Dear Colleagues,

We are holding the fifth meeting of the Commission of the General Council of the United Russia party for international cooperation and support for compatriots abroad. I think that this is an indicator of our sustainable, systematic work. We see that it brings results and seriously helps both in the line of party and official diplomacy.

Today we are to discuss a set of issues related to the expansion of cooperation with Asian, African and Latin American countries, including in the interests of counteracting modern practices and manifestations of neo-colonialism.

It is no secret to anyone that the consequences of colonialism and the vicious practice of its modern manifestations are one of the main reasons for the deep disproportions in the development of the states of our world. The crimes of the colonialists have no statute of limitations and forever deprive the Western elites of the right to claim any moral leadership. Moreover, the colonial instincts have not disappeared anywhere.

Today, the “collective West”, which has achieved its well-being largely through centuries of robbery and exploitation of developing countries, is trying to maintain its global dominance, hoping, as before, to solve the problems of its development, maintaining its own economies at the expense of others. The West continues to slow down the process of democratization of international relations. To this end, it aggressively imposes a neo-colonial, American-centric “rule-based order” on the world majority. Which they themselves invent and apply according to the principle "as I want, I turn it around."

The US and the rest of the West, fully accountable to it, have taken a course in dividing the world into a small group of "exceptional" and "slave." To this end, a new black-and-white paradigm is being thrown in, proceeding from the fact that the world consists of “correct” democracies approved by Washington, on the one hand, and on the other, autocracies, among which are Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea. and other countries.

The United States and its European allies are acting in the worst traditions of colonialism: those who do not agree to live according to Washington's instructions, pursue an independent course, and try to restrain them through unilateral sanctions, blackmail, threats, intimidation, and often outright forceful pressure. Those who show loyalty are allowed everything. Take, for example, the open support of Ukrainian neo-Nazis who staged persecution, purges, and physical reprisals along ethnic and linguistic lines. They have been doing this for many years. In fact, the US intends to spread the philosophy of the notorious "Monroe Doctrine", invented for the Western Hemisphere, to the rest of the world. They want to turn the entire planet into their backyard.

At the same time, they are trying with all their might to falsify history, to erase the historical memory of the monstrous crimes of the colonialists, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, slave trade, racism, plunder and destruction of the natural and cultural heritage of ancient civilizations.

For many decades our country has fully assisted the peoples of the world in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. It provided them with substantial and mostly gratuitous support in the formation of statehood, the creation of the foundations of the national economy, the strengthening of defense capability, and the training of qualified personnel. On the initiative of our country, in December 1960, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

We stand in solidarity with the demands of developing countries to complete the process of decolonization in full compliance with the decision of the UN General Assembly. However, for example, France still retains sovereignty and control over the island of Mayotte, separated from Comoros. And this is despite the repeated resolutions of the UN General Assembly calling on Paris to return it to the state of the Comoros. The same applies to the Chagos Archipelago, torn away from Mauritius by London. There are other examples as well. We will continue to support our African colleagues in their just demands.

Russia has always been on the side of the truth. Today we are at the forefront of international efforts to uphold the basic principles of the UN Charter, including such a fundamental principle as the need to respect the sovereign equality of states.

In this regard, it is natural that about three-quarters of the countries of the world that retain their dignity and independence, do not want to live in the system of coordinates imposed by the West and are familiar with the habits of the former metropolises firsthand, have not joined the anti-Russian sanctions. They took a balanced position regarding the conflict in Ukraine, which became the result of a long-term crisis in European security.

We are actively explaining all the factors that ultimately contributed to the creation of such a situation. We find understanding in regular contacts with the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Against this background, we are actively developing ties with them in all areas. We are consistently strengthening our strategic partnership with China. Today, relations between Moscow and Beijing are the best in history. Progressively and richly developing relations