Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has outlined five principles guiding his foreign policy in the wake of the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
In a joint interview with Russia's three major television channels, Medvedev said that, first of all, Russia recognises the supremacy of international legal fundamentals, which define relations between civilised nations. “Second, the world must be multi-polar. Single polarity is unacceptable,” Medvedev said. “Russia cannot accept a world order, where decisions are made by one state, even such a serious one as the United States,” he said. Such a world is unstable and might lead to conflicts, he said. Thirdly, Russia does not want confrontation with any country. “Russia does not intend to isolate itself. We will be developing as friendly relations as possible with Europe, the USA and other nations,” Medvedev added. The protection of life and dignity of Russian citizens “no matter where they live” is an absolute priority, Medvedev said. “We will also be protecting the interests of our business community abroad. It should be absolutely clear to everyone that anyone committing an aggression will be repelled,” Medvedev said. The fifth principle is Russia's interests in friendly regions. He also added that Russia's recognition of independence South Ossetia and Abkhazia is irreversible. “From the legal view point, the new states have appeared. The process of their recognition may take quite a long time. But this will not change our position in any way. We’ve made our decision irreversibly. It is our duty to provide for peace and order in the region. That’s what we’ll be basing our actions on,” Medvedev said. He said that Moscow's agreements with the two regions envisaged military as well as economic support. To read the full version of this interview please follow the link To watch Dmitry Medvedev's announcement on independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in full, please follow the link