MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Russia and a number of other countries are consistently reducing the dependence on the dollar, switching to national currency settlements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an article for South Africa’s Ubuntu Magazine.

"Not only Russia, but also a number of other countries are consistently reducing their dependence on the US dollar, switching to alternative payment systems and national currency settlements. I recall the wise words of Nelson Mandela: "When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat." And it truly is," he wrote.

Attempts of the collective West "to reverse this trend with a view to preserving its own hegemony have an exactly opposite effect," Lavrov added, noting that "the international community is tired of the blackmail and pressure from the Western elites and their colonial and racist manners."

"We are witnessing the emergence of a more just multipolar world order. New centers of economic growth and of global decision-making on important political issues in Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are guided primarily by their own interests and assign paramount importance to national sovereignty. And against this background they achieve impressive success in various areas," the minister pointed out.