MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. Russia and African countries are working on creating infrastructure that is beyond the control of the West, and are eager to intensify such joint activity, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"We are interested in intensifying joint work with like-minded [African] countries on the issues involved in creating infrastructure outside of the West’s control in various areas, [as well as] formulating mechanisms for economic interaction and resolving specific common development tasks," she said at a briefing on the eve of the Russia-Africa Summit on July 27-28 in St. Petersburg. "And we believe that it is necessary to weaken the US dollar, which has a virtual monopoly as a reserve currency and instrument of mutual settlements, for one simple reason: Because the United States uses the US dollar as a tool not only in the struggle for competitive advantage, but also as a means of carrying out its aggression."
The diplomat pointed that, "Africa can become one of the centers of a polycentric world." "It has every opportunity to do so: African states are increasingly confident in their sovereign policies, demonstrating the ability to resolve their problems independently, including through the use of pan-African mechanisms and regional integration associations," Zakharova noted.
"Together with our African friends, we expect to form a global, non-discriminatory agenda, raise topical issues that are important to us and coincide with the interests of the majority of the continent's countries, look for ways to resolve them in a constructive manner, work on strengthening international legal principles in interstate relations, and create new conditions for peaceful coexistence based on common goals and values," the spokeswoman elaborated.
"We deem it important to work together consistently against the imposition of Western liberal cultural norms under the guise of universal standards and attempts to outlaw traditional moral values, to undermine moral norms and social foundations," she added.