Russia's Lavrov slams press and dismisses reports he was hospitalised at G20

RUSSIA'S Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed the western press after dismissing reports he was hospitalised at the G20 summit.

Associated Press, citing Indonesian officials, said that Lavrov had been taken to hospital after arriving on the island of Bali for a Group of 20 summit. AP said Lavrov, 72, had been treated for a heart condition.

"This is a kind of game that is not new in politics," Lavrov said with an ironic smile. "Western journalists need to be more truthful - they need to write the truth."

Before becoming foreign minister, Lavrov served as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations.

After the West imposed the most stringent sanctions in modern history on Russia, Lavrov said Moscow would turn away from the United States and its allies and instead expand relations with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.