MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. There are efforts in the current diplomatic practice to divide countries into democratic and undemocratic and that’s unacceptable, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He was commenting on an article in the joint declaration by Russia and China following the talks in Beijing of the countries’ leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, that said the sides opposed abuse of democratic values.
"By utilizing the term ‘democratic values’ one shouldn’t divide countries into democratic and undemocratic camps," the spokesman said. "That’s what’s called abuse."
"We saw these attempts in diplomatic and international practice literally a couple months back," he said.
Putin and Xi Jinping, in their joint declaration following the talks in Beijing, said "the advocacy of democracy and human rights must not be used to put pressure on other countries." They stated they opposed abuse of democratic values, interference in the affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of defending democracy and human rights and attempts to provoke division and confrontation in the world.
The declaration also called on the international community to respect the diversity of cultures and civilizations and the right of peoples of different countries to self-determination. Russia and China "stand ready to work together with all the interested partners to promote genuine democracy," the statement said.