HAVANA, July 24. /TASS/. Statements of US officials that some countries from the Eastern Hemisphere should not cooperate with Latin American countries are ridiculous, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"To be honest, it is just ridiculous to hear statements from the US that some from the Eastern Hemisphere should not have partners in the Western Hemisphere, and vice cersa. Look at all the places where US military bases are stationed. That's why there is no ground for serious conversation here," Lavrov said.

"When it comes to statements that some countries have nothing to do in Latin America, we have heard about it many times," the foreign minister noted. "Apart from [US Secretary of State] Michael Pompeo, [US National Security Advisor] John Bolton also talked about this. He also said recently that Iran and Hezbollah are interfering and undermining stability in Latin America. The scale and depth of this analysis deserves special commentary," Lavrov said.