had a scandalous tang to some. The only thing I meant is that Minister Lavrov is popular among women as a gentleman," Alipov clarified on 'X', formerly Twitter, on Sunday.

"And he's much admired by men too for his intellect, charisma and wit," the envoy said.

Russian President Putin has decided not to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 as he has to focus on the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Russia will be represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Lavrov.