NAYPYIDAW /Myanmar/, February 3. /TASS/. The West has "dropped the mask" and is no longer looking for plausible pretexts to interfere in the affairs of other countries, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said.
"Until recently, the West hid behind slogans about defending democratic values and international law. As we see, the mask has come down at this point, and the West no longer bothers to find a plausible pretext for intervention," he said at a meeting with Acting President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing.
"That being said, the essence of [the West's] policy on independent states has not changed," Shoigu noted. "Attempts are still being made to reformat societies using social engineering tools, to bring pro-Western regimes to power, and to achieve unimpeded access to natural resources," he stressed.
The current meeting "is taking place against the backdrop of fundamental changes in international relations and the steady deterioration of the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East," the official said. "Western countries, which have traditionally interfered in the internal affairs of states in the global South and East, have proclaimed a shift from a rules-based order to a concept of peace through strength," he emphasized.
To counter external attacks, "today, as at all times, military force plays a key role, as does the ability of states to ensure the inviolability of the constitutional order and the ability of the economy to withstand external sanctions pressure," Shoigu said, adding that cooperation between Russia and Myanmar in the political, economic, and security areas will "make the countries stronger and more resilient."