On April 29, 2023, Inal Ardzinba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia took part in the "Global Conference on Multipolarity" in the online format.
The event was also attended by Sergey Lavrov and Qin Gang Foreign Ministers of Russia and China, Sergey Glazyev, Advisor to the President of Russia, Konstantin Malofeev, Deputy Head of the World Russian People's Council, Alexander Dugin head of the "International Eurasian Movement", as well as more than 100 experts, current politicians and specialists in international relations from more than 50 countries of the world.
Good afternoon, dear participants of the Global Conference on Multipolarity.
The chosen theme of the conference emphasizes the importance and relevance of the topic of multipolarity in the modern world. The modern system of international relations is characterized by turbulence. We are all witnessing how the world is going through serious changes, we see the attempts of the collective West to resist the transition to a multipolar system.
The world cannot be unipolar. History gives a clear picture of it. If after the end of World War II a bipolar world order was formed, then with the collapse of the Soviet Union, this system of international relations had collapsed. In fact, the world arena was dominated both economically and politically by the United States of America, which considered it possible to impose its dictatorial will on various countries of the world, such as Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia, and others. In this context, special attention should be paid to the topic of NATO expansion, which undermines the system of international security. As a result of the illegitimate, unfair actions of the Collective West at the turn of the 20th- 21st centuries, a new geopolitical reality was formed.
We are witnessing how the United States is trying in every possible way to maintain its former leadership, to prevent the formation of a multipolar system of international relations. The West is trying to hold on to its archaic institutions, unable to ensure the sovereign equality of states, the interests of developing countries. Management practices in global governance institutions such as the World Bank do not reflect the growing role of the developing world in the world economy and world politics. The archaic institutions of global governance are being replaced by associations such as BRICS, which ensure dynamism and justice in the modern system of international relations. An increasing number of sovereign subjects of international law are striving to become members of such equal associations. I note that the total economic, political, demographic potential of the BRICS significantly exceeds the combined power of the G7 countries. Thus, new centers of political and economic power are being formed.
I emphasize that today more and more countries declare their commitment to a
polycentric world, which should be based on the principles of compliance with
international law, equality, respect for the rights of small peoples and nations. Such a transition, in my opinion, is inevitable. Of course, this is not a fast process, however, its objective course is indisputable. Dear friends, we fully share the position of our ally, the Russian Federation, and supported the decision of the Russian leadership to conduct a Special Military Operation.
Bandits and neo-Nazis seized power in Ukraine. For 8 years they carried out terrorist attacks against Russians in the south-east of Ukraine. I would like to note that volunteers from the Republic of Abkhazia also take part in the Special Military Operation, bringing closer the achievement of the goals of the SMO. Our Republic considers the Special Military Operation as the start of the formation of a new system of international relations. Such a system where respect for the rights of peoples, including small peoples, respect for their identity and historical fate will be ensured.
Dear colleagues, I want to emphasize the fact that the Republic of Abkhazia supports the integration processes in the post-Soviet space, implemented on the initiative and with the support of the Russian Federation. Such approaches are fixed in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Grand Treaty between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation of 2014 We believe that the intensification of integration processes in the space of the former USSR can lead to the formation of an expanded Union of sovereign states.
The people of the Republic of Abkhazia went through the trials of the Patriotic War of 1992-1993. We know what it is like to defend the legitimate right to life and development in a free state with arms in hand.
By its own example, the Republic of Abkhazia has come across a policy of double standards, which is so widely used both by Western countries and by some international organizations. On the one hand, they zealously defend the rights of the Kosovars, and on the other hand, they ignore the rights of the Abkhaz people, who have a thousand- year history of statehood.
Dear friends, I also want to emphasize that multipolarity is projected onto the
international economic system, where the main transformation of the world monetary system is taking place. There is a tendency to increase settlements in national currencies. First of all, I mean the currencies of developing countries.This is another clear evidence that the world has changed and these processes are inevitable.
Dear participants of the conference, I am sure that such discussions are necessary and I wish you fruitful work.