Russia presented a new concept of foreign policy. Main

President Vladimir Putin approved the updated Concept of Russia’s foreign policy. A report on it at a meeting of the Security Council on March 31 was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“Dramatic changes in international life have required us to seriously adjust key strategic planning documents. Among them is the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, which outlines the principles, tasks, and priorities of diplomatic activity,” Putin said.

The updated concept contains the idea of ​​the need to stop the West’s monopoly on the formation of the framework of international life, they should be determined not in the selfish interests of the West, but on the basis of a fair balance of interests, pointed out minister 15 Feb.

The logic of the document reflects the changing geopolitical realities and, in fact, the revolutionary “shifts on the outer contour”, which have been accelerated with the start of a special military operation, Lavrov added during the meeting of the Security Council. “In particular, the unprecedented level of international tension over the past decade is stated. The existential nature of the threats to the security and development of our country, created by the actions of unfriendly states, is recognized,” he said.

The attitude towards other states and interstate associations is determined by the constructive, neutral or unfriendly nature of their policy towards the Russian Federation. Russia reserves the right to use its armed forces to repel and prevent an armed attack on itself or its allies, follows from the concept. This is probably one of the most important points in the document.

The text of the updated concept also notes that Russia strives to ensure security equally for all states on the basis of the principle of reciprocity. “Russia has self-determined as an original country-civilization, a vast Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power, a stronghold of the Russian World, one of the sovereign centers of world development, playing a unique role in maintaining the global balance of power and ensuring the peaceful, progressive development of mankind,” the document says. .

A significant part of the document is devoted to the relations of the West with the rest of the world. Russia does not consider itself an enemy of the West, it does not isolate itself from it and does not have hostile intentions, but it counts on its awareness of the futility of confrontation with Russia, the acceptance of multipolar realities, and a return over time to interaction based on the principles of sovereign equality and respect for interests, it says.

One of the key theses is that Russia strives to form a system of international relations that would ensure the preservation of cultural and civilizational identity, security and equal development opportunities for all states. In order to facilitate adaptation to a multipolar world, the Russian Federation intends to prioritize the elimination of vestiges of US and other unfriendly states’ dominance in world affairs, creating conditions for the abandonment of any state from neo-colonial and hegemonic ambitions.

Russia considers the US course as the main source of anti-Russian policy and risks for its security and international peace, and greater independence from the US would have a positive impact on the security and well-being of European countries, the document says.

The priorities of Russia’s humanitarian policy abroad are counteracting the campaign of Russophobia, protecting the Russian language, Russian culture, sports and the Russian Orthodox Church from discrimination, the country stands for the consolidation of international efforts aimed at protecting universal and traditional spiritual and moral values.

Russia will contribute to reducing the ability of unfriendly states to abuse their monopoly or dominant position in certain areas of the world economy, and at the same time to expanding the participation of developing states in global economic governance. Great importance is attached to deepening and coordinating ties with friendly “global centers of power” – China and India, as well as cooperation with Latin America on a de-ideologized and mutually beneficial basis.

At the end of December 2022, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spokethat Moscow, when preparing the draft concept of foreign policy, took into account the new strategic concept of NATO. She also noted that the Russian concept is based on such principles as consistency, independence, multi-vector approach, openness, predictability, pragmatism and reliance on national interests.