Shoigu Discusses Russia’s Role in Promoting Independent States

Aug. 15, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—The importance of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is not limited to the operational theater in which military operations are taking place. “History has once again given Russia the role of a locomotive in promoting the interests of the majority of independent states,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said (in Russian) in his keynote address to the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security. “The West, fearing a breakdown of the unipolar world and an open confrontation with a militarily strong adversary, provokes local conflicts around the world. The purpose of such policies is to weaken competitors, maintain control over resources, promote their own rules of life, and counteract the consolidation of dissenters.”

“There has been a marked increase in Western states’ military presence in Asia, Africa and Latin America. U.S. overseas military bases continue to be improved,” Shoigu noted, He then went on to describe the developing situations in the Asia-Pacific region, where “The NATO bloc confrontation is being actively implemented, including by involving the United States’ European allies in solving regional security problem;”

and Taiwan, which Shoigu said is being used in a manner similar to that of Ukraine. “In parallel, attempts are being made to destroy existing effective mechanisms for military cooperation, in particular ADMM-Plus,” he said. “Instead of the really important issues, whether it is military medicine or humanitarian demining, the focus shifts to gender issues, climate change and the Blue Economy.”

“The situation in the Middle East is developing positively,” Shoigu said, pointing to Syria’s return to the Arab League and Saudi-Iran normalization as stabilizing factors. However, “there is a high probability that the collective West will continue to provoke conflicts in the region,” where potential hotspots abound.

Shoigu noted that the Moscow conference is following the recent Russia-Africa summit. “The discussions during the Russia-Africa Summit strengthened our conviction that countering neo-colonialism, along with countering the terrorist threat, is a basic element of cooperation,” he said. “We are convinced that African countries should have modern armed forces, trained and well-equipped, capable of responding independently to challenges and threats to their own security.

“Western activities on the African continent are primarily aimed at preserving the ability to siphon off the natural resources of former colonies by maintaining conflict hotpoints. A lot of anti-government and terrorist groups are used for this purpose.”