MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. The so-called "global majority," which has been gaining a more prominent role in world affairs, is not planning to form a bloc as a counterweight to the West, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov assured the Primakov Readings international forum.

"It is these countries of the 'global majority' that account for the bulk of the global economy and the overwhelming majority of the population of the planet," Ushakov said, referring to nations that are committed to upholding their own sovereignty while pursuing an independent foreign policy. "As we see it, the ‘global majority’ is not an alternative second bloc [seeking] to act as a counterweight to the West; it is not a new edition of the Non-Aligned Movement of the Cold War years. On the contrary, it is characterized by its rejection of the entire idea of bloc-based relations. And many of the non-Western countries continue to maintain partnerships with the United States and the European Union," he added.

According to Ushakov, "global majority" countries maintain such relationships with the US and the EU neither to the detriment of their own sovereignty nor to the detriment of their relationships with China, Russia and other key non-Western powers.

"Some of them do act as geopolitical competitors, but they also cooperate on lots of issues, including global ones. And their rivalry has not been of an all-encompassing nature, with the scope of cooperation growing gradually but consistently," Ushakov concluded.

TASS is the general information partner of the Primakov Readings international forum and conference.