Putin: disrupted balance on international arena leads to tough conflicts

Disrupted balance on international arena leads to tough conflicts, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the last Day of 14th Valdai Club Meeting, held in the southern Russian resort city of Sochi.

"It is obvious that the interests of states do not coincide in everything. It is normal and natural, it has been like that forever. Leading states have different geopolitical strategies and views on the world. This is the immanent nature of international relations, which are based on the balance of cooperation and competition. However, when this balance is disrupted, when the observance or even the existence of universal laws of conduct is doubted, when the interests are pushed through at any cost, contradictions become unpredictable and dangerous, they lead to harsh conflicts," Putin said at the final plenary session of the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Sputnik reports.

At the same time, the Russian president added, such environment hampers resolution of international problems and leads to a downgrade in the relations between the countries. "There is less security in the world. Instead of progress and democracy, we see radical elements, extremist groups that deny civilization itself, seek to plunge it into archaism and into chaos, into barbarism," the president said.

In his opinion, double standards pose threat to development of Europe. "In the view of some of our colleagues, there are right fighters in the cause of independence and freedom, and there are separatists who can't even defend their rights with the help of democratic mechanisms," the Russian president said. "Such, as we say, double standards... carry a serious threat to the stable development of Europe and other continents. to the promotion of integration processes across the world," he added.

Commenting on situation in Catalonia, he said: "Russia's position here is known: everything that is happening is a domestic affair of Spain, and should be settled within the framework of Spanish law in accordance with democratic traditions."

Moscow hopes that the dispute over Catalonia's independence from Spain will be resolved in a democratic manner and there will be no political prisoners, the president added. "We hope that the problem will be solved on the basis of the Spanish legislation, the constitution ... But of course, in such matters it is necessary to be very careful and very sensitive about what is happening. We hope that everything will be solved within the framework of democratic procedures and there will be no political prisoners," Putin noted.

Russian leader also stressed that politics increasingly interfere in economy. "We are seeing more and more examples of politics rudely interfering in economic relations. Not so long ago it was said that it is impossible, counterproductive and should not be allowed. Now, those who said it are doing exactly that. Some are not even hiding that they are using political pretexts and reasons to promote their own, purely commercial, interests," Putin said. The Russian president mentioned the sanctions recently adopted by the US Congress, which are "obviously aiming to push Russia out of European energy markets."