Speech by Inal Ardziba, Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, at Global Conference on Multipolarity

Welcome address in the Abkhazian language: «Бзиара шәымаз ҳаҭыр зқәу аконференциа алахәылацәа! Иахьатәи ҳаиҧылара акыр зҵазкуа иреиуоуп, ақәҿиарақәа амангьы имҩаҧысуеит ҳәа сгәы иаанагоит».

Its translation: Hello, dear participants of the conference! Our meeting today is very important, and I hope it will be fruitful.

Good afternoon, dear participants of the Global Conference on Multipolarity.

The topic, chosen by the organizers for this event, emphasizes the importance and relevance of multipolarity in today's world. The modern system of international relations goes through a turbulent period. We all see now how the world is undergoing serious changes, as we see attempts by the collective West to resist the transition to a multipolar system.

The world cannot be unipolar. And history makes this clear. World War II resulted in setting up a bipolar world order, but the collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by a collapse of such a system of international relations. In fact, it was the United States that dominated both economically and politically in the world. It believed it could impose its dictatorial will on various countries of the world, such as Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia and others. In this context, we have to pay special attention to NATO expansion, which undermined the system of international security. A new geopolitical reality has emerged as a result of the illegitimate and unjust actions of the Collective West at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries.

Has U.S. hegemony and unipolarity led to setting up a fair, UN Charter-based international system? The obvious answer is no.

We are witnessing how the U.S. is trying in every way to preserve its former leadership, to prevent the formation of a multipolar system of international relations. The West is clinging to its archaic institutions, that are unable to ensure the sovereign equality of states and the interests of developing countries. These global governance institutions, like the World Bank, are using such governance methods that fail to reflect the growing role of the developing world in the world economy and world politics. Outdated institutions of global governance are being replaced by such associations as BRICS, which give impetus and ensure justice in the modern system of international relations. More and more sovereign actors seek to accede to such equitable alliances. Meanwhile, the total economic, political and demographic potential of BRICS significantly exceeds the one of the G7 countries taken together. Thus, new centers of political and economic power are arising.

I emphasize that today more and more countries declare their adherence to a polycentric world, which must rest on the principles of international law, equality, respect for the rights of small peoples and nations. I believe that this transition is inevitable. Of course, it is not quick, but no one can argue that it is taking place.

Friends! We sincerely and completely share the position of our ally, the Russian Federation, and have supported the Russian decision to start the Special Military Operation.

Bandits and neo-Nazis have seized power in Ukraine. For eight years they carried out terrorist attacks against Russians in southeastern Ukraine. I explicitly note that volunteers from the Republic of Abkhazia are also taking part in the Special Military Operation, thus bringing the goals of the campaign closer.

Abkhazia believes that the Special Military Operation will trigger the inception of a new system of international relations. The one, that will respect the rights of nations, including small ones, their national identity and history.

Dear colleagues, I would like to stress the fact that Abkhazia stands up for integration processes in the post-Soviet space, which have been initiated and supported by the Russian Federation. Such approaches are enshrined 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 faster integration in the former USSR can bring about an bigger Union of Sovereign States.

The people of Abkhazia lived through the hardships of the Patriotic War of 1992-1993. We know what it is feels when you have to take arms to defend the legitimate right to life and development in a free state.

Abkhazia has experienced first-handedly the policy of double standards, which is so widely used by both Western countries and some multinationals. On the one hand, they zealously defend the rights of Kosovars, and on the other, they turn a blind eye on the rights of the Abkhaz people, who have a thousand-year history of statehood.

Friends, I emphasize that multipolarity impacts the international economic system, where a major transformation of the world monetary system is taking place. There is a tendency to settle more in national currencies. I am referring first of all to the currencies of developing countries. This brings another evidence that the world has changed and these processes are inevitable.

Dear participants, I am sure that such discussions are very timely and I wish you fruitful work.