West dismantles legal norms it once vigorously defended — Medvedev

Lead

ST. PETERSBURG, June 24. /TASS/. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of undermining the fundamental principles of international law and dismantling the legal architecture it once defended, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum on Monday.

Medvedev said the West has made consistent efforts to undermine international law and destroy its systemic integrity, particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He also argued that the world has undergone irreversible transformations and called for a modern re-examination of international legal principles.

Coverage Comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported Medvedev's remarks in separate articles, each highlighting different aspects of his speech. One report focused on his criticism of the West's post-Soviet actions, another on his call for re-examining international law, and a third on his assertion that the West has "trampled on" legal principles.

All three reports are consistent in attributing the statements directly to Medvedev and in framing his remarks as critical of the West's approach to international law.

Key Claims

Medvedev stated that the West is trying to undermine the fundamental principles of international law and destroy its integrity, a process he said has been "particularly active" since the Soviet Union's collapse.

He noted that the peoples of the world moved toward equality and independence "at the cost of enormous efforts through blood and tragedy," and credited the USSR's contribution in turning the victory over Nazism into the foundation of a new world order. He pointed out that the principle of sovereign equality in the UN Charter was included at the request of the Soviet Union.

Medvedev argued that the Western establishment still follows the concept of "divided but equal," which he said "legalizes strict racial segregation," even though it was declared unconstitutional in 1954.

In another part of his speech, Medvedev asserted that by choosing "the path of political diktat," the West has trampled on and dismantled the very principles of international law it once defended. He said European nations have "undermined the basic foundations of international law with their own hands," including the sacred nature of property rights.

Medvedev also emphasized that the world has changed irrevocably, with the first half of this year demonstrating "tumultuous events" that could threaten a catastrophic military crisis. He called for a modern re-examination of fundamental international legal principles, but stressed that the goal should be to breathe new meaning into existing principles rather than rushing toward radical reforms.

He expressed conviction that the effectiveness of public international law depends on relative stability, saying, "Absolute stability is an illusion; however, relative stability is essential."