Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comment on an event convened by the United States under the pretext of supporting democracy around the world
28 March 2023 09:00
562-28-03-2023
The United States plans to hold, on March 28-30, an international event which they call the Summit for Democracy. A similar meeting was held in December 2021. This is, therefore, the second attempt by the current US administration to convene some kind of conference in order to - as Washington is portraying it - form a coalition of democratic states led by the United States.
We consider the US authorities' claim to leadership in promoting democratic values on a global scale the height of hypocrisy since their reputation in this realm cannot even be called dubious. It has been ruined completely. The facts are widely known. Some of them can be found, in particular, in the Foreign Ministry Statement released on December 1, 2021. The situation hasn't improved since then.
The "summits for democracy" are a clear demonstration of neo-colonial practices in US foreign policy. The efforts to organise and convene them are about the United States' push to renew and legitimise the American tools of external control and interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states and to force everyone to look at the world through the lens of the rules-based order which is being promoted with the goal of serving Washington's global interests.
At the same time, we are talking about them building an ideological platform to fight against the countries that the US political elite is trying to label as autocracies, primarily, Russia and China. Under the banner of counteracting the "autocratic regimes," Washington is trying to consolidate the Western community and bring onboard its supporters and allies who are not part of the community.
To create the appearance of universal coverage by its pseudo-democratic forum, the United States resorted to moves such as holding panel discussions at regional platforms and appointing co-chair countries. The entire process is, of course, controlled by the Americans and large NGOs that they created. Among other things, these NGOs oversee the participating states' compliance with their obligations. Clearly, no one is even talking about the sovereign equality principle which underlies the UN-centric international order.
It is difficult to expect anything other than high-flown hypocrisy based on democratic messianism and, almost certainly, the Ukraine crisis-related anti-Russia rhetoric from the American hosts of the "Summit for Democracy" or their close ideological partners. Moreover, the tone for the meeting will be set not by a democrat, but a former comedian turned head of the criminal Nazi regime who purposefully tramples on every conceivable democratic value in his country. The fact that such characters are invited to speak at the event clearly shows how far the Americans are from their purported goals of promoting democratic values.
We deeply regret UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' decision to take part in this unseemly spectacle.
We are strongly against imposing "democracy" in the American interpretation as an indisputable and the only possible measure of things. Amid their chronic internal problems, the US has no moral right to lecture others. Binary black-and-white thinking or a good guys vs bad guys approach do not work in real life and clearly won't be suitable if they plan to build serious relations with sovereign states.
The influence of the rotten neoliberal elites cannot be preserved by holding summits. No one believes their appeals or promises. A multipolar order is on track to take shape in international relations with the Global Majority's assistance. It is based on exercising the right of all countries and peoples to independently choose their path of development and on respect for cultural and civilisational diversity.
Responsible participants in international communication should not engage in "democratisation" or draw extra dividing lines. It is high time for the United States and its allies to resume compliance with international law and to join efforts to create proper conditions for peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.
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