MOSCOW, October 10 - The West will not succeed in discrediting BRICS and sowing discord among its member states, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a meeting of the Federation Council's Commission on Information Policy and Media Relations.
"Western attempts to discredit the BRICS in information and diplomatic work behind closed doors have not stopped and will continue," He said. "These attempts to sow discord among its member states will continue. Objectively, however, these attempts often have exactly the opposite effect: even more countries are looking for an alternative neo-colonial paradigm of development and their own path that brings them closer to the BRICS."
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister pointed out that the old model of development, based on the domination of a small group of Western countries and the maintenance of their prosperity at the expense of the majority, is hopelessly outdated. "In the context of the formation of a multipolar system, new power centres are emerging that seek to pursue sovereign, independent policies, united by a readiness to defend their national interests," he said.
"Of course, one can see not only attention to these processes, but even rejection of them, there is a sharp and practical resistance of Western states that would like to avoid the irreversibility of these processes with the prospect of losing their usual hegemony," Ryabkov pointed out. "To combat these processes, harsh neo-colonial methods such as political pressure and blackmail, and economic pressure centred on illegitimate unilateral sanctions, are used, and campaigns of international isolation and state harassment are organised, involving as many accomplices as possible under various pretexts."
BRICS as an alternative format
Under these circumstances, BRICS has become one of the alternative formats where the interests of developing countries are taken into account and their aspirations can be realised, the Deputy Minister said. "The list of countries that intend to expand interaction with BRICS numbers more than three dozen," He remarked. According to Ryabkov, one of the reasons for the association's appeal is that BRICS "is aimed at constructive interaction that is not directed against anyone".
"Today, BRICS includes countries with different economic and political systems, often with different views on certain issues on the global agenda, but over the years of our cooperation, a very stable culture of respect has developed that is appreciated by all participants in this association," Ryabkov stressed. "It is based on an unquestionable, absolute respect for the principle of sovereign equality, on the choice of one's own path of development and mutual consideration of interests. Decisions are always taken on the basis of consensus by all participants, and this allows our countries to find common ground that is not subject to revision or questioning."
TASS/ gnews - RoZ
PHOTO - TASS/ Sergei Karpukhin
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