PARIS, February 11. /TASS/. Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) poses a global threat to the contemporary world civilization, the Valdai Discussion Club’s report titled War and Peace in the 21st Century says.
"The so-called Islamic State is challenging the current civilization as it is, denying in principle any moral or political norms," the chairman of the board of the Valdai Discussion Club’s Foundation for Development and Support, Andrey Bystritsky, said on Wednesday presenting the report in the French capital.
As the threat tends to be anti-systemic and global, he went on to say, "unfortunately, tragic events like November terror attacks in Paris (for which IS claimed responsibility - eds. TASS) will be undoubtedly repeated in different parts of the world."
In the meantime, in favor of "tactical benefits" the western countries come forward with "various recipes of how to resolve the IS problem," Bystritsky says.
Thus, U.S. President Barack Obama "has openly equated the threats coming from Russia and the Islamic State," the expert said.
"We are talking about the West’s desire to maintain leading positions in the international system, which will stimulate a desire in others to reach a similar level," he said.
France’s assessments of Russia’s role
The War and Peace in the 21st Century report has been in the spotlight in Paris.
"Russia has decided to fight back with all possible means against our common enemy who is trying to destroy the contemporary civilization and so it (Russia) deserves our friendship and respect," Director General of the Institute Diderot Dominique Lecourt said.
Also, the prominent French politician Jean-Pierre Chevenement believes that separate nations - rather than either unions or associations - will be getting more influence in international relations in the future.
"The world is diverse and the West as well," said Chevenement, a founder of the Socialist Party and the former minister of defense and then of national education. "Taking into regard their national interests, Russia and France have succeeded in developing close cooperation."
In spite of divisions, the two countries maintain close ties, the discussion participants said, referring to the Franco-Russian Dialog Association along with other business and public associations.
"We need to maintain and preserve the social basis of bilateral relations in order to promote ties between business communities and political parties and facilitate youth exchanges and cultural cooperation," Russia’s Ambassador to France Aleksandr Orlov said. "Joint efforts are needed to counteract the challenges the world is facing now."
Groundwork for Valdai Club discussions
The report titled War and Peace in the 21st Century. International Stability and Balance of the New Type has drawn attention of the audiences in Paris and in Moscow, Vienna and London as well.
The paper would give ground for a new research, which is planned to be presented in late February or early March with the aim to analyze media reports about the Islamic State group, Bystritsky said.
The Valdai International Discussion Club was set up in 2004 and named after the place where the first conference took place - the city of Veliky Novgorod near Lake Valdai. The club hosts leading foreign political analysts and experts in the Russian economy and culture. Over the eleven years that have elapsed since then, it has brought together more than 900 representatives of the global scholar community from 62 countries.