West’s colonial past, present disgraceful: Putin

“Neo-colonialism is a disgraceful heritage of the centuries-long age of plunder and exploitation of the people of Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as other regions of the planet. We see its aggressive manifestations in the collective West’s attempts to retain its dominance at any cost, to economically subjugate other countries, to strip them of sovereignty, to impose alien values and cultural traditions,” he said in his welcoming speech to the “For the freedom of nations” international forum.

According to the Russian leader, “such a policy has become one of the main destabilizing factors in international relations, a barrier to the development of humanity.”

Putin pointed out that Russia did a lot to crush the foundation of the colonial system.

“Today, we are ready to unite efforts in our fight for true freedom and justice. For progress for all countries and nations, for the establishment of a democratic, multipolar world, built upon the principles of international law, respect for each other’s legitimate interests, mutual trust and creative cooperation,” TASS quoted the Russian president as saying.

He stated his certainty that meetings in this format will become regular and will contribute to the deepening of a wide dialogue and partnership ties, to developing joint responses to global challenges.

Putin’s greeting speech was read out by Andrey Klimov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs.

MP/PR