Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan Dzhagaryan says the sanctions imposed by the United States on Sri Lanka’s former navy commander Wasantha Karannagoda are “totally unacceptable”.

Dzhagaryan’s objections came after the US State Department announced that Karannagoda, the current Governor of North Western Province, and his family are banned from entering the United States over the alleged “gross violation of human rights”.

However, the Sri Lankan government hit back at the move, expressing grave concerns about the decision.

A statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry said such unilateral move by the United States without following due process is “counter-productive” to the “holistic approach” that the island nation has taken on addressing national unity and reconciliation.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, the Russian envoy in Colombo stressed that neither the United States nor the other Western countries have any right to interfere in the domestic affairs of any sovereign state.

He alleged that the main aim of the United States is the “destabilization of the situation in the world”.

Raising concerns about the alleged human rights violations committed by Western counties, the Russian envoy said they should focus on their domestic issues first.

Such interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign countries including Sri Lanka is totally unacceptable, Dzhagaryan continued.

“Nobody has the right to lecture you what to do or not to do. This is your domestic issue. And I think the government of Sri Lanka, your political parties – both the opposition and the ruling party – and the people, you are wise enough to settle your problems yourself.”