The reaction of Western countries to the recent Ryanair diversion incident was "hysterical" and it is essential to analyze all the data before jumping to conclusions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday.

There were forced landings initiated by the West, including "when citizens of third countries were illegally transported from one country to another," which were seen by the West as absolutely "normal" and "routine," Zakharova said in an interview on Vesti FM.

"Against this backdrop, the West is for some reason being hysterical. We completely understand why. This is because Belarus is on the agenda," she added.

There are a lot of materials and opinions that should be formed based on an analysis of them, she said.

The Irish airline Ryanair said that flight FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius was directed to an airport in Minsk on Sunday as crew on the plane had been alerted to a possible security threat by Belarusian authorities, adding that nothing untoward was found.

Leaders of the European Union member states on Monday agreed to cut the bloc's air links with Belarus following the incident. 

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