Lavrov: Western countries cannot be relied upon

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Western countries have proven that they cannot be relied on, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"Too many underhanded moves. We must therefore rely on those who have proven their reliability. Unfortunately, the West cannot claim to have done so," the foreign minister said at the International Youth Festival.

Lavrov noted that the established principles of globalization, including the free operation of market forces, "were sacrificed in order to punish countries pursuing policies that the West dislikes."

"Neither the United States nor the West as a whole can compete fairly under the rules they introduced into international affairs – rules that seemed to suit everyone for decades. But as soon as countries emerged that began beating the architects of those rules at their own game, entirely different methods immediately came into play," Lavrov said.

Against this backdrop, the foreign minister noted that Russia is shaping its policies to reflect the trend toward the regionalization of global trade while remaining open to the world. "Russian President Vladimir Putin has also spoken about this: we are not shutting ourselves off from the dollar or any other institutions," Lavrov said.

The International Youth Festival is taking place in Yekaterinburg from September 11 to 17 under the slogan Follow Your Dream. It is expected to bring together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 participants from Russia and 5,000 from other countries. The program will also involve 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17.