US participation in world affairs should be aimed at reaching consensus - Lavrov

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The participation of United States in world affairs should be aimed at reaching consensus, not at satisfying Washington’s egotistical interests, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday at the Russian Diplomatic Academy. "In a recent interview with the Atlantic, US President Barack Obama insisted that the agenda for any important multi-party forum is determined only with US participation," Lavrov said. "But it cannot be any different because we are talking about the most powerful and influential country of the modern world," he added. "We are not talking about pushing US away from making key international decisions but rather want US participation in developing common approaches to be aimed not at satisfying their own egotistical interests, but at building consensus with the aim of ensuring international security and sustainable development," Lavrov said. "The whole global community would welcome such leadership, I am sure, especially considering the fact that no serious problem may be resolved by someone alone. There have been many examples of this over the last decade," he added. Like at previous stages of world history, "seeking to make momentary gains and implement opportunistic tasks will only lead to a catastrophe," the foreign minister said. "We are convinced that approaches are needed today aimed at the future, based on strategic understanding of global processes and that realism in politics is in demand," Lavrov went on. "Russia is the successor of USSR and in this capacity, as a successor of traditions of the pre-Soviet era of our country’s development, we clearly understand that messianism and attempts to impose own development models and values on other peoples are counterproductive," the foreign minister concluded. Read more