Under the pretext of protecting ‘democratic values’, work is underway to interfere in the internal affairs of those who are out of favour with the states that consider themselves ‘rulers of the world,’ said the Russian Embassy.
The Russian Embassy in Dhaka issued an unprecedented statement on Tuesday when western countries, including US, UK, and United Nations, European Union have repeatedly urged the Bangladeshi government to create an environment for arranging a free, fair and inclusive general election.
On December 6, foreign missions in Dhaka issued a joint statement reaffirming the importance of all United Nations member states adhering to their commitments to free expression, peaceful assembly, and elections.
“We celebrate the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirm the importance of all UN member states adhering to their commitments to free expression, peaceful assembly, and elections, among others outlined in the Declaration,” the statement said.
The statement was issued by the Bangladesh missions of Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Extending support to Sheikh Hasina-led authoritarian government, the statement said, “Russia is ‘invariably committed’ to its principle of not interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries, including that of Bangladesh.”
“States like Bangladesh, which shape their foreign and internal policy to serve their own national interests instead of following the lead of external powers, take the similar approach,” the Russian Embassy said.
“Russia fully supports the aspiration of countries to independently determine the ways of their further development and constitute a system not subject to neo-colonial methods, the statement said. According to the UN Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty, ‘No state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state.’
“Unfortunately, in recent years (especially, after the Cold War ended), the issue of violating the principle of non-interference has become particularly relevant – as many believe that they can infringe on said principle for the sake of their own interests,” the statement said.
“The hegemonic ambitions are most vividly displayed by the countries, which identify themselves as developed democracies,” said the Russian embassy.
“Not only they indulge in intervening in internal affairs of sovereign UN member states, but also resort to blatant blackmailing, illegal restrictions, etc.,” reads the statement.
“The sovereignty of many countries is exposed to unprecedented risk,” the Russian embassy said, adding: “There are various ways of interfering in domestic affairs, as evidenced by the Ad Hoc Commission on Protecting State Sovereignty of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in its 2017 report.”
“Such measures are manifold and include establishing or supporting controlled non-commercial organisations, working with educational institutions, use of media and social networks to shape public opinion, inciting protests and meddling in federal or regional elections,” according to the statement.
“There are other instruments, which come in handy to counter the countries maintaining strategic independence and sovereign vision of a fair world order,” it reads.
