'Global South' Ready to Oppose the West's 'Annoying, Aggressive' Dictate: Lavrov

The West ignores the needs of African and other nations, Sergey Lavrov stated as he was speaking during a meeting of the XXXI Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy on May 20.

In turn, the "Global South" is ready to oppose the collective West's "annoying and aggressive dictate," which includes punishment and sanctions, adding that a "fault line" is emerging between the West on the one hand, and the countries of the Global South and the East, comprising the global majority, on the other, he further stated.

Moreover, the minister outlined that the United States has used the Ukraine crisis to consolidate its Western allies in a manner that appears as their "subjugation" to Washington's will.

Washington used the Ukrainian crisis to consolidate its camp, we can see that. But this consolidation is more like a total subjugation of everyone else to its will," Lavrov said at the assembly of Russian think tank Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.

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Western countries stepped up sanctions pressure on Moscow after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The EU has since imposed 10 packages of sanctions against Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is the West's long-term strategy, and the restrictions have affected the entire global economy.

Referring to the latest G7 summit, Lavrov stated that the decisions made in Hiroshima, Japan are aimed at containing China and Russia amid the ongoing confrontation with the West.

"We have entered a phase of acute confrontation with an aggressive bloc composed of the United States, the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance," Lavrov stated. "Look at the decisions being discussed and made today in Hiroshima at the G7 Summit which are aimed at the dual containment of Russia and the People's Republic of China."

Earlier in the day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that with many developing countries allegedly disappointed in China and Russia, the G7 should seize the window of opportunity and strengthen ties with them.

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In this regard, Lavrov outlined that the Western track in Russian foreign policy has completely exhausted itself, as Russia has entered into a confrontation with the United States, the EU, and NATO.

"It is clear that the Western track, in the form in which it developed in our foreign policy until recently, has completely exhausted itself, and we have entered a phase of acute confrontation with an aggressive bloc consisting of the United States, the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance," the minister said.

He also emphasized that Russia is compelled to answer forcefully, fundamentally, and consistently to the war declared on it.

"We are forced to respond firmly, fundamentally, consistently to the war declared on us. Hostility stems from the side of the barricades, the barricades that separate those who want to live by their own mind and in the interests of their peoples from those who want to live at the expense of others," the minister stressed.

The minister noted that Russia is not alone in the fight against Western influence. In this connection, Lavrov drew attention to the relations of the Russian Federation with China, India, the ASEAN countries, the Persian Gulf states, Iran, Turkiye, as well as the African Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

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Speaking about the decline in the West's level of influence, Lavrov said that the de-dollarization of the world economy has begun, noting that such a trend can already not only be observed conceptually, but also in practice.

"De-dollarization has begun, both in practice and in conceptual presentations. Within the framework of the BRICS, Brazil has already offered to seriously consider at the upcoming summit in August the tasks of protecting financial settlements within this association, protecting the activities of the new development bank from the abuse of the dollar's role, which still persists, and many other initiatives in this direction are being put forward," Lavrov said.

Overall, Lavrov said that the era of transition to multipolarity, the rejection of submission to the hegemon, has already come, adding that there are no factors that will slow down the process of transition to a multipolar world.

"I don't see any prospects here, compromises that would preserve the state of transition from dictatorship to a multipolar world," the diplomat noted.

'Global South' Ready to Oppose West's 'Annoying & Aggressive' Dictate, Lavrov Says