MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. The United States’ initiative to organize the Summit for Democracy implies Washington’s right to impose its view of democracy on others and its unwillingness to accept the sovereign equality of all countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at the Dialogue in the Name of the Future event, hosted by the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund on Tuesday.
"US President Joe Biden, who is convening a Summit for Democracy, has made up a list of 110 countries in a totally arbitrary way. The list raises numerous questions, as does the very idea of the Summit for Democracy, which implies the United States’ right - a right claimed by Washington - to decide who is a democracy and who isn’t. And by the way, why should the American notion of democracy be viewed as the perfect organization of society?" Lavrov mused.
The Russian top diplomat emphasized that US policy aimed at promoting Washington’s view of democracy while rejecting "any kind of international cooperation that would be really democratic means disregard for the country’s commitments under the UN Charter, which enshrines the sovereign equality of countries as one of its major principles." "So, before teaching others how to organize their democracies, let’s talk about democracy in international relations. The West is reluctant to accept it and seeks to replace it with its dictatorship," the Russian foreign minister concluded.
On December 9-10, Washington intends to host the Summit for Democracy, which will involve the leaders of countries, rights activists and businessmen. A total of 110 countries and territories have been invited to participate in the event, including Taiwan. However, neither China nor Russia made it to the list. Lavrov said earlier that the summit’s goal "is to divide people and countries into democratic and non-democratic [ones].".