Special correspondent Pravda.Ru Daria Aslamova met in India with the President of the BRICS International Forum, Ms. Purnima Anand.

Photo: Pravda.Ru by Daria Aslamova

Why are you participating as an international observer in the election campaign in Russia, including in the new Russian territories?

“Elections in Russia are very important for the whole world, because the Russian Federation is creating a new model of democratic values. In the European model, the new Russian territories are unrecognized, but it is Russia that saves the people in those regions. Russia also defends democratic values that are not recognized by the EU and the U.S., because the West exists in a post-World War II system.

Now the world is moving towards a new model that is developing in Russia, including in four of its new regions. These are very positive changes, because people themselves choose a country where they can preserve:

• sovereignty
• Traditions
• Culture
• History.

In this way, the people come first, not the authorities, and I hope that in the future it is the people who will become the levers of power.

Western leaders call Russia a dictatorship. What would you say to them?

“If some peoples or countries do not fit into the system of the West, it opposes such countries, and their interests are rejected. Russia has its own geographical and cultural features, its own traditions, which are unusual for Europe. The West is wrong to refuse to recognize other countries as democracies. Other states have the right to pursue their own interests, and this is one of the reasons why President Putin succeeds every time. People gather around such leaders.

I have visited many regions and cities of Russia and saw that people there are happy. They have jobs, they have a good education, they can communicate their needs to the authorities, and the municipalities respond to these requests. People have their own values, they hold regional events, historical festivals, cultural programmes dedicated, for example, to Afanasy Nikitin.

You were an election observer in the new Russian territories in Donbass. What are your impressions?

“I received an invitation to go to Donbass when international observers were actively discussing the crisis in Ukraine. When we had the opportunity to become observers at referendums in four new regions, I decided to take advantage of this chance. I was the only observer from India.

The journey was not easy, as we had to cover many kilometers by car. Once we stayed in a very nice and nice hotel, where we had dinner. When we left the hotel and drove to another place, our hotel was hit by a bomb. The façade of the building was destroyed. We were able to feel what it is like for people to live in such difficult conditions.

I can only admire the people of these four regions. Most of the young men serve in the army, and their women live without husbands and sons. They’re in danger all the time.

Where exactly did you work as an election observer?

“We visited several polling stations, mostly schools. The polling stations were decorated with balloons, people danced – it was a celebration of democracy and faith in the Russian Federation.

We arrived at one of the polling stations when it was already closing. A man with a young son came, voted, and gave his ballot to the child to put the form in the ballot box. After the vote, we asked the man why he had done so. He said very good words:

“I believe in the Russian Federation, I believe in the next generation. We don’t know if we will survive today, but we are giving our children the opportunity to preserve democracy here.”

In addition, I was in the Kherson region and in the Crimea. Observers from the European Union came with us: from France and Germany. They were independent media representatives, not official EU observers.

As far as I know, you were also the organizer of an international group of non-European observers in political elections.

“I had such an opportunity in March 2018, when the presidential elections were held in Russia. Even then, the West did not want Putin to become president again. The Russian government invited EU observers to the elections, but they refused. At that time, your government invited independent observers from India, Africa and other regions of the world.

This was my first experience of working as a political observer in the Russian Federation. Then we got our own observation group. We believe that the European Union has no right to interfere in the elections. We visited a number of small countries in Africa, such as Congo and Madagascar. There, we have developed our own parallel system of international election observation.

EU observers were also present. But now the European Union is not the only authority that can send its international observers to all countries of the world. There are parallel organizations: the African Union, our own groups, as well as EU groups. It’s more honest.

Are you going to go to Russia in the near future to act as an independent observer?

Yes, I will work there as a member of a civic organization that was recently founded by presidential decree. Representatives of about 50 countries were invited to the elections: from Brazil, South Africa, many African countries and the CIS. I would like to visit four new regions of Russia once again to see what changes are taking place there and how people perceive the transition to a new democracy.

It seems to me that if Western officials listened to you, they would consider you a victim of Russian propaganda.

