Moscow, Dec. 29 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reiterated that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and said Moscow firmly opposes any form of independence for the island.

Explaining Russia's stance in more detail, Lavrov said in an interview with TASS published on Sunday that Moscow considers "the Taiwan problem is an internal affair" of China and stressed that "Beijing has every right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

He said debates around Taiwan are often conducted "in isolation from reality and by manipulating facts," adding that the wider context is frequently overlooked in international discussions.

Lavrov further said that several countries, despite publicly committing to the One-China polic...