MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Russia is gaining allies around the world, as most countries support the idea of a multipolar world, so Russian parliamentarians need to build and develop relations with them, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said, speaking at the first plenary session of the chamber's spring meeting.
"The number of our country's allies is growing; we need to develop relations with them. This is a good answer to Washington, which pursues a colonial ideology, colonial policy towards all countries. Most of the world’s countries support the construction of a multipolar model, a just world order. Therefore, we need to do everything on our part to strengthen these ties," Volodin said, addressing the MPs.
The "Development of Parliamentarism" international forum will be held this year, with representatives of countries from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe taking part, Volodin said. "We, holding country conferences, see how much interest there is in developing relations within the inter-parliamentary ties. <...> We want to come together this year to discuss pressing problems, to talk about the development of relations, but also, of course, to contribute within the parliamentary dimension, to establish robust ties with our partners, as each year there are more and more of them," Volodin said.
According to him, in today’s environment "it has become obvious to everyone that the era of US hegemony has passed." Thus, Volodin emphasized, European countries have realized all the problems associated with their relations with the US - their economies are stagnating and problems in the social sphere are growing. "One third of the countries that are members of the UN, according to the latest data, are switching to payments in national currencies. <...> This shows that it is clear to everyone that Washington is using the international national payment currency - the dollar - for political influence, manipulation, and impact. And this can lead to no other result than them seeing the light and wanting to form their own sovereign economies," Volodin noted.
He also added that the US will do everything to regain its lost leadership in the current environment. However, Volodin emphasized, "the desire to maintain hegemony and a unipolar world leads to conflicts and increased tension."