Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested that Britain should remove the word 'Great' from its official name, arguing it is the only country to formally bestow such a title upon itself. Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov said: 'I think that Britain should be called simply Britain because Great Britain is the only example of a country which calls itself Great.'
Lavrov's comments came during a discussion on colonialism, following earlier remarks about Greenland. His spokeswoman directed a question to Ivor Bennett, a correspondent from Britain's Sky News, with Lavrov adding, 'No offence.' He cited the 'Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya' under Muammar Gaddafi as another historical instance of a country adopting the 'great' moniker.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is commonly referred to as 'Velikobritaniya', or Great Britain, in Russian. Lavrov's remarks come amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine, with Britain often portrayed as a key adversary on Russian state television, where the term 'Perfidious Albion' is frequently used.
At the same press conference, Lavrov also commented on Greenland, stating it is 'not a natural part of Denmark' and that the issue of former colonial territories is becoming more acute. He said Russia has no interest in interfering in Greenland's affairs, amid US President Donald Trump's renewed push for American control over the island.
