MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed the hope on Monday that the emerging multipolar world order will be more just and democratic, with Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America taking their rightful place in it.
"Major centers of economic and political power and influence are emerging in the world, which are asserting themselves more and more insistently, demanding that they be reckoned with. We are sure that a new multipolar world order, the contours of which can already be seen, will be more just and democratic. And there is no doubt that Africa, along with Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, will take its worthy place in it and finally free itself from the bitter legacy of colonialism and neo-colonialism, rejecting its modern practices," Putin wrote in his article, "Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future."
Putin argued that Moscow had never tried to impose on its African partners its own ideas about the internal structure, forms and methods of management, development goals and ways to achieve them. "Unchanged remains our respect for the sovereignty of African states, their traditions and values, their desire to independently determine their own destiny and freely build relationships with partners," the Russian leader underscored.
The partnership relations between Russia and Africa have strong, deep roots and this relationship has "always been distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill," Putin said. According to him, Moscow has consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression and it has provided assistance in developing statehood, strengthening their sovereignty and defense capability. Also, much has been done to create sustainable foundations for national economies, he said. By the mid-1980s, with the participation of Soviet specialists, over 330 large infrastructure and industrial facilities were built in Africa, Putin recalled, referring to power plants, irrigation systems, industrial and agricultural enterprises that he said were successfully operating to this day.
Moscow highly values "the honestly-gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share," the Russian leader said. "We are brought together by a common desire to shape a system of relations based on the priority of international law, respect for national interests, indivisibility of security, and recognition of the central coordinating role of the United Nations," he concluded.