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Lavrov says term ‘democracy’ in present world has lost its meaning

According to the Russian top diplomat, it is not ruled out that there will be another attempt to move the center of decision-making from universal structures to those that have no disputes or differences but that will be unable to yield truth

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. The term "democratic state" has lost its meaning in the present-day world and now it is pointless to say "who is a democracy and who is not," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"It is of no importance for me who is now a democracy and who is not. The terms have lost their meaning for me," he said in an interview with the Solovyov Live YouTube channel. "You mentioned the Summit for Democracy convened by [US President Joe] Biden. Its participants, if you have a close look, were chosen not by the criteria of what is called the American democracy, not by the criteria the Americans consider as model ones for democratic nations."

Instead, it brought together first of all countries that are marching in the lockstep with the United States and some of those who want to preserve good relations with it, despite their own vision of the world order, Lavrov noted.

"However, probably, everyone wants to have good relations with other world nations but the question is, at what price? And already, plans have been announced to promote the Summit for Democracy next year, to set up an organization. It is a direct declaration about establishing an alternative to the United Nations, with its ‘backward conservatives and retrogrades,’ while we, the vanguard, will carry the light of freedom," the minister noted.

According to the Russian top diplomat, it is not ruled out that there will be another attempt to move the center of decision-making from universal structures to those that have no disputes or differences but that will be unable to yield truth.

The US-hosted virtual Summit for Democracy involving countries’ leaders, human rights activists and businessmen was held on December 9-10. Washington invited 110 world nations to take part. China, Russia, Turkey, Egypt and a number of other countries were not invited. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier slammed the event as one of the most odious US projects aimed at dividing countries into democratic and non-democratic ones.

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