„We are living in an era of cardinal, revolutionary changes,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a plenary session of the forum "Valdai Discussion Club" in Sochi, remembering the anniversary of the October Revolution, “not only to understand, but also to be direct participants in the most complex processes of the third decade of the 21st century.”, quoted by RIA Novosti.
„The modern world is unpredictable, that's for sure,”, he continued. “If you look back 20 years and assess the scale of change and then project those changes into the coming years, you can assume that the next twenty years are not going to be any easier. According to him, right now “in a certain sense, the moment of truth is coming,” when the principles on which the new world order will be formed collide.
The clash takes unexpected forms: democracy begins to be interpreted as the rule not of the majority, but of the minorities.
„The threat is in the imposition, as we see in the example of today's Western liberalism,”, noted the Russian leader. We have reached a dangerous limit. The West's calls for a strategic defeat of Russia are baseless and could turn into a global tragedy," he warned.
„The flow of history cannot be stopped”, but some Western elites are willing to go to great lengths to prevent the emergence of an international system that suits the interests of the majority.
The formula "those who are not with us are against us" is dangerous, the president noted. And he recalled the saying: “What called, so called“.
Attempts to impose their will also harm the USA and European countries. But the West will also understand this, Putin expressed hope.
„Unlike our opponents, Russia does not perceive Western civilization as an enemy and is open to dialogue, he emphasized. But the West must understand that despite its enormous resources for development, it is only one element of the world system. One cannot speak of hegemony. The world needs Russia, and no decisions by the heads of Washington and Brussels will change that. The current political mainstream is from a downward hegemonic world to an upward diversity”, he continued.
Restricting the development of new centers of power is also a road to nowhere. "The game of holding almost always leads to defeat," Putin used a sports analogy. And he explained: “In the emerging multipolar world, there should be no losing countries and nations”.
Key to the world order today are several principles: First, openness to interaction - the most important value for most countries. Especially in the face of new challenges, both natural and technological.
Second, despite the paradoxical nature of this thesis, the basis of the world's stability lies in its diversity.
In addition, maximum representation in global decision-making. Great powers cannot “dictate to other countries their national interests based on their own”, Putin added