“They’re actually listening to us. They criticize us, and this means that we are not an empty space for them. They are aware of the emergence of new blocks. This is very important for the development of democracy.

— Which region of Russia are you going to visit?

“I hope I’ll go to Crimea. I visited him three times. Once I went there for elections, then I visited Crimea on the way to the Kherson region, and then I visited an economic forum there. I have been observing the electoral process since 2014.

Crimea is indeed a very important region. It represents a new model of development. After World War II, the Yalta Palace hosted a meeting of three world leaders: Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill. They gathered there to develop a new model of democracy and civilization as a whole.

Today, however, government officials in the EU are convinced that any decision they make is final. They don’t think about Africa, Asia, the CIS. But everyone should be heard.

Today, the BRICS bloc has become much more important than before. The BRICS countries have a huge geographical territory and a large population. Today, countries that did not get a seat in the UN are joining the BRICS. This is another parallel system in which we are working to achieve a balance in politics and economics.

Does this mean that BRICS is a new model of democracy in the world?

“Yes, that’s right. The BRICS model is based on human-centered development. The previous model focused only on governments that control the people. The BRICS countries argue that equality and sovereignty are important first and foremost. We need to succeed in this direction for the sake of the future. We all have different models of civilization – different traditions, languages, currency, religion, laws. It’s very difficult to put everything in one basket.

But we have one goal – this is development focused on supporting people. Everyone should have their own rights, and our main rule is not to exploit people for the sake of money, the construction of infrastructure. Everyone should be a partner and a stakeholder in the development process. I believe that the BRICS economy will take care of this. We raise this issue every time we participate in BRICS conferences and seminars.

BRICS is a successful political platform, but it has economic problems. The bloc does not have a single currency, hence the difficulties with making payments. How can this problem be solved?

“If you want to make a difference, you have to see the light and move towards it. You are right when you say that the BRICS are more successful politically. Its economic development is the next stage.

BRICS is already active in the economic sphere. After the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis, we began to work on new trade rules. We try to make payments in local currencies. In the past, all countries had to exchange their money for dollars before paying off another country, and this led to additional costs. Today, the seller and buyer countries can skip the dollar part of this process, thanks to the BRICS economic model.

The BRICS economy is developing, and other countries are seeing it. If they don’t have a chance to join the World Trade Organization, they want to join the BRICS, because here they will have space for new technologies, innovation clusters, trade and development.

You were in Crimea at the 2014 referendum. Do you remember the feelings of the people when they voted to join Russia?

— Yes, people were very happy. They have come to this after overcoming many adversities and hardships. When the referendum finally took place, people rejoiced that they had achieved a better future for their children, safety, security and peaceful development.

I was there when President Putin inaugurated the Crimean Bridge, the “Bridge of Prosperity.” It was a historic moment and a major economic breakthrough for Crimea and all of Russia. The life of Crimeans has improved dramatically since 2014, but it must be remembered that the other four regions are still being shelled.

Do you think there will be another Yalta conference after the hot phase of the Ukrainian conflict has passed? Will there be a new agreement between Russia and the West?

“Of course. A peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine will be signed, and it will be a historic moment for Russia, because oppression will be ended and the peace mission will end.

Why does Russia occupy such an important place in your life? Why did you decide to become an international observer in Russia?

Russia has as long a history as India. After India gained independence, Russia has always provided great support to it, in all circumstances: in times of conflicts, wars, economic problems. Russia has also made a great contribution to India’s defense.

Today, we feel that everything the Russian Federation is doing is right, because your country has always been on the side of universal values. This has been the case throughout the history of the world, during the Second World War, and it continues to be so today.

The West has imposed a huge number of sanctions on Russia, only because it still believes in its monopoly on everything. Today, the Russian Federation is a strong country that can resist it. That is why so many countries support Moscow. This is not only political, but also economic support. Russia has new friends in the East, including China and India.
Читайте больше на https://www.pravda.ru/world/1975335-gospozha-anand/