MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. The West has the right to have "dozens of genders and gay pride parades" yet it should not attempt to promote these "fashionable trends" in other countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Thursday.
"Undoubtedly, the right of this Western minority to its own cultural diversity - undoubtedly, I would like to stress this - should be ensured. Without a doubt, this should be treated with respect, I would emphasize, on an equal footing with the rights of all others," the Russian leader noted. "If Western elites think that they can instill in the minds of their people, their society, in my opinion rather strange yet fashionable trends like dozens of genders and gay pride parades, then let it be, let them do whatever they want."
"But what they definitely have no right to do is to demand from others to head in the same direction," Putin stressed. He noted that nowadays complex demographic, political and social processes are underway in Western countries. "Without a doubt, this is their domestic affair. Russia is not meddling in these issues and is not going to do so: as opposed to the West, we are not sticking our noses in other people’s business yet we hope that pragmatism will prevail and Russia’s dialogue with the genuine traditional West much like with other equitable centers of development will become an important input to building a multipolar world order," the Russian president said.
He added that multipolarity is the true and in fact only chance for Europe to recover its political and economic identity. "Truth be told, we all understand this and in Europe they openly state this - that nowadays Europe’s legal standing, to put it mildly in order not to offend anyone, is severely limited," Putin said.