WASHINGTON, November 29 – RIA Novosti. Russian Ambassador to Ottawa, Oleg Stepanov, has been summoned to the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to voice his concerns about the new law banning LGBT propaganda and disagree with the way the diplomatic mission has commented on it in media outlets. Stepanov told reporters about this.

On the embassy’s official Twitter account, the statement that the family consists of a man, a woman and children, with a crossed out rainbow flag, received wide coverage.

“Assistant Secretary of State Sandra McCardel was invited, expressing her concern at the Canadian Government’s legislative attempts to rid the younger generation of unconventional propaganda, which they consider to be contrary to universal human rights,” Stepanov said.

According to the ambassador, McCardel also expressed “its disagreement and concern over the publication of statements advocating traditional values ​​on the embassy’s media portals.”

Stepanov said he gave a lengthy response, describing criticism from Western governments as “interfering in Russia’s internal affairs” and an attempt to “influence the independent legislative process in a sovereign state”.

He recalled that the Canadian embassy in Moscow has repeatedly raised rainbow flags, which Russia sees as violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and as a manifestation of disrespect for the customs and traditions of the host country.

According to the diplomat, states will live in peace if they do not interfere in each other’s affairs.

“We do not go to them with our customs, we do not impose them, and even – I insist on this – we even expect from the collective West that they will not come to us with their so-called values. Then we will live together. Everyone in their country will live their lives according to their own preferences and principles,” he said.

Stepanov described “what is happening in and around Ukraine” as the second plot.

“During the meeting, we had to point out that there is a deep divergence of opinion between the positions of our states on both issues mentioned above. We have agreed not to reach agreement yet, but to maintain diplomatic contacts and channels of diplomatic communication, because in times of crisis, this is important despite the deep divergences and even gaps between our views on what is going on.”

On Thursday, the State Duma passed a law on fines of up to 10 million rubles for LGBT propaganda, gender reassignment and pedophilia. The law assigns responsibility for such actions not only to minors, but also to adults, as it used to be.