MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Moscow and its partners reject the West’s attempts to impose an order based on lies and hypocrisy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, which was published on the Kremlin website.
He pointed out that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS group "have well established themselves as key pillars of the emerging multipolar world order." "Hence the ever increasing interest of other states in the work of these associations and the growing number of their participants," Putin said.
He noted that Russia and those countries "have similar or coinciding positions on key issues on the international agenda." "We advocate for the primacy of international law, equal, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security at both the global and regional level with the UN's central coordinating role. We also reject Western attempts to impose an order based on lies and hypocrisy, on some mythical rules of no one knows whose making," the Russian president stressed.
He added that the SCO and BRICS "have come to be reputable and dynamic international platforms whose participants build constructive political, security, economic and humanitarian interaction.".
US-led Western elites refuse to respect civilizational and cultural diversity, Putin noted.
"US-led Western elites refuse to respect civilizational and cultural diversity and reject centuries-old traditional values. Seeking to retain their global dominance, they have usurped the right to tell other nations whom they may, or must not, make friends and cooperate with, and to deny them the right to choose their own development models. They disregard other countries' sovereign interests. They seek to ensure their well·being at the expense of other states, just like in the old days, and resort to neo-colonial methods to that end," Putin pointed out.
"Needless to say, neither Russia nor its partners are happy with this state of affairs," he stressed.
"We have actively contributed to launching multilateral associations and mechanisms that are independent of the West and are successfully operating. In their work they build on the principles of equality, justice, transparency, respect and consideration of each other's interests," Putin said.
Meanwhile, Moscow is willing to work together with partners worldwide, including China, its "good neighbor and trusted friend," the Russian President said.
He was confident that Russia would implement all the strategic plans set in his State of the Nation Address. "We are willing to work together with our partners worldwide, including China, our good neighbor and trusted friend," Putin said.
Putin also added that the seamless integration of new BRICS members is one of the key goals of Moscow’s Chairmanship of the group.
"One of the main goals of the Russian Chairmanship is undoubtedly the seamless integration of the BRICS new members. We are actively assisting them in joining the existing network of cooperation mechanisms," he noted.
"As another priority, we seek to continue coordinated work to enhance the visibility of the association in global affairs and build its capacity to promote a more democratic, sustainable and fair architecture of international relations," Putin added. "I would like to particularly stress that cooperation within BRICS relies on the principles of mutual respect, equality, openness and consensus. That is why countries of the Global South and East, which see BRICS as a platform for their voices to be certainly heard and taken into account, find our association so attractive," he said.
The Russian president went on to say that "Russian agencies, business and public circles have prepared an extensive agenda for the Chairmanship." "This includes a wide range of areas for enhancing interaction, including finance, agriculture, energy, intellectual property, healthcare, education and space exploration. Moreover, such niche and knowledge-intensive topics as nanotechnology, nuclear medicine and biotechnology are being discussed by experts in relevant fields," he specified.
Putin also pointed out that the Russian Chairmanship plan envisaged more than 200 events. "In addition to expert and ministerial meetings, they include numerous cultural events and youth activities. The BRICS Sports Games will take place in Kazan in June, and in October, the city will host the BRICS Summit," he said.
The BRICS group, established in 2006, first expanded in 2011, when South Africa joined the four founding nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Five new members (Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia) formally became full-fledged members of the BRICS group on January 1. Russia assumed BRICS’ one-year rotating chairmanship on the same day.