IF you happened to be walking down a street in Russia on June 12 one notable thing would be very clear to a visitor: Celebra­tions that display the sense of patriotism for Russia. Almost 30 years ago the Russian Federation was born on that particular date.

Known today as Russia Day, the National Day of the Russian Federation is usually marked to commemorate the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation which was formally adopted on 12 June 1990. It symbolises the estab­lishment of an autonomous state from the USSR.

Since then, the Russian Fed­eration has become a fully sov­ereign country with its president, national flag and national an­them. The Day was officially de­clared a national holiday, when apart from demonstrating their patriotism and national pride, the occasion also gives Russians an opportunity to celebrate their culture and identity. On this Day people in Russia and abroad may rejoice the achievements their country has so far gained in the economic and social sphere as well as contemplate what the country aspires to accomplish in future.

The dissolution of the So­viet Union, which gave rise to the birth of the Russian Fed­eration, opened a new chapter in the world political arena. After the disintegration of the USSR, Russia was almost left out of the global power roundtable. However, Russia’s tremendous socio-economic and political achievements have helped to a great extent to shape the balance of power in the world, making it become an active player both economically and politically.

In recent years, Moscow has secured a strong position and voice in today’s world politics to the extent that there is no issue of global significance that can be resolved without the participa­tion of Russia.

The plain fact of the matter is that in order for the country to keep its influence strong and in­terest protected, it is obvious that it needs to build strong alliances. In redefining its global interest for almost three decades Russia has managed to attune its ap­proach towards world’s econom­ic blocs and individual countries such as China, India, Iran and the US. The formation of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the achieve­ments the bloc has gained so far helped in consolidating its posi­tion among key players in the world.

Moscow played a significant role during the Soviet Union era by supporting national liberation movements in fighting against colonialism across the African continent as well as building the economies and offering training to Africans. After the collapse of the USSR Russia expanded bilateral and multilateral inter­actions with Africa countries through establishing economic ties and promoting trade and in­vestment.

Through the October 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Moscow has strengthened the cooperation with African coun­tries in almost every sphere rang­ing from political, cultural and humanitarian fields to science and technology, education and training as well as defence and security.

In recent years, Russia took deliberate steps to consolidate its interests in Africa by promoting political dialogue through the African Union that aims at at­taining a win-win situation be­tween Russia and African States.

Russia’s voice in the United Nations and the stand the coun­try usually takes in defending global interest on various issues of global importance without be­ing beholden to others has helped it win the hearts and minds of many countries in the world.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Rus­sia is determined to continue taking an active part in charting the strategic line of the interna­tional community and practical measures as regards strengthen­ing peace and stability as well as maintaining security at both regional and global levels.

International terrorism has become a major threat to peace and stability in the world. Coun­tries across the globe have been striving to combat the spread of terrorism and extremism. How Russia has helped the world to fight international terrorism gave the world the new impetus in combating this global challenge. The War in Syria is a clear ex­ample of how the involvement of Russia has prevented the spread of extremists to towards its bor­ders.

Moscow believes that “the main effort in combating terror­ism should be aimed at creating a broad international counter­terrorist coalition with a solid le­gal foundation, one that is based on effective and consistent inter-State cooperation without any political considerations or double standards, above all to prevent terrorism and extremism and counter the spread of radical ideas.”

Recently, Russia has dem­onstrated that it is not oriented toward any one side in particular — to Europe, the U.S. or China in addressing issues of global importance. Even as it grapples with an outbreak of the pandem­ic at home, it played an impor­tant role in fighting Covid-19 by sending test kits, masks, ventila­tors, protective gear and medical personnel to Italy, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Mon­golia and to the former Soviet Union States including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakh­stan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ta­jikistan and Uzbekistan to help the coronavirus-hit countries fight the pandemic.

As it commemorates almost 30 years of its establishment today, the Russian Federation is confidently gaining political and economic weight, affirm­ing itself as one of the important pillars of the multi polar world order, and is taking an increas­ingly important part in working out international community’s decisions on key issues related to both the regional and global agenda through creation of fa­vourable conditions for con­structive interaction at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and other international platforms.

Daily News

Friday, June 12, 2020