MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. The West is promoting totalitarian rule in global affairs by means of expanding sanction and other methods of illegal pressure on other states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote in his article published in the Kommersant daily and the Russia in Global Affairs journal on Monday.
"By expanding sanctions and other illegitimate coercive measures against sovereign states, the West promotes totalitarian rule in global affairs, assuming an imperial, neo-colonial stance in its relations with third countries. They are asked to adopt the democratic rule under the model of the Western choosing, and forget about democracy in international affairs, since someone will be deciding everything for them. All that is asked of these third countries is to keep quiet, or face reprisals," he noted.
"While proclaiming the "right" to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries for the sake of promoting democracy as it understands it, the West instantly loses all interest when we raise the prospect of making international relations more democratic, including renouncing arrogant behaviour and committing to abide by the universally recognised tenets of international law instead of "rules," he wrote.
According to the Russian top diplomat, "clearheaded politicians" in Europe and the United States understand that such an uncompromising policy is a path to nowhere. They "are beginning to think pragmatically, albeit out of public view, recognising that the world has more than just one civilisation. They are beginning to recognise that Russia, China and other major powers have a history that dates back a thousand years, and have their own traditions, values and way of life," he added.
"Attempts to decide whose values are better, and whose are worse, seem pointless. Instead, the West must simply recognise that there are other ways to govern that may be different from the Western approaches, and accept and respect this as a given. No country is immune to human rights issues, so why all this high-browed hubris? Why do the Western countries assume that they can deal with these issues on their own, since they are democracies, while others have yet to reach this level, and are in need of assistance that the West will generously provide," he emphasized.
Insistence and stubbornness the West is demonstrating when it insists on its "rules" are striking, Russian Foreign Minister said. "The insistence and even stubbornness demonstrated by the West in imposing its "rules" are striking," he stressed. "Of course, domestic politics is a factor, with the need to show voters how tough your foreign policy can get when dealing with "autocratic foes" during every electoral cycle, which happen every two years in the United States."
According to the Russian top diplomat, the rule-based order "is the embodiment of double standards." "The right to self-determination is recognised as an absolute "rule" whenever it can be used to an advantage. This applies to the Malvinas Islands, or the Falklands, some 12,000 kilometres from Great Britain, to the remote former colonial territories Paris and London retain despite multiple UN resolutions and rulings by the International Court, as well as Kosovo, which obtained its "independence" in violation of a UN Security Council resolution. However, if self-determination runs counter to the Western geopolitical interests, as it happened when the people of Crimea voted for reunification with Russia, this principle is cast aside, while condemning the free choice made by the people and punishing them with sanctions.".