Russian Foreign Minister believes country’s contribution to the results of major wars, as well as resolution of other important issues of European and global policy shows its special role in history

MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Russia’s contribution to the results of World and Napoleonic wars, as well as its resolution of other important issues of European and global policy, serves as evidence of its special role in history, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote in the article "Historical perspective of Russia’s foreign policy" published in the "Russia in Global Affairs" magazine on Thursday.

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"There are those - both inside the country and abroad - who tends to think that Russia is almost doomed to forever lag behind or try ‘catch up’, has to always adjust to the game rules made by others and thus cannot declare its role in global affairs out loud," Lavrov said. "Last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, the year before than - remembered the start of the First World War 100 years ago. In 2012 we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino and 400th anniversary of freeing Moscow from Polish invaders. If you think about it, these landmarks clearly demonstrate Russia’s special role in European and global history," he added. Kievan Rus and Russian Empire Lavrov reminded that in Kievan Rus, three daughters of Yaroslav the Wise became queens of respectively Norway and Denmark, Hungary, France, his sister - the wife of the Polish king, and his granddaughter married the German emperor. "Multiple scientific researches note high - often higher than in West European states at that time - cultural and spiritual level of development of Rus," he added.

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Russia later "played a role of powerful balancing factor in European political combinations, including the famous Thirty Years’ War, after which a Westphalian system of international relations developed in Europe," the foreign minister went on adding that Russia also played a key role in the pan-European conflict of the 18th century - the Seven Years’ War. The top diplomat particularly noted Russia’s role in the times of Napoleonic wars, "after which it was Russia that came out as a savior of the system of international relations based on the balance of powers and mutual consideration of national interests and excluding total dominance of one country on the European continent." Lavrov also reminded about the initiatives of Nicholas II of Russia on holding the Hague peace conferences in 1899 and 1907 which represented the first attempts to agree on reversing the arms race and preparing for a disastrous war. Preservation of cultural code "At the same time, Russian people, who have their own cultural matrix, their own spirituality, never blended with the West," the foreign minister said. "The energetically developing country cannot not try to leap forward relaying on modern technologies, but this does not mean refusal from its ‘cultural code’," he added. "We know multiple examples of modernization of eastern societies that were not accompanied by radical demolition of traditions. This is even more true in case with Russia which represents one of the branches of European civilization in its depth," he concluded. Accusations of revisionism The attempts to accuse Russia of "revisionism" stem from the approach that only Washington can play a decisive role in world affairs, which is unfounded, writes Lavrov.