TASS, September 25. The current crisis in the world signals that the US hegemony has come to an end and there is a chance to switch to a fair and democratic multipolar world order, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday at the general debate during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

According to Lavrov, the situation has been sparked by the West’s long-term policy, but this can be changed with the UN’s assistance.

TASS has put together the highlights of Lavrov’s speech at the general debate during the UN General Assembly.

New world order

Situation in the international security area is rapidly deteriorating and instead of a fair dialogue and a search for compromise the West carries out blatant provocations, Lavrov said.

The world is undergoing "an uneasy and dramatic moment" right now, Russia’s top diplomat stressed. "The crisis is growing. The situation in the international security area is rapidly deteriorating. Instead of a fair dialogue and a search for compromise we have to deal with misinformation, blatant staging and provocations." All these trends are "in a concentrated form" seen in the UN’s work.

In fact, a question on the future of the world order is being decided since the model of servicing the West as "the golden billion" at the expense of the resources in Asia, Africa and Latin America is becoming the thing of the past. The system subordinate to one hegemony can be replaced by a multipolar "democratic and fair world without blackmail and intimidation of those undesirable, without neo-Nazism and neocolonialism." Russia is calling for this option, the top diplomat emphasized.

Twisting arms and wish to dismember Russia

All these tendencies are seen by Washington and the ruling elites in Western states fully subordinate to it as a threat. "

The US and Europe are trying to preserve their "elusive hegemony" by substituting diplomacy with sanctions against strong competitors. In order to "prevent alternative viewpoints in multilateral discussions," the procedure of issuing visas for diplomats is becoming complicated.

Meanwhile, the years of unpunished Western interference have not improved the human rights or welfare situation anywhere. "Name a country in whose affairs Washington has intervened forcefully and where life is better as a result?" Lavrov asked. Together with its allies, the US "twists the arms of anyone who dares to think independently" and demands to be guided only by its understanding of democracy. "This is not democracy at all. This is pure dictatorship."

In the West, "they are no longer shy about openly declaring the intention <...> to destroy and dismember Russia," so that "too independent geopolitical entity" would disappear from the map of the world.

The United States has been trying to turn the entire globe into its "backyards," including the Asian space, using sanctions in violation of the UN Charter and political blackmail. The Western states are "playing with fire" around Taiwan, vowing to provide military assistance to it. All this demands measures taken by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN chief also needs to act in regard to the food and energy crisis sparked by the West. It erupted "as a result of uncontrolled monetary emission in the US and the EU during the pandemic and the irresponsible actions of the European Union on the hydrocarbon markets," only exacerbated by the economic war declared by the West on Russia. "The result is rising world prices for food, fertilizers, oil and gas." Despite all statements, "financial and logistic hurdles for Russian export of grain and fertilizers" have not been removed while the Ukrainian foodstuffs are sent "not to the poorest states at all." Moscow offers to hand over 300,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizers detained in European ports "for free to those African states in need, but the EU is not reacting."

UN needs protection

Lavrov called on the world states to join the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter in order to "unambiguously and without any reservations" confirm their commitment to the document.

"The UN wasn’t created to take mankind to paradise, but rather to save humanity from hell. These are very topical words. They call upon us, to understand our individual and collective responsibility for creating conditions for a peaceful and harmonious development for our future generations, and everyone needs to show political will for that," Russia’s top diplomat said.

Potential UN Security Council’s expansion

Russia singles out India and Brazil as worthy candidates for permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with Africa’s mandatory representation, Lavrov said.

"We cannot but be concerned about efforts by some countries to undermine the powers of the [UN] Security Council. No doubt, the Council and the UN as a whole should be adjusted to the realities of today. We can see prospects for the democratization of UN activities exclusively through a wider representation of African, Asian and Latin American countries. We single out India and Brazil as key international players and worthy candidates for permanent members of the Council, with mandatory parallel moves to raise Africa’s profile," Lavrov insisted.

Meanwhile, the decay in the UN system was sparked by the Western states’ crusade against those who are undesirable for them, Lavrov noted.

"One of the consequences of the crusade against those undesirable declared by the West is the deepening decay in multilateral institutions, which the US and its allies are turning into the tools of fulfilling their vested interests. This line is imposed on the UN, its Human Rights Council, UNESCO and other multilateral bodies," he said.

Special operation triggered by West

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine was launched because the West had been unable to come to terms. Moscow was open for settlement in Ukraine and "at the request of the US and the EU" honored the agreement between the authorities and the opposition in Kiev in 2014. However, these accords were trampled by the leaders of the bloody coup d’etat who humiliated European mediators while the West monitored in silence as the junta started bombing eastern Ukraine.

Russia is not going to put up with Kiev’s course towards "banning the Russian language, education, Russian mass media and culture, as well as the demands to expel Russians from Crimea and declare war on Donbass." Moscow contributed to signing the Minsk agreements approved by the UN Security Council, but this package of measures "was buried by Kiev with the direct role of the US and the EU."

While anticipating the crisis, Moscow for many years has called for agreeing on the rules of co-existence in Europe, but its proposals including the latest one in December 2021 "were rejected in an arrogant manner." NATO created security threats for Russia in Ukraine and Moscow started actions "in order to fulfill treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance" with the Donbass republics in compliance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Lavrov said.