Russia takes a swipe at US on Ukraine

Amid tight security, with some police officers patrolling Boksburg’s Birchwood Hotel precinct on horseback – venue for the three-day Brics political parties plus dialogue 2023, which started on Tuesday – leaders representing Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia, called for the strengthening of inclusive multilateralism and a new world order.

Launching an attack on the United States during his address to delegates via a video link from Russia, Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation’s central committee, said the “US-led collective West” has not abandoned “attempts to preserve its dominant positions in the world at all costs – continuing to pursue a neocolonial policy and seeking to restore Fascism”.

Russia vs western countries

While the ongoing war in Ukraine has strained relations between Russia and western countries, Zyuganov maintained that the US was “still possessed by the desire to bring back the grim colonial past – merely dressing it in a new garb.

“This is driven by rabid Russophobia and a pathological desire to destroy Russia and the Russian world – drawing ever more countries into its bloody orbit.

“The West is essentially setting once brotherly people’s against one another to gain political and economic dividends.

ALSO READ: Russia warns of Black Sea risks after grain deal exit

“Today the world is changing rapidly, exposing all the accumulated social and class contradictions – revealing the essence of true friendship and mutual understanding among the peoples.

“Our country, the USSR, lost 27 million lives in the Second World War. We know the price of war. We want peace, but the USA wants war in order to weaken and destroy Russia.

“More sanctions are being introduced together with strengthening of pressure mechanisms against all those who dare to object.

“We see a deliberate wrecking of economic, political and cultural ties and a conscious attempt to destroy international cooperation.

“All this challenges common sense and elementary logic, damages the interests of countries worldwide and has a negative impact on the well-being of people in practically all countries.

ALSO READ: Russian lawmakers approve bill banning gender reassignment

“We are happy that the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America disclose the essence of the conflict NATO has provoked in Ukraine.

“We appreciate the peoples and governments of all the continents who have not given in to Western diktat and refused to introduce sanctions against Russia.”

Welcoming political party delegates and international organisations gathering in South Africa “to discuss a wide spectrum of extremely complicated”, Zyuganov said the meeting was “exceedingly important in discussing pressing political and economic problems facing Brics”.

These, said Zyuganov, ranged from “possible ways of its development, to strengthening of international mechanisms of resolving conflicts – from the activities of the New Development Bank to the enlargement of the organisation and establishment of equitable relations with the African countries”.

He added: “It is very important that the parties and organisations represented at this meeting stand for the establishment of a truly democratic multipolar order, based on the principles of equality, justice and mutual respect – in which world politics, trade and finances are free of barriers and politically-motivated restrictions, not only in words.

“Together, we should erect a barrier in the way of this man-hating policy and prevent the world from sliding into a Third World War.

“I should remind you in this connection that our countries are the home of more than three billion people, account for a quarter of the world GDP, 20 percent of the world trade – about 25 percent of direct investments, and the summary international reserves of Brics states account for 35 percent of world reserves.

ALSO READ: ‘Arresting Putin would be declaration of war with Russia,’ Ramaphosa warns

“This is a great economic and political potential, which is capable of putting up a serious challenge to the West’s hegemonic policy.

“Moreover, we have every chance to increase our multi-vector cooperation in the framework of the Brics dialogue and with partners from amongst the states represented here.”

‘Concrete action’

Said A Klimov, a member of the Bureau of the Supreme Council of the governing United Russia party: “We support a multi-polar world order, sovereign equality of all nations, non-interference into domestic affairs, the right to self-determination, the principle of peaceful coexistence of countries with different political systems, respectful and mutually beneficial cooperation.

ALSO READ: Russia says Ukraine grain export deal ‘ended’

“We condemn any form of hegemonism, neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and Nazism. We support generally accepted principles and norms of international law.

“These are the principles shared by the global majority and these are the principles which form the basis for such organizations as Brics and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

“Unfortunately, Washington and their western partners, find the basis for their policies in other principles. They consider themselves special, they believe they have the right to govern the world and to create rules for others to obey.”

In its message to the gathering, the Communist Party of China said: “Concrete action needs to be taken to overcome division, promote mutual learning and dialogue, engage in political dialogue to meet people’s aspirations.

“There should be greater social justice and need to safeguard international order by improving global governance, ill-advised to pursue unilateralism.

“Shared growth should be upheld. With SA having taken the Brics chair, African cooperation will be deepened, with synergy for world peace and development being the key objective.

ALSO READ: Zuma’s Russia trip ‘plunges SA govt into deeper legal and political predicament’

“Our partnership advances global development. We should safeguard peace and security for a collective security architecture – silencing the guns and encouraging people-to-people and cultural exchange.

“We must choose justice over hegemony, to build a more just international order.”

Delegates will on Wednesday break into commissions and later adopt a set of resolutions.

-brians@citizen.co.za