The Russian Vision Of Current State Of International Affairs And Their Future

(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) It is clear that today humanity is undergoing immense changes. The age of unilateral world with undisputed dominance of the historic West, which has lasted for more than five hundred years, is coming to an end. Voices of new centers of power in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America are getting louder. However, Western countries still seek to preserve their diktat by any means and resort to aggressive actions. This is why Russia had to take up arms on February 24, 2022 to defend its security and national interests.

Western pressure on us has deep roots. Right after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States together with their NATO allies have been consistently trying to weaken Russia because of our independent policy. Eleven years ago, they staged protests in neighboring and brotherly Ukraine and provided neo-Nazis there with a carte blanche to oppress and even exterminate the Russian-speaking population.

It was possible to avoid the military option three years ago, but the West deliberately pushed the Ukrainians in the bloody undertaking using them as cannon fodder. In December 2021, the United States and NATO arrogantly rejected our proposal to abandon the transformation of Ukraine into a military base against Russia. Moreover, as deliberate provocation, they pushed the puppet Kiev regime into a new offensive in Donbas. We had no choice, but to come to the rescue of Russians there. Since then, supplies of NATO weapons have been fueling the conflict, which Russia initially proposed to resolve peacefully.

In addition, the West continues to promote the notorious“rules-based order”. But these“rules” are not recorded anywhere and have never been agreed with other countries, including Russia and Egypt. In essence, this concept means that the whole world should follow instructions from Washington and other major Western capitals and submit to their control. At the same time, the West is not going to adhere to any self-restrictions.

Russia, on the other hand, offers mutually beneficial cooperation based on international law. It includes the UN Charter and all other multilateral treaties that were developed with the participation of most countries, including Egypt, signed and ratified by them.

In the same way, the current establishment of multipolarity suits the interests of the majority of people on the planet. It is aimed at equal economic development while respecting the cultural and civilizational diversity of nations. The BRICS group is a prototype of such a world order without segregation and humiliation.

Russia along with China, India and Brazil were the architects of this association in 2006. Then South Africa became a member. Since 2024 there were nine full and active participants, including Egypt, whose entry we gladly supported. Recently another large Muslim country – Indonesia – joined the group.

Last year's massive expansion of BRICS coincided with Russian presidency there. Naturally, our most important task was to help newcomers integrate into the numerous formats of joint work created earlier. Throughout 2024, Russia hosted more than 200 BRICS events. We were very pleased to welcome the esteemed President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the October Summit in Kazan. Twelve Egyptian ministers also joined meetings in our country. Dozens of discussions and seminars were attended by other representatives – either in person or online.

Today, the areas of interaction in BRICS extend from foreign policy planning and national security issues to joint activities of science academies. From cultural and sports exchanges to combating natural disasters. From healthcare to cooperation in industry, agriculture and transportation.

All members consider the economy to be the key area of cooperation. In terms of gross domestic product, BRICS has already surpassed the G7, which initially included the most industrially developed countries. Now in terms of purchasing power parity China holds the first place in the world, India is the third, Russia is the fourth. The economic weight of the United States, which has dropped to the second place, is steadily declining, and European countries, especially Germany, after refusing cheap Russian gas are rapidly losing competitiveness and sliding towards deindustrialization.

There is an intense thinking process at BRICS how to ensure dynamic development of the world trade. In this regard, it is necessary to have a reliable system of payments because the previous mechanism, based on the U.S. dollar, proved to be completely insecure in recent years and many are not satisfied with it. So, if the West does not want other countries to use its financial infrastructure, we have to find something else. Therefore, only 18 percent of the Russian external trade is now carried out in dollars and euros.

Establishment of a new universal payment system is a difficult task, which has to take into account the interests and concerns of all BRICS members and other countries. Nevertheless, financial officials are actively addressing this issue with the full-fledged participation of Egyptian Minister of Finance Ahmed Kuchuk and Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt Hassan Abdallah, who both visited Moscow last October for consultations with BRICS colleagues. In particular, there are different options for electronic payment mechanisms independent of the West and relying on national currencies.

No wonder that more than 30 other countries are willing to join BRICS. They understand that driving forces of human civilization have shifted to the global East and South, which will determine international trends in the future.

Let me also address the ongoing cooperation between Russia and Egypt. In August 2023 we celebrated the 80^th Anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Thanks to regular contacts and mutual trust between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi our bilateral relations reached the level of strategic partnership in the last decade. The two leaders had another phone conversation just a few days ago – on January 21.

The key joint mega-project today is construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant in El-Dabaa by Russian state corporation“Rosatom”. Its implementation is going according to schedule. Despite Western sanctions,“Transmashholding” company also fully fulfilled its obligations to supply 1300 passenger cars to Egyptian National Railways.

Since 2022, the West has been deliberately attempting to block Russian agricultural exports, even creating the risk of famine in some African countries. Still, Russia successfully overcomes these obstacles, same as other barriers, and remains the largest supplier of wheat to Egypt, having delivered 9 million tons last year. This amounts to 75 percent of Egyptian import needs.

Our bilateral trade reached 8 billion dollars in 2024. Around 400 Russian companies operate in Egypt, with investments of 3.5 billion dollars. In Russia, there is a steady increase in the number of businessmen interested in commercial ties here, including those willing to purchase Egyptian products.

Cultural and humanitarian links have traditionally formed the basis of friendship between our nations. We started student exchanges back in the 1960s, and today Egypt ranks among the top ten countries whose students choose Russia for higher education. The fields of study are diverse, ranging from medicine to nuclear energy.

Russia and Egypt closely cooperate in the United Nations and other international organizations. We hold similar positions on most global and regional issues, including developments in the Middle East.

In 2019, the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, co-chaired by Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, laid the foundation for expanding Russia's interaction with the entire African continent. This joint initiative was reinforced through Egypt's active participation in the second Summit in 2023 and the Foreign Ministers' Conference last November.

We look forward to enhancement of cooperation with our Egyptian friends in various fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Together, we are making the world more fair and sustainable.

